It's week three of the seventh annual festival at that little theater on El Cajon Blvd. Seven more short plays are being presented at the North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe. The mixed offering comes from playwrights as close as San Diego and North Hollywood and as far as New York City, Maryland and Virginia. Let's take a quick look at each.
Brief Exchange opens the evening. It is the work of Matthew Heftler of New York City, with Marissa Vaughan directing. The fun bit of fluff attempts to answers the age-old question: What happened to the missing clothes in the dryer? Calvin (David Gapp) is pristine clean, while Hanes (James Cota) is never going to clean up again. Daniyar Aynitodinov rounds out the cast as Joe.
Jan O'Connor of North Hollywood penned Taken for a Ride, with Soroya Rowley both directing and in the role of Susanne. She is paired with Stacy Hardke as Samson. Samson, a cat, is about to be abandoned by her owner, who is moving to Chicago. The give and take between these two is enlightening and insightful.
Bethesda, Maryland's Paula Stone wrote Scrambled, which is directed by Philomena Schubert. It headlines the director and Summer Golden, as Henrietta and Roxanne, a couple of hens in a henhouse on Old MacDonald's place. It is a very light piece that ended up laying a couple of eggs.
Vicky Heithaus is at the helm of Broadlands, Virginia playwright William Costanza's The Bar Bet. Three men, played by Andy Childress, Daniyar Aynitodinov and Chuck Hart, are enjoying a drink. Pouring is John Fojtik. The play teaches one not to bet unless it is a sure thing OR you have your computer and you can Google the answer.
Just what is the dilemma of Hansel (Richard Weinroth) and Gretel (Deborah Carmichael)? Jeffrey Neuman of Denver tries to answer the ageless question in The End of Innocence. Melissa Garrett directs. The duo, as well as the audience, never see the terrible Witch (Summer Golden), but we all hear her ravings. Do the two innocents have the power to do in the Witch?
The Examining Room is by San Diegan Michael Eichler, with Scott Martenies directing. Deborah Briggs plays Frances and John Fojtik is Billy. There is apprehension in the air for people who don't know what's wrong or what, if anything, might be a cure. That is the desperation of waiting for the results of an examination.
Every time one boards an airliner alone, chances are you will sit next to a stranger. Will they be talkative or silent? Will it be an interesting experience or a dreaded one? Johanna (Miriam Cuperman) and Harry (Josh Hyatt) are separated by one seat in San Diegan Matt Thompson's Taking Flight.
Director Michael Thomas Tower has a good feel for the forced intimacy of flying coach. The piece combines live speech with the inner feelings of Johanna, making for an interesting inner dialogue, and my personal favorite of this one-act lineup.
