Canadian playwright George Johnson, who is competing in this year's "Eco-Drama" themed Center of the World Festival in Pine Mountain Club, is seen here in a recent photo with his family: children Sophie and Ben, and wife Nina. Photo courtesy of George Johnson

Tehachapi-based amateur playwright Mark Fisher's play, "The Birdwatcher," looks at the internal drama of a man so despondent at the fate of the environment that he wants to kill himself. Photo courtesy of Mark Fisher

By Louis Medina

Who would have thought a grassroots traditional storytelling and amateur playwriting contest in one of Kern County’s westernmost mountain communities could garner international attention?

In just its second year, Pine Mountain Club’s Center of the World Festival has done just that: One of 10 short play entries this year is by a Canadian playwright.

The festival began in August 2009 as an all-volunteer social theater event featuring ten 10-minute works dealing with peaceful conflict resolution. This year’s theme is “Eco-drama,” which explores the relationship between humans and the environment. The festival takes place Aug. 20 to 22.

The theme was right up George Johnson’s alley – all the way up in Kamloops, British Columbia. His play, “What’s the Buzz,” is about how man’s impact on the environment is contributing to the decimation of honeybee colonies, the Thompson Rivers University English professor wrote in an e-mail.

“When I discovered on the website (cowfestival.org) the stunning setting for the festival I was very intrigued, and I am thrilled to have a play included in this festival that is trying to make a difference,” Johnson said.

The festival is held at the foot of Mount Pinos, which the local Chumash consider the “Center of the World.”

“Drama has the power to move people in a way that other forms of communication might not,” Johnson said.

Tehachapi resident Mark A. Fisher is another of the 10 finalists selected for the competition. He said his play, “The Birdwatcher,” is about a man so distraught over ecological damage that he wants to kill himself – until he has a spiritual encounter with a birdwatcher who teaches him that “maybe things aren’t heading in a great direction, but right now things aren’t as bad as they could be.”

Fisher, a 49-year-old Oklahoma native, is himself a birdwatcher and an amateur writer who makes a living doing data analysis for a wind energy company.

He said the inspiration for his play came after reading “Life List: A Woman’s Quest for the World’s Most Amazing Birds,” by Olivia Gentile.

Fisher said he plans to attend the festival and is curious about his fellow playwrights’ eco-dramas. “I’m intrigued to see what everybody else has come up with,” he said. “(The environment) is something that people need to think about and if the plays help get people thinking it’s great.”

This is just what festival founder and organizer Shelia Clark had in mind when she launched the festival last year.

“I think this is the best way to engage activists to have an impact on the hearts and minds of others without having to do all the usual activist things like marching or picketing,” said Clark, who is a therapist and Pine Mountain Club resident. Her nonprofit, the California Family Counseling Network, is the sponsor of the festival.

Clark, who also conceived the festival as a fundraiser for the Kern County Chapter of the American Red Cross, said ecological crises have been identified by the American Psychological Association as “the major factor which will affect human mental health issues in the future.”

“We already see the psychological harm which is caused by tornadoes, earthquakes, and raging forest fires,” she said, “and as we lose more natural environments, and more animals and natural life becomes extinct, we will have an emotional reaction to those factors. Through psychological studies, we have learned that the best way to change human attitudes is to make the issue real for their community.”

That’s where social or “communitas” theater comes in, according to Clark. “We want to engage the entire community to active participation,” she said. “We hope to stimulate behavior which will lead to positive ecological sustainability decisions.”

“Center of the World” Festival and Amateur Playwriting Competition

Where: At the Pine Mountain Club Gazebo in the Village Center.

How to get there: From Bakersfield, take Highway 99 south to Interstate 5 toward Los Angeles. Exit at Frazier Mountain Road/Frazier Park (Exit 205) and go west on Mt. Pinos Way (the road will change names to Cuddy Valley Road). After about 12 miles, look for the Forest Service sign on the right. Soon after that, you will come to a fork in the road. Take the right fork, Mil Potrero Highway, and drive for 6 miles into the center of Pine Mountain Club. Look for the golf course on the right and Pine Mountain Fuel Station on the left. Watch for the parking signs. The gazebo is up the hill from the fuel station.

Festival Dates:

-    The festival begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, with a three-hour evening of education and entertainment featuring an ecological panel, Native American storytelling, a magic show, puppetry and a children’s fairy tale performance, followed by introductions of participating playwrights.

-    Then on Saturday, Aug. 21, the 10 competing plays will be staged in reader’s theater style twice: from 2 to 4 p.m. and again from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The audience will be invited to vote for their favorite play, and the first-prize winner will receive $500.

-    An awards ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22.

Admission: The festival is also a fundraiser for the Kern County chapter of the American Red Cross, so a $10 donation is requested.

Information: Visit www.cowfestival.org

Louis Medina is a board member of Bakersfield Express and one of the Center of the World Festival’s 10 competing playwrights with his play, “Good Night, Friend…Goodbye, Friend,” which deals with animal euthanasia resulting from an overpopulation of stray or unwanted dogs and cats.

Editor’s Note: Louis Medina’s play took first place in the competition.