Get in touch with your Thirdeye

The election season’s over, but what if candidates wrote plays instead of campaigning? What if John McCain wrote one using characters like David the Mortgage Exec and Joe the Plumber? Or if Barack Obama collaborated with the Clintons on an improv about what to do at Guantanamo Bay? Would the election have turned out different?

No, because politicians are great actors. But at least it would have been entertaining.

The annual Thirdeye Theatre Festival at UC Davis tackles the tough issues, however: Cold War trauma, an uncertain future, trying to change the ones you love, anorexia. Of course, things wouldn’t be complete without a dramatic war hero’s journey. And it’s all from the perspective of undergraduate students at UC Davis, who serve as the festival’s playwrights, directors, actors, designers, stage managers and crew.

Jade McCutcheon, UC Davis artistic director, said in a news release he wanted the plays to be entertaining but also provide “a forum for debate and discussion.” A Piece of Water, When Marcelli Met the Dream Maker and The Readers will show as a triple feature each night. So go watch them, then let’s discuss.