It didn’t just happen. The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has one of the top theater programs in the nation, conferring master’s degrees in acting and playwriting, among many other theater disciplines including playwriting. One of the academic year’s glories is what is now called the Baldwin New Play Festival and affectionately known as BNPF. According to founder Adele Shank, the festival began in a small way in the mid-1990s. “When Ken and Ginger Baldwin pledged their support in 2000, it blossomed into a full-fledged festival with 10 professional theater guests from around the country,” Shank said. “It has been the Baldwin New Play Festival since 2003.” The BNPF presents the best work of UCSD’s MFA playwrights and, in their plays, it affords audiences an opportunity to see UCSD’s fine MFA acting students and experience the acumen of MFA directing students as well. This season’s festival (April 14-24) features four plays, Ronald McCants’ “Oyster,” directed by Larissa Lury; Stephanie Timm’s “Everything Nice,” directed by Jeff Wienckowski; and Krista Knight’s “Phantom Band,” directed by Tom Dugdale; and a double bill of Lauren Yee’s “In a Word,” directed by Adam Arian and David Myers’ “Muzungu,” directed by Anthony Luciano. In addition to these ticketed productions, to which the public is welcome, there will be a free reading of the winning play in the Dr. Gaffney National Playwriting Competition at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 24 in the Arthur Wagner Theatre. Recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, and produced at theaters in London, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, McCants is a third-year playwright at UCSD and a SoHo Theatre Company Hub writer. Described as an exploration of the Black-American experience through the prism of one father and son relationship, “Oyster” refers to the Oyster Lipton watch given to the teenager Anthony by his ne’er-do-well father, who seeks to reconnect after years of absence. The word “oyster” also refers to the bivalve that produces a pearl through the introduction of an irritant, a process that takes a long time. “Perhaps this whole play takes place in a watch or a clock,” writes McCants in his preface to the play. “Maybe there are gears and springs, numbers and hands. Maybe there is a way to track time. Maybe there are first and second hands that move and dance. Just remember that sometimes the first and second hand are in alignment, but most of the time they are not.” “Oyster” opens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 in the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre, with additional performances at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 17 and 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, April 21 and 22. A BNPF investigation at the Web site www.theatre.ucsd.edu indicates that all this year’s fascinating productions are of social significance, though they range from comedic to absurdist. Those in the know say that these five plays represent some of the most original voices in the American theater. Indeed, experiencing the works of USCD’s fine young writers, actors, designers and directors renews one’s faith in the future of the American theater. Past productions have gone on to productions and readings around the country. The five plays that compose this season’s BNPF are seen in the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre, the Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre, and the Arthur Wagner Theatre, all located in the campus Theatre District. Tickets range from $20 to $10 and a five-show flex-pass is available. For additional information on all the plays and playwrights, visit or phone (858)-534-4574.