Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. People’s Choice Semifinalist short plays (audience favorites):
Surprise. Written by Mark Harvey Levine. Directed by Luis Goyanes. Cast. Loren Lillian, Nathan Ondracek & Ryan Walsh. Peter is a psychic, but only two minutes ahead.
Avocado Toast. Written and Directed by Ken Levine. Cast. Sasha Venn, Hunter Paul. A young couple dine in the trendiest new hot spot in town – a restaurant where every table has its own audience. Since Millennials feel they star in their own reality show, here they actually do. It’s an interactive satire on trends, modern relationships, and avocado toast.
Immersed. Written and directed by Lili Gorett. Cast: Sophie Meister, Whitney Bowers, Elena Rojas, Kiara Beltran, Estefania Martt, Mar Amezcua, Noe de la Rosa, Yadira Pascult, Marco Garcia, Roberto Arrizon, Juliana Sdenz, Valentina Latyna.. Sensory and interactive experience that envelops the spectator 360 degrees. You are the protagonist of the story Immersed is a fourth dimension Theatrical concept, leading you to feel the story in the first person where you are the protagonist, creating a unique experience for the audience / participant.
Carl Flunt Would Protect You from Trucks. Written by Scott Mullen. Directed by Emily Claeys. Cast: Carrie Poyer, Jenn O’Brien, Mary Carrig, Kerry Sullivan. A young woman is visited by herself from the future, who has come back to warn her about a laundry list of regrettable decisions.
Asking for It. Written by Renee Boyer. Directed by Megan Frances. Cast: Jared Scott, Charlotte Louise Spencer, Keena Ryan and Cody John. Rav and Katie had a good time at a party, but then she stole his phone. Or did he give it to her? Consent can be a tricky concept…
Intimate. Written by Judith Duncan. Directed by Phil Biedron. Cast: Danielle Kay and Scott Alin. A teenage girl struggles to gain accountability from the man with whom she has spent the night.
Us. Written by Ben Russell and Soda Persi. Directed by Marisa O’Brien. Cast: Ben Russell and Soda Persi. This is what happens after a boy meets a woman, and before happily ever after. Inner monologues about two people that like each other but with a big age difference.
Thursday, October 18 at 8:45. People’s Choice Latino– Short plays featuring Latino playwrights, directors and actors (audience favorites):
El Bulto. Written by Mario Barra & Magaly Castellanos. Directed by Magaly Castellanos.Cast. Adriana Becerril, Jonathan Lev, Mario Barra, Rado Lazic, Valentina Olarte & Jim Francis. An unexpected death has left a group of immigrants with a big problem. How will they decide to solve it?
El Amor no Tiene Edad. Written by Angelo Medina & Pili Samayoa. Adapted and Directed by Salvador Casado. Cast. Salvador Casado & Blanca Soto. Two elderly people book a hotel room to have a sexual encounter but it won’t be that easy.
Matilde y Lula. Written and directed by Tessie Herrasti. Cast: Tessie Herrasti and Andi Yuma. Matilde, a dreamer, and Lula, an intellectual, waltz their way through Post-War Europe in search of a home. With the help of a hut and some imaginary champagne, they discover that friendship is more important than reality.
Guerrera Immortal. Written by Prakriti Maduro. Directed by Prakriti Maduro and Veronica Osorio. Cast: Daniela Azuaje and Maria Elena Heredia. Crisis of a super star.
Espectacular. Written and directed by Jose Villalobos. Cast: Carlos Santos, Valeria Gonzalez, Sergio Macian, Karola Sanchez and Gerald B. Filmore. A famous actor gets electrocuted right before going onstage for a very important performance of Romeo and Juliet.
Friday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m.–Crew Cut Semifinalist short plays (Festival selections):
Stick and Move. Written by Greg Lam. Directed by John Fingal O’Donnell. Cast. Wayne Nickel. When you’re out on a first date, it’s always good to have someone in your corner.
Romeo and Rosaline. Written by Matthew Wells. Directed by Deb Foster. Cast. Nicolette Acosta, Robert Aldredge, RoShawn Briscoe, Adam Dorsey, Emma Friedman, Ian Schuelke. Story of Romeo and Juliet from another point of view.
Timesavers. Written by Barry Wood. Directed by David Harper. Cast. Shae Wilson & Tee Jay Thomas. When a customer wanders into a new shop, she is given the opportunity to go back in time. But when she gets there, she’s suddenly in a desperate race to stay just five minutes ahead of herself.
The Snow Angel of Antarctica. Written by Victoria Connerty. Directed by Allison Lind.Cast. Taryn Schubert & Jon Owens. After a year of travelling the world, Ellie has reached Antarctica with her brother, Jimmy. Despite the ever-present threat of psychotic penguins, the never-present threat of angry polar bears and the small matter of the human ashes she’s smuggling in her hand luggage, Ellie isn’t ready to leave. But Jimmy thinks it’s time for them to return home. A tale with a twist about Scrabble, sibling rivalry and snow angels.
Cherry. Written by Sophie Galibert and Arthur Cohen. Directed by Sophie Galibert. Produced by Arthur Cohen. Cast. Chandler Ryan & Melanie Imani. Cherry opens on two best friends playfully revisiting old memories and ends with them tearing each other apart. In a mere ten minutes it is the whimsical innocence of childhood that comes crashing against the concrete reality of the present. Beyond the question of abortion, it is a bond of sisterhood that is at stake, a bond that is both a blessing and a curse, because who better than one’s best friend to use the key to one’s pain?
The Last Radio Show. Written by John Longhurst. Directed by Dudley Levell. Cast. Gina Cohen, Jack Douglas, Steven Tait, Mark Longhurst. Take a third radio show, a second rate murder mystery and a first rate show wrecker…that spells mayhem and hilarity!
Friday, October 19 at 8:15 p.m. Crew Cut Latino (Festival selections of short plays featuring Latino playwrights, directors and actors):
Al Final Todo el Mundo Muere. Written by Xavi Morató. Directed by Moses Norton & Sebastian Garcia. Produced by Miriama. Cast: Elena Rojas Garcia, Mick Garcia & Jared Grange. An interview in a police station with a woman that insists that she could travel through time.
La Bestia. Written by Juan Frendsa. Directed by Alberto Zeni. Cast. Virginia Novello, Mario Corona & Antonio Zamudio. An exploration of what happens in La Bestia, one of the most known trains, because it brings so many illegal immigrants from South America to the USA.
Defaced. Written and directed by James Michael Marshall. Cast: Bevin Bru and Clemente Mate. Two young soulmates have to face a major turning point in their relationship. Does it bring them closer or will it rip them apart?
This Is a Pencil, Helen Is a Nurse. Written and directed by Lupe Gehrenbeck, Cast: Elena Sanz and Sebastian Galvez. It was the perfect romantic night until they played the Ouija borad.
Hahahouse. Written and directed by Caro Cappiello. Cast: Caro Cappiello, Luciano Cortes and Mela Green. Improvisational comedy executed by an exceptional trio performing in Spanish.
Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21 at 5:00 p.m. Gala Finalist juried selections of short plays:
Slow Dating. Written by Adam Szudrich. Directed by Katie Burson. Cast. Julie Collis. When an elderly lady tries speed dating it leads to a night with a charming stranger and a heartbreaking revelation about her husband. A one woman show which explores the beauty of holding on and the vulnerability in letting go.
The Perfect Man. Written by Blanca Bardagil. Directed by Sergi Cervera. Cast. Hayley McCarthy & Sergi Cervera. A woman receives a new robot at home…he is the perfect man.
Got You. Written by Kel Vance. Directed by David McKay. Cast. Bevin Bru & Kaitlin Large. After receiving bad news a woman turns to her best mate to find a way to defraud an insurance company hoping to obtain the money needed for a life and death situation.
Moral Luck & Ralph & Dent. Written by Don O. Knowlton. Directed by Fred Dekker. Cast. Don O. Knowlton & Ryan Rowe. When two middle-aged white guys realize no one is listening any more, what are they to do?
Have you ever done this before? Written by Mashka Wolfe. Directed by Bronwyn L. Watson. Cast. Lee Margaret Hanson, Julia Finch, Pedro Shanahan. Two women meet in a seedy hotel room for a romantic tryst but are rudely interrupted. A short play about women, men, sex workers, and the entertainment industry. In the era of #MeToo we have to ask ourselves. “Have you ever done this before?”. We have to ask it over and over again.
Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m. Gala Finalist Latino juried selections of short plays featuring Latino playwrights, directors and actors:
El Marijuano. Written by Andrew Cervantes. Directed by Ashley Karp. Cast. Giovanni Navarro & Rene D’Nava. Two great friends are saying goodbye for the last time.
La Nada.Written and Directed by Gisela Arnao. Cast. Laura Marstucelli & Andres Requena. It seems we control our lives, but one day, suddenly, everything changes. We are in a new place that we don’t recognize, with someone we’ve never seen before. Uncertainty lurks.
Cena Embarazosa. Written by Ruben Tejerina. Directed by Tomas Decurgez. Cast: Gemma Marin, Rebeca Badia and Tomas Decurgez. A couple of lesbians plan to get pregnant with the help of an invited guest who won’t know what’s going on.
Justice. Written and directed by Mauricio Gomez Amoretti. Cast: Maria Elena Heredia, Cindy Lazo and Ruben Guevara. Three people talking about how one of them died in a protest in Venezuela.
Blanca Palomilla. Written by Javier Ceriani. Directed by Moses Norton. Cast: Javier Ceriani and Gerard Myles. An ex of Pablo Escobar shares some information about one of the most important narcos in history. Information based on real facts and interviews.
More plays may yet be selected to participate in the Semifinalist and Gala Finals programs.
