Actors Alliance San Diego's Actors Festival, an annual event, includes 24 plays, most of them new, many being showcased for the very first time. Each play is performed just twice, with itinerant Actor Todd Blakesley serving as the Festival Artistic Director. The schedule is hectic, mixing new works by talented local playwrights with works by McNally, Bradbury, Mamet, and Dr. Seuss.
The evening I attended was a delight. They opened with one of my favorite author's pieces, A Device Out of Time by Ray Bradbury. Ralph Johnson's portrayal of mostly rocking chair-bound Colonel Freeleigh was superb, and he was supported by Crystal Verdon and Adam Day, as two young folks learning much about the Civil War from the old soldier. Amy Cook excellently directed her small cast. Playwrights Dario Fo and Franca Rame's Waking Up starred Jamie Beth Henkin in a compelling drama of a mother attempting to get her act together, her baby cleaned up, her life in order, and on and on. Henkin's solo performance was amusing and riveting. She defined the perils of early-morning rushing about. Though it was Henkin's first time on the boards, she appeared to be a seasoned actress. The evening ended with Jamie Winn's Therapy: A Drama in One Act. By the standards of the evening, this had a huge cast -- seven. A drug addict is forced into therapy as a viable alternative to hard time. This story is a tale of denial, an interesting piece that's still an uneven work in progress.
