From today until Saturday, the University theater arts department will provide a rare opportunity to explore theater in a kaleidoscope by hosting the mid-Atlantic American College Regional Theater Festival.

Participants can gain insight on what and who rules the drama kingdom by attending intensive workshops presented by theater professionals and University faculty members. Ranging from movement and acting to the administrative side of drama, these classes will explore drama as an industry.

Now in its 22nd year, the festival comes to the University this season under the care of University theater professor and festival chairman Richard Nichols. Nichols said the festival will provide criticism and support for the performers and an opportunity to make contacts with leading theater professionals. This year, Nichols said, he estimates more than 800 people will attend.

Scheduled to hold sessions are John Pielmeier, author of Agnes of God and last year's URTC production of Boys of Winter; University alumni Carrie Robbins, costume designer for the Broadway productions Grease and Agnes of God; Mari Lyn Henry, daytime television casting director for the ABC television network; Ming Cho Lee, resident designer for the Julliard Opera Theater and New York Shakespeare Company; scenic and costume designer Carolyn Ross; Broadway producer Bonnie Nelson Schwartz; and Rebecca Guy, head of the Chatauqua Summer Festival. University professor John Neville-Andrews will run workshops on directing and acting in Shakespearean plays.

Also highlighting this extravaganza will be the performance of five plays from Universities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington D.C., said Jill Kanoff, University Resident Theater Company publicity director.

These productions will compete for eligibility to perform in April at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The performances will entertain and educate audiences with various acting styles, lighting approaches, dress, and set designs, Nichols said.

Opening the competition at 9:15 p.m. Jan. 11 in the Playhouse will be Ghost Dance, presented by New York's Hartwick College.

URTC's comedy On The Verge will be staged at 1:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Jan. 12 in the Pavilion Theatre. Centered on the encounters of three time-traveling Victorian women, played by actresses Peg French, Leslie Brott, and Kristina Lyons, with unique natives, all played by Craig- Stephen Wallace, the spoof received immense praise when performed in November.

State University of New York Fredonia students will also strut their talent at 9 p.m. Jan. 12 in the Playhouse, with student-written Keya Paha County. Saturday, Villanova University's Seascape will set sail at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Pavilion. Salome, performed by University of Maryland Baltimore County students, will be staged at 9 p.m. Saturday in the Playhouse.

ACTF is open to anyone interested in theater, Nichols said. Participation in the event costs $40 for all five plays and workshops. One-day passes are available, and some tickets for individual performances may be sold.

Tickets are available at the URTC box office, Arts Building.