DORSET — In the world of performing arts, the one-act play is one of the most visceral experiences: a dynamic developmental tool for playwrights, actors, directors, and even audience members: a verse to a poem, if you will.
On this coming final weekend of February, for two evening shows and a matinee stretch over three days, The Dorset Players will take audiences on a number of journeys exploring the very human construct of community, with its 21st Annual One-Act Festival offering six short plays to that effect.
Speaking about the upcoming slate, longtime Players’ company member, and executive producer Paul Michael Brinker said the one-act festival was started two decades ago to offer fledgling actors and directors an opportunity to “shine and try out being in a show without a huge time commitment.”
“Our 21st Annual One-Act Festival is a celebration of the short form play and a great way for new members of our community to join us and explore live theater without a huge time commitment,” Brinker said in a recent break from rehearsals. “This season we chose the theme of Community because in a world gone awry what better way to remind people that we are stronger together.”
Brinker continued to say that the six plays explore all facets of community, both good and bad, as well as “stories of how we cope with loss, interactions with older and younger generations, neighbors, traditions and what impact our simple daily lives can have.”
This year’s plays cover both the drama and comedy genres. The shows presented will be:
“Meet Me in the Endive” – by Susan Middaugh, directed by Carolyn Stellatella, and starring Susan Fingerhut, Michael Wymer, and Michael Robinson. One act in one sentence: A widow, with the help of her passed husband, learns to rely on her neighbors.
“The Love Language of Lions” – by Karina Jutzi, directed by Janet Groom, and starring Caitlin Angell, and Dylan Angell. One act in one sentence: Relationships explored through the conversation of two lions.
“The Lottery” – by Shirley Jackson, directed by Kevin O’Toole and starring Lucian Parris, Luka Rodich, Bob Stack, John Lee, Alouette Lee, Stacie Ruiz, Bill Douglas, Martha Jo Perkins, Sandra Gartner, Lynne Marcus, Miles Bond, Tom Stevens, Becky Nawrath, Michael Robinson, and Kimberly Stevens. One act in one sentence: The classic Shirley Jackson play about a community’s yearly ritual.
“How We Win” – by Mark Dalton, directed by Mark Dalton and Diane Liccardi, and starring Bill Douglas. This year’s one-hander (one-man show). One act in one sentence: A football coach’s pep talk about life and the game.
“The Laundromat” – by Marsha Norman, directed by Cheryl Gushee, and starring Stacie Ruiz and Jenna Zernhel. One act in one sentence: Two women meet at night at the laundromat and discover their differences and how much they are alike.
“The Bargain” – by Kathryn Funkhouser, directed by Debbie Warnock, and starring Josh Bond, Julie Redington, and Dana Haley One act in one sentence: What happens when you sell your soul to the devil but the soul collector thinks you’re good.
The festival will run for just under 2 hours, which will include a 15 minute intermission. On opening night (Friday), there will also be a post-show reception in the theater café/lobby. Also on Friday, Haystack Catering will cost a cash bar in the lobby starting at 6:30 p.m. The three-day event is sponsored by Kevin O’Toole, Attorney-at-Law.
The 21th Annual Dorset Player One Act Festival, will run at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Rd., in Dorset. Performances are Fri. and Sat., Feb. 27-28 at 7:30 p.m. and Sun., March 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets: call the box office at 802-867-5777 or visit dorsetplayers.org
Telly Halkias is a national award-winning freelance journalist, and a member of the American Theatre Critics Assn. (ATCA). E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @TellyHalkias
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