Culture*Park Theatre's Short Plays Marathon is back. Here's what you can see on the stage.
NEW BEDFORD -- Culture*Park Theatre's Annual Short Plays Marathon returns Nov. 18, featuring staged readings of new short plays and solo narratives by local, regional and global playwrights.
From 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Whaling Museum's Cook Memorial Theatre, audience members are invited to come and go throughout the day, staying for one play or all day.
“We look forward to sharing the dynamic experience of the Short Plays Marathon as presented by the glowing theatre talent in this community and beyond, and encourage everyone to share in the experience and take in a play,” said Co-Director Patricia Thomas, who Co-directs alongside Rebecca Schade for the Short Plays Marathon.
A variety of playwrights will be featured throughout the day, including Diane Brown-Couture, Theresa Brum, Pat Gomes, Michele Mastroianni-Darche, and more. Visiting playwrights include Baha Sadr, Celeste Ferendo, Gayle Hanrahan, and Chantal Bilodeau.
What kind of plays can people expect
No play will be longer than 15 minutes, with most being 10 minutes or less and will cover a range of themes, including the Civil War, AI, climate change and mother/daughter relationships. The marathon will be divided into different sections, including a mid-afternoon Solo Stage and evening offerings of comedic and playful plays.
Morning plays feature UFOs and Siri
The first plays include "No Surrender" by Candace Perry of Wellfleet, poses questions about the Civil War when the ghost of Robert E. Lee stumbles upon a homeless encampment a few blocks from Lee Circle.
Themes and styles are informed by the Greeks and Shakespeare in "The Wizard of Arden, or, If You Don’t Like It" by Elaine Brousseau of Providence and "Hypocrisy and Her Sisters" by Harvey Ussach of New Bedford.
"Too Close for Comfort" explores a mother/daughter relationship by Theresa Brum and "Coffee, Eclairs and the Conflict of Free Will" by poet and playwright Pat Gomes of New Bedford, explores the real-life story of Betty and Barney Hill of New Hampshire, and their documented encounter with a UFO in the White Mountains, in 1969.
Two playwrights, Celeste Ferendo of Tiverton, and James Marlow of Mattapoisett, use AI as a character in "Technical Difficulties and Siri Goes Silent" and "Seeds of Change" an allegory play by Steven Myerson, tells a story of GENE and NOME, the last two seeds in the head of a sunflower in a field in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Solo stage performances
The Solo Stage, featuring fictional and non-fictional narratives, will include "Lucia Sells Fish in the Mountains" by Sylvia Ann Soares of Providence, performance artist Baha Sadr will conjure up "Zahak the Great," Jeff Fuerst of New York will present “Notes from the Other Side of 65" and Marji Damashek Levine will present "Two Poems That Touch Upon Climate Change and Other Issues."
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Afternoon plays include mix of comedy and mystery
The late afternoon and evening offerings will be a mix of comedic and playful plays, including Gerald FitzGerald’s "Enkidu & Shahmat," a lively retelling of a story from Gilgamesh and "No Green Bananas," a climate change bomb shelter family affair, by Michele Mastroiznni-Darche.
Other plays include "Avocado and Eggplant" by Margie Semilof of Boston which explores risks worth taking and "Change of Genre, a Detective Cyjoe Barker" installment by Barbara Schweitzer.
There is also a climate change play called "Earth’s Handbook" by Laura Vaughan, "The Case of Owen Brodsky" by Jim Sullivan, "Taking Stock," by Gayle Hanrahan, "The Questioning" by Alan Maass and "Magical Fungi in Times Square" by Chantal Bilodeau of Climate Change Theatre Action, and other plays.
Who is directing and performing in these plays
Actors and directors include, Nicole Conlon McCombe, Tim McCombe, Fred Cabral, Marjorie Damashek-Levine, Gayle Hanrahan, Tony Ionno, Megan FittzGerald Pogash, Nancy Leary, Kate Lohman, Lorraine Lucciola, Isaiah Grace, Michele Mastroianni-Darche, Mirko Lopes, Ellie Martins, Grace Mastroianni, Max Mastroianni, Margaret Melozzi, Chantel O’Brien, Kris O’Brien, Jennifer Palmer, Liz Rapoza, Chuck Smiler, Andy Stigler, Jim Sullivan, Susan Sullivan, Michael Thibeault, Patricia Thomas, Joseph Twomey, Harvey Ussach, and others.
Audience is invited to be part of the discussion
Throughout the marathon, there will be opportunities for audience members to engage in brief discussions with the playwrights about the playwriting process.
How to purchase tickets
Available at the door, starting at 1:00pm. Prices are $10 for half day, $20 for all day. Check the Culture*Park website and social media pages for a complete listing of times, playwrights, and plays, as well as ticket/reservation information.
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Culture*Park Theatre's Annual Short Plays Marathon returns Nov. 18
