“Lunch: The 8th Grade Bridge Project” Highlights Life in Middle School

Sometimes things are a little complicated in an 8th grader’s life. Can a techie get along with an old-fashioned girl? Can a pacifist deal with the boy who fights all the time? And can anyone stomach the best-dressed diva who’s got the fashion police on speed dial?

Find out in “Lunch: The 8th Grade Bridge Project,” inspired by South Bay middle school interviews and written by veteran journalist and filmmaker Pamela K. Johnson. “Lunch” is presented by the California State University, Dominguez Hills Department of Theatre Arts and Dance in conjunction with the Dominguez Bridge Theatre Company (DBTC) and is directed by Bill DeLuca, professor of theatre arts. The play runs two weekends with Friday and Saturday performances on November 20, 21 and December 4 and 5, at 8 p.m., and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, December 6, at the Edison Theatre located within the University Theatre complex.

In Johnson’s original comedy, five eighth-graders go an entire day without cell phones. While their thumbs are happy for the rest, the kids themselves are forced to talk face-to-face to each other. Watch as they rediscover their ability to get along - or not.

“Lunch” is the fourth community-based bridge project by the DBTC, whose members interview community residents and leaders in interactive story circles, and then write a play drawn directly from those lively discussions. This approach to playwriting was inspired by the Cornerstone Theatre Company, which mentored the DBTC in the creation of community-based plays on the city of Carson, the South Bay community, and the university itself.

“What better way to make a show relevant to your audience than by asking them for stories that reflect their life experiences,” says Naomi Buckley (Class of '00, B.A., theatre arts), artistic director of the DBTC.

Community members appear onstage with DBTC actors. In “Lunch,” middle school students, university students, and company members portray characters in this humorous look at being 14 years old.

Individual general admission tickets are $12. Student and senior citizen tickets are $10. Special group rates are available for groups of 10 or more. General admission season subscriptions are $35; $30 for students and senior citizens.

For ticket information and purchase, please call the box office at (310) 243-3589. For more information about the DBTC or the theatre program at CSU Dominguez Hills, call (310) 243-3588.

- Laura Perdew

Photo above: Playwright Pamela K. Johnson created "Lunch" from interviews with South Bay 8th graders; courtesy of Laura Perdew