The 8th annual Festival of New Plays, hosted by the San Diego City College Dramatic Arts Program, will take the stage for the first time on March 17.

Students and staff of San Diego City College spent weeks putting together eight plays, five of which were recorded by the City Times Media Team in the on-campus TV studio production.

Four San Diego City College drama students had just completed a performance of a moving one-act play about social justice entitled “How We Talk About Racism” when another student announced the verdict in the case of Derek Chauvin was about to be read.

The official cast list for the 6th annual Festival of New Plays is out.

The fifth annual Festival of New Plays runs through March 14 at the Black Box Theater. Many of the seven, one-act plays were written by San Diego City College playwriting and English students and will all be performed by student actors.