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The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

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The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

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City College Theatre Group has a feast at the Jurkowitz Theatre

Prepare yourselves for an exquisite dinner party that will offer interesting guests and intriguing conversations in the upcoming play “Omnium Gatherum,” presented by the City College’s Theatre Group at the Jurkowitz Theatre on West Campus.

The play starts with Suzie, a Martha Stewart type who invites opinionated guests to a dinner party at her house, in which she hopes a debate will arise and everyone will participate. Eight people with different lives and strong opinions talk about a number of issues. Along with an exquisite feast, these guests will argue about global events and life after the tragedy of September 11th. A special guest will later join them, causing chaos at the dinner table.

Rick Mokler, director of the play and a City College theater arts instructor said that the entire play is derived from the interactions between the guests who are invited to the dinner party.

The characters explore their differences and similarities about topics ranging from the food, Star Trek, capitalism, terrorism, morality, and more. Although the eight don’t agree with much, the only thing that they have in common is hunger.

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Mokler describes the dinner guests to be “intelligent, passionate and divergent people eating, drinking and arguing over the best ways to make the world the best possible place for us and our children, even if they can’t agree on what it is.”

Mokler also said “Omnium Gatherum” has very little action in the play until the last 15 minutes, and it also presents the audience with many questions and very few answers.

“Those are the kinds of dinner parties I love: conflicting, confusing and, at times exasperating, but always enlightening,” Mokler said

Starring in the play is Ann Dusenberry, Manoutchehr Eskandari-Qajar, Richard Hoag, Josh Jenkins, Tania Israel, Jon Koons, Katie Thatcher, and Sandarbh Tripathi.

“Omnium Gatherum,” was created by Theresa Rebecck and Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros.

For more information call the Garvin Theatre Box Office at (805) 965-5935 for reservations and information.

Previews will be shown April 30 and May 1 at 8 p.m. with ticket prices of $14. The show will run May 2 through May 17 with ticket prices ranging from $19-21. Student, senior, and group discounts are available for all shows. Sunday, May 4 and Saturday, May 10, there will be live captioned for the hearing impaired at 2 p.m.

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