Rod Oden, artistic director of the Southwest Entertainment Theatre Group, said that tiny little theaters are popular in New York City. Well then, here is your opportunity to enjoy a night out in New York - while you stay in the SCV.

The SET Group opened two one-act plays last Friday night in the newest, tiniest theater venue in the SCV, The SCV Space.

The Space is located in the small shopping center where you find La Rumba restaurant - in Saugus, right where Haskell Canyon Road ends at Bouquet Canyon Road. As in the Big Apple, you've got whatever else you need within steps. The Latin-mix La Rumba restaurant is handy, as is a pizza place. If you just want a quick Snapple or candy bar at intermission, you can visit Zach at the liquor store. The whole thing just makes you feel kinda hip.

The SCV Space is definitely small, accommodating only two rows of folding chairs for the audience, and the front row of those chairs is within "spitting range" of the actors. And yet, the minute you walk in you feel part of something special.

Given the two performances I witnessed last Friday, you are.

The two one-act plays that opened that evening are both by playwright Christopher Durang, who is noted for irreverence and downright crazy plots and twisted humor. And the two performances delivered as advertised. Don't bring the kids, and check preconceptions and intolerance at the door.

"Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All for You" is guaranteed to offend any diehard Catholics and, at some point, will probably make anyone squirm on his or her chair a bit. (Even I got the littlest bit creeped-out when the sister seats young Thomas on her lap.) But that is really the point, to goad you into thinking about deep issues - and all the while making you laugh, nervously, at least, if you let it. For those not-so-Catholic-informed, it is actually a bit of an education. And the ending is so over the top you toss "taking it seriously" out the window.

The acting in "Sister" is first-rate, especially Janice Crow-Christensen as Sister Mary Ignatius. Young Japhy Frolick, as Thomas, is eerie.

"The Actor's Nightmare" features Matt McLenahan as George, an actor trapped in plays he has never rehearsed for. McLenahan's torment soon becomes yours, hilariously so, and his hesitating, reaching efforts to make it work are ultimately charming. The other cast members, and even the set lighting, all help him accomplish this, though space here precludes more detail.

"Sister Mary Ignatious Explains it All for You " and "The Actor's Nightmare" continue every Friday and Saturday in March at The SCV Space, 27600 Bouquet Canyon Road, in Saugus. Due to adult language and themes, no one under the age of 18 will be admitted without an adult present. Tickets are $15, ($10 students) and can be purchased online or at the door. Go to www.setheatre.com for tickets and more information. The SET Group is a new face on the Santa Clarita theatrical scene promoting edgy, contemporary theatre. The SCV Space is a theatre space that is a home for many arts organizations and businesses that need an economical blank slate to create in.