The LA Times has a great new article on the hilarious play from the creative wizards at USC:

What does George Lucas think about all this? And why would the fiercely protective auteur authorize a campy Cliffs Notes version of his intellectual property? As luck would have it, Gorman's professor John Blankenchip taught a directing class that Lucas took in the late '60s. Blankenchip and his colleague Ken Miura, another of Lucas' USC mentors, approached their former student, explaining that the piece would serve as a fundraiser for Festival Theatre USC-USA, a program that gives students here a chance to take part in the Edinburgh Festival.

Lucas gave the green light. But it wasn't until last August that Lucas actually saw "30 Minutes" for himself. A nervous Gorman and his colleagues drove north to Skywalker Ranch in Northern California for a command performance in front of the entire LucasFilm staff.

They were a hit, Wiffle bats and all.

"I was quite impressed that they were able to find a way to make 'Star Wars' faster and more intense," says Lucas, speaking from his Marin County headquarters. "I'm always happy that 'Star Wars' continues to be a source of creative inspiration, and I hope to see them perform again after Episode 3 comes out, when they can do all six 'Star Wars' in 60 minutes."

Gorman is game. "Our producer's daughter is a dead ringer for Natalie Portman, so we're already set for that role. As long as Lucas keeps making the films, we'll keep trying to make them shorter.

Keep your producer's daughter away from the Jedicouncil! :)