Tantalizing Teen Theater Times Three

Santa Barbara’s three major public high schools’ theaters are all buzzing this weekend with their big fall productions. SBHS’s Teenage Wasteland is an original piece of theater created by the Theatre Department’s 19 performers, including three student designers and eight ensemble members who have come up with a combined performance, concert, love story, fashion show and party to consider the query: “What does it mean to be human right now, and where do we go from here?” Sixty years after The Who pondered such subjects, audiences can expect a journey that might give them a glimpse into what it feels like to be a teenager right now. Performances are November 14-22. Visit www.sbhstheatre.com

It’s the final weekend for Pride & Prejudice, San Marcos High’s fall feature, where the audience is invited to step into the world of Jane Austen’s oft-adapted tale where wit, love, and class collide in Regency-era England. This stage adaptation follows the spirited Elizabeth Bennet as she contends with societal expectations, family pressures and her growing feelings for the enigmatic Mr. Darcy in a piece marked by sharp humor, charming characters, and a timeless romance. Shows run through November 16. Visit www.smhstheaterdept.com

An even more enduring theatrical tale also closes out its run at Dos Pueblos High this weekend as the students bring Grover’s Corners to Goleta. Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, which Edward Albee called “the greatest American play ever written,” evokes everyday American foibles and issues through residents of the fictional town in the early 1900s, with unusual theatrical devices and a stage manager character who often breaks the fourth wall. 

Visit www.dphstheatrecompany.org/shows for tickets to the last four shows, November 14-16