NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina's theatre arts program will sponsor a New Play Festival from June 14-17, during which 13 short plays and one full length play, in addition to workshops conducted by professional playwrights, will be presented in the Casino Theatre. All performances and workshops are free and open to members of the Salve Regina community and the public.

The 10-minute plays will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 14 and Friday, June 15. The plays were chosen by a committee of readers from submissions made by playwrights from around the country. The selected plays will be divided between the two nights and will be acted and directed by local artists.

The full-length play "Deconstruction," written by Rhode Island playwright Christopher Davis, will be given a workshop production at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16 and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 17. The play focuses on a genetics lab at a university and the controversy that ensues when a gene related to race is discovered. "Deconstruction" was also chosen by a panel of readers from submissions made by exclusively Rhode Island resident playwrights.

Davis writes stage plays, screenplays and young adult fiction. His plays have been produced and read at Lesley University and the Boston Playwrights' Theatre, and his play "The Door in the Oak" was read at the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education as part of the Young Actors Series. A member of Boston-based Proscenium Playwrights, Davis holds an MFA in creative writing.

"Deconstruction" will be directed by James Phillips, who holds an MFA in directing from Catholic University and currently teaches theater at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y.

Workshops taught by professional playwrights will be offered during the afternoon on Saturday, June 16. The sessions will last two hours each and focus on a specific aspect of the playwriting process. These workshops are open to aspiring playwrights and anyone interested in learning how the process of playwriting works.

The schedule is:

• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: "Getting Started: Fanning the Flames" with David Rabinow
• Noon to 2 p.m.: "Found Text: A Pathway to Discovery" by Jessica Foster and Amanda Weir
• 2-4 p.m.: "Adapting a Novel into a Script" with Jeannette Angell
• 3-5 p.m.: "Writing the Fight" with Meron Langsner

For more information, call (401) 341-2250.

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