The free performances will take place at the Road Theatre, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 19, and Saturday, April 21.

Students in CSUN professor Richard Mitchell's introduction to playwriting class have spent the past few weeks working with the members of community-based organizations to write and produce plays about their experiences.

Among those agencies taking part are Phoenix Academy, a residential facility for teens in the criminal justice system with substance abuse problems, and New Directions for Youth, an alternative high school for pregnant and at-risk teens.

"What's neat is that some of the actors are dealing with issues as fictional characters that they deal with in every day life," Mitchell said. "In some ways this sort of theatre is more powerful than if a professional actor were playing a character. A professional doesn't have as much at stake. In one play, about a pregnant teen dealing with issues, the actors are either pregnant or have been. It's pretty powerful to watch."

The collaboration is part of a service-learning project that was initiated through CSUN's Center for Community-Service Learning.

For more information about the performances, call Mitchell at (818) 677-3422 or the Center for Community-Service Learning at (818) 677-7395.

Launched in 1998, CSUN's Center for Community-Service Learning aims to inspire, encourage and support students and faculty in their pursuit of academic excellence through involvement in meaningful community service.

California State University, Northridge has more than 29,000 full-time and part-time students and offers 48 bachelors' and 39 masters' degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley.