MFA in Dramatic Writing Students Present New Plays

The UNM Department of Theatre and Dance is proud to present the Linnell Festival of New
Plays Spring Reading Series February 12th through February 14th in the Experimental Theatre. Every semester the Linnell Festival showcases new works by graduate students in the UNM Dramatic Writing Program. This year, Joss Carlisle and Eric Craft present works that are fantastical, queer, and offer some life lessons we can all learn from.

Assless Chaps: A Queer Western by Joss Carlisle follows a group of ranch hands as they sit around a campfire telling the story of Hody, a genderless cowpoke who starts an underground clothing ring to disrupt the price gouging being done at the local general store by its owner, Clark. Assless Chaps is a story of greed, queer community, and forgiveness.

Daffodil by Eric Craft tells the story of a Daffodil living in central New Jersey who sees the sky for the first time. With her worldview expanded, she decides to set out to the largest human city on earth: Tokyo, Japan. On the way she meets nihilistic butterflies, a non-binary murderous cult leader, a trio of singing sailors, a jackalope, and many other very grounded and realistic characters, but sparks fly when she meets the Japanese customs officer who holds her ultimate fate in his hands. This is a story about the transformative power of seeing the world in new ways and being just the right kind of selfish.

Assless Chaps opens the Festival February 12th at 6pm and shows again February 14th at 7pm. Daffodil follows February 13th at 6pm and the 14th at 4pm.

All showings are free and open to the public.