A six-day festival highlighting the region's best college theater begins today in San Bernardino, with more than 1,000 students, judges, theater professors, Hollywood professionals and stage technicians participating.

For the first time in the competition's 36-year history, Cal State San Bernardino is hosting the Region VIII Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

The event will be in theaters on and off campus, "making it a community affair," said Margaret Perry, chairwoman for the university's theater department.

Regional winners will compete at the national festival held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., during the first week in April.

The regional contest will showcase plays selected from more than 100 entries from colleges in California, Nevada, Hawaii and Arizona.

Four evening shows at the California Theater for the Performing Arts are open to the public. Tickets are $5.

"These are shows that were selected to represent the best in college theater for 2003," said Tom Provenzano, associate theater professor and coordinator of the Cal State festival. Planning took a year.

"Most of them are well-known, established plays. Some are written by the students," Provenzano said. Ten plays will be performed this week.

Cal State San Bernardino last sent a winning production to the Kennedy Center festival in 1992. "A Warring Absence," written by alumna Jody Duncan, earned that distinction. In years past, Cal State San Bernardino plays were performed at the regional contest, but not this year.

Students will attend 32 theater workshops taught by Hollywood professionals, among them Cal State San Bernardino alumni.

The public is also invited to attend a theater design gallery at Arts on 5th Art Gallery, 468 West Fifth St. in San Bernardino.

The exhibit will feature the work of 80 college students. It's open 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.