Don Williams, founder of Rainbow Theater at UC Santa Cruz, is proud of his students and of his unique creation, now in its 16th year.
“We do an in-depth study on a multitude of cultures that the main canon will not touch upon,” says Williams of his flourishing theater program that produces plays by both amateur and professional playwrights. “Quite often we deal with student writers of color, giving them an opportunity to express their lives and their ways of living that we are able to bring in and have a greater appreciation for.”
The multicultural theater organization’s fall season opened Thursday, Nov. 5, and is continuing this weekend with two separate productions each with two plays. On Friday, Nov. 13 actors will perform “Stop Kiss,” a love story about two young women who struggle to have their relationship accepted, and “Saint Lucy’s Eyes,” which is about abortions in the African American community during the Civil Rights Movement. On Saturday performers will showcase their talent in “In the Time of Rosalia,” a tale of a family reunion in Honduras and “Poet’s Corner,” a collaborative project of dancers, singers and slam poets.
On Nov. 20 and 21, Rainbow Theater will showcase “The Fifth Element,” another love story. The play tells the tale of an Asian American woman who falls in love with an African American soldier after World War II and the disappointment of her father.
All five productions will begin at 7 p.m. in the Stevenson Event Center. Admission is $5 at the door.
Cole Carothers, co-director of “Stop Kiss,” has been proud to be a part of the process and the program.
“It gives students the opportunity to engage in discussion of issues that aren’t always represented, especially ethnicity or identity of communities,” says Carothers. “It really gives a space to voices that aren’t represented.”
For more information, visit cadrc.ucsc.edu/rainbow-theater.
