J. Michael Call

What happens when an idealist goes to war? How did the bloodiest battle in all of American history go down? And how did those who witnessed the Civil War firsthand write about a war that continues to send shock waves through American culture 150 years later?

Pulitzer-Prize winning author Geraldine Brooks enjoys writing in the void.

That void has been a plague-ravaged English village in 1666 where the townsfolk voluntarily quarantined themselves to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. It's also the mystery surrounding the life of a 17th-century Wampanoag named Caleb Cheeshahteaumauck, who became the first America Indian to graduate from Harvard. And in her 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "March," Brooks jumped into a void left wide open in one of America's most beloved works of fiction, "Little Women."

NORTH OGDEN -- Gallery Theater Productions is laying the groundwork for its 11th season. Experienced actors of various ages, playwrights, directors and technical staff are needed on a volunteer basis to help with the original short plays to be performed in the round in the center's Gallery Theater.

Auditions for the upcoming season will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at 2737 N. 650 East, North Ogden.

The original plays next season range from serious dramas to comedies and require actors of all ages.

It's not that easy being green -- especially when you're wearing a fat suit, prosthetic makeup and 6-inch platform shoes while trying to quickly navigate the backstage darkness of a theater for a quick scene change.

But Preston Truman Boyd wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's a little physically taxing, but you know, we do crazy stuff for our art form," said the 25-year-old actor playing the Monster in the touring production of "Young Frankenstein," which arrives Tuesday at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.

What's it like to pretend to be perfect? What's it like to be a Mormon but question your faith? What's it like to be gay and LDS? What's it like to live in the "Borderlands"?

A new play exploring those questions premiered this week in Salt Lake City and continues its run through April 10 at the Wagner Center.

"Borderlands," written by Eric Samuelsen, who teaches playwriting at Brigham Young University, takes a funny but dramatic look at the process of coming out in Mormon culture -- but not in the usual sense.

A play written by a Weber State University student will be one of four from across the country competing next month at the national Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C.

WSU student Chris Shenefelt's play "Reality Fallacy" is among those vying for the John Cauble Award for Outstanding Short Play.

Shenefelt wrote the book for "Reality Fallacy," along with the piano music that underscores the play. It was originally performed last fall at WSU and directed by Stephanie Purcell.

The play tackles the nature of reality, and whether it is open to interpretation. The story is about a couple, Cadence and Kaleb, who live with multiple realities -- one in which their son Casey is alive and one in which he is dead. Casey also has his own take on reality.

Angry union workers clash with management over wages, and plan protests. No, it's not a scene out of Wisconsin, but rather the subject of the musical comedy "The Pajama Game," opening next weekend at St. Joseph High School in Ogden.

"It's an age-old battle and it is something that has been going on for a long time," said director Jennifer Perry "Fortunately, it all turns out well for these folks because love must always triumph in musical theater."

Perry, who is the director of the theater and dance department at the private Catholic school, said she selected the popular 1950s musical because it is a great fit with her current crop of students, which includes several strong actresses.