A new facet of the SUNY Jamestown Community College Uncommoners called the Emerging Artists Series will present a series of short plays at 7 p.m. on April 19 and 20 in the Jamestown Campus Scharmann Theatre.
“Our Stories, Vol. 1” is a compilation of short stories written by Mark Sasse, arts and programming administrator for SUNY JCC, acted and directed by college students from the Cattaraugus County and Jamestown campuses. The stories capture everything from funny moments to high-stakes, tear-jerking drama. 
“I’m excited to have a number of students making their acting debut on the Scharmann stage,” Sasse said. “This is going to be a unique, fast-paced show which will twist the audience through a whirlwind of emotions.”
Dale Bauer of South Dayton is a freshman on the Jamestown Campus and will make his directorial debut with the piece titled “GeneRations.”
“I worked backstage for performances like ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ while I was at Pine Valley, and got to see the inner workings of theater, so I became interested in directing,” Bauer said.
Bauer says “GeneRations” is a play on words and the story is about a patient whose clinic visit doesn’t go as expected.
“The audience gets to see what it’s like if you were to go to a clinic with one thing in mind, and something completely different happens,” Bauer said. “It’s very dramatic and all over the place because the patient winds up trapped in the clinic until the ‘procedure’ is done.”
Bauer said audiences should be aware his set will include flashing lights.
Five other short stories will be performed during the show. Ticket prices are $6 general admission, $5 senior citizens 60 and older and JCC FSA members, and free for JCC students with a student ID.
“I’m thrilled to see the Emerging Artists Series come to life at JCC this month,” Sasse said. “The Jamestown Campus is a rich environment for the arts, and the Cattaraugus County Campus is making it a priority to ensure students with an interest can participate in these creative opportunities too. We look forward to this first joint production and hope it is the beginning of many more.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sunyjcc.edu/ScharmannTheatre.