Ambitious Plans for Padua Hills Festival

“Busy! Busy!” That’s Roxanne Rogers’ response to life as artistic director of the 11th annual Padua Hills Playwrights’ Workshop/Festival, which kicks off performances Thursday at the plaza of the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

The evening’s lineup of one-acts includes Martin Epstein’s “Vera,” John O’Keefe’s “Babbler,” Susan Champagne’s “A Good Touch,” David Schweizer’s “The Ballad of the Sleepy Heart” and Maria Irene Fornes’ “Drowning,” which Rogers will direct herself: “It’s about drowning in love, drowning of a broken heart. Very intense.”

(In August, Lin Hixson’s “Soldier Child” will be performed at the First Methodist Church in Hollywood, also as part of the festival. And be on the lookout sometime soon for Rogers’ first play, “Snakes Kin,” which she’d hoped to include on the schedule--”but it was just too much to worry about.”)

The works, which run from 15 to 45 minutes, “are little gems,” said the director (whose recent hits include John Patrick Shanley’s “Savage in Limbo” at the Cast and “Italian American Reconciliation” at the Gnu). The format also represents a big change of pace from the all-nighters during a previous Padua incarnation. “We’ll start out with a couple of student plays at twilight and do the rest in the dark,” Rogers said cheerfully. “Everyone should be out by 11:30.”

LATE CUES: On Friday, the Wallenboyd hosts the feminist/anti-war company Theatre 1981, performing Ja Kyong Rhee’s “GOK-IV.” Hye Sook plays Mother Earth, Gee Won Kim is Daughter Moon and Min Jung Kang is Raven, the power of destruction . . . . Beginning this weekend, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions embarks on a monthlong series of performance workshops. The lineup includes Shrimps (today), Blue Palm (July 16-17), Goat Island (July 23-24) and Simone Forti (July 30-31). Information: (213) 624-5650.

CRITICAL CROSS FIRE: A revival of Garson Kanin’s 1946 comedy “Born Yesterday” opened recently at the Pasadena Playhouse, with Rebecca De Mornay and David Schramm in the leading roles.

From Sylvie Drake in The Times: “Billie Dawn’s central rise from dumb blonde to shrewd bunny when she’s exposed to a little book learnin’ is the kind of personal victory you have to love. Everyone wants the Eliza Doolittles of this world to get mad and get even.”

Drama-Logue’s T.H. McCulloh said: “No, Billie Dawn wasn’t born yesterday, but she might as well have been. The point Kanin was making in his comedy about deal making and breaking in Washington just after World War II is just as valid as any other era. And his use of Billie Dawn as bimbo-monkey wrench to toss into the works could be part of yesterday’s news.”

From the Daily News’ Tom Jacobs: “Kanin’s genius was to write a play that isn’t self-righteous or preachy (most of the time, anyway). It isn’t a great work in terms of being deep or poetic, and some of its humor seems a bit obvious today. But it is consistently entertaining as well as important.”

Jeff Rubio, in the Orange County Register, was somewhat less impressed: “Schramm, who recently finished a stint as Brock in a revival of Kanin’s classic in Philadelphia, is the best thing about this handsome but often theatrically pat revival.”

Variety’s Kim Mitchell said of De Mornay: “One cannot help but compare her performance to Judy Holliday, a situation exacerbated by De Mornay’s almost-perfect mimicry of Holliday’s overall inflection. But De Mornay quickly assumes control and brings her own talent and brand of sexuality to the role, and makes it her own.”

Last, from Jay Reiner in the Hollywood Reporter: “ ‘Born Yesterday’ is always a timely play, considering that it’s about corruption in high places in Washington, D.C. But a play has to be more than timely to stand up as well . . . . Don Amendolia’s mounting of this classic comedy is as smooth as silk.”