Neil Simon is the only living playwright to have a Broadway theater named after him. Antoinette Perry, who co-founded the educational American Theatre Wing, has the Tony awards as her namesake. Since theater isn’t necessarily in the upper registers of the public mind, name recognition means a ton – which is why it’s our pleasure to announce the Wagner New Play Festival, named for the UCSD theater department’s founding chair Arthur Wagner and running Tuesday, April 14 through Sunday, April 25. The annual event, featuring works by the top students from UCSD’s MFA playwriting program, has become an important showcase for emerging voices in American theater, attended by prominent professionals who come to scout fresh talent. This year’s plays range from Bennett Fisher’s “Borealis,” set in Alaska’s oil fields, to Will Snider’s “Death of a Driver,” about an American engineer who moves to Kenya to build a road and befriends her charismatic African driver. Theater is the living library of our life stories, and with Arthur Wagner’s name behind a signature theater program like this one, you could do a lot worse. WAGNER NEW PLAY FESTIVAL Tuesday, April 14, through Sunday, April 25, several showtimes and locales. $20 general admission, $15 Faculty-Staff Alumni Association seniors (over 62), $10 UCSD students w/ID. (858) 534-1574, theater.ucsd/edu.