Roy Arias Studios
March 22, 2015
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Ten minute play festivals have become very popular in the last few years: they are economically and physically easy to produce since they are usually presented with the simplest of set pieces, very light technical demands and promise a large audience since they guarantee a large number of family and friends showing up for individual actors and authors (as witnessed by the comings and goings within the audience during the afternoon). However, short plays are deceptively difficult to pull off: they must draw the audience in almost instantly, make a situation understandable and involving within a few lines, and find a way to resolve the conflict by the end of the brief play. The works included in the two programs run the gamut from completely coming up to the challenge to failing totally.

The festival, produced by John Chatterton, was presented in two programs of eight plays each. Transitions between plays were accomplished quickly and smoothly by a great deal of cooperation between the preceding and the following casts rearranging chairs, blocks and bits of scenery. At the end of each program, the audience was invited to vote on their favorite works (the winners are indicated below).

PROGRAM A

The Panopticon by Andres Anton-Diaz – A fraternity pledge master has trouble coming to grips with his sexuality. An unfortunate start to the program: over loud, aggressively performed, and a muddled presentation that made it highly unclear as to where it was taking place and whether the characters were intended to be real or figments of the central character’s imagination. And curiously dated in its attitude toward homosexuality.

Coming Home by John Ladd – Two failed young adults come home to live with their parents, who proceed to humiliate them. A weird, distasteful take on the American family which seemed to exist in some 50ish sitcom without the laughs.

Hyper White by Albert Andrew Garcia – One of the two most non-traditional pieces and the more successful of the pair. On a space ship, two men and a computer deal with questions of existence, time and destiny. Wonderful language and compelling, if not totally clear, drama.

Colored Girls Who Rock and Roll All Nite by Arthur W. French III – a polished riff on Ntozake Shange’s pivotal theater piece For Colored Girls … that unfortunately doesn’t really go anywhere dramatically, but praise is due to the young women who handle the poetry and wit with ease.

Professionals by Dominic Viti – a group of young advertising professionals discuss an advertising campaign that they have no interest in while making random admissions about sex and drugs which adds up to absolutely nothing.

A Pig Dog Kitten-ish Breed by Rebecca Lee Lerman – A cute comedy about two sisters dealing with individual career crisis and ambition that had some clever humor about Asian stereotypes in show business. Nothing earth shattering here, but a bit of promise for the future of this writer.

Bruised by Fiona Gorry-Hines – a compelling piece about an uncomfortable reunion between two sisters divided by drug addiction and family conflicts. Two very honest performances by Allison Weyler and Stephanie Hepner raise a work that manages to avoid most of the cliches of the situation.

Menage a Twat by Gregory Cioffi – An unfortunately vulgar title for a compelling marriage drama about a youngish husband feeling trapped by a two loving wife. Bradley Martocello and Catherine Cela played this out with not a single false note in a work that was surprising but honest. The audience voted this the best work of Program A.

Program B

Carte Blanche by Sophia Romma – Something about an actress who things she is some combination of Blanche Dubois and Norma Desmond, and gets involved with a Black pimp from Harlem (no cliche there) and some pretty boy refugees from the Kit Kat Klub. Trying to be an experimental piece, it was a failure on all levels and an insult to Tennessee Williams.

The Suit by Molly Kirschner – two short scenes that were linked by one character. Some nice writing here but very muddled as to what was going on and exactly what was the relationship of the two businessmen who were dressing each other in the first scene.

Shangri-La by Blake Walton – A college reunion for two barely closeted men who grab the chance to live out an opportunity they passed up on the first time. A nice situation but with almost no conflict that left this feeling more like an under-developed skit than a real play.

Code Red by Christopher Sirota – As opposed to the previous play, a scene with nothing but conflict as a widower challenges the computer programmer who somehow caused a car crash that caused the death of his wife. Unfortunately, the play turned totally on technology that was very unclear in the script.

Descent by Sander Gusinow – Voted best work of Program B by the audience, this highly inventive twist on class film noir and office politics was fresh and funny. And Sara Minisquero gave the best performance of the day as an unlikely femme fatale.

Mandy & Madeleine by Michael Newman – A confused young woman confuses her friend about their relationship. And confused the audience about the intentions and needs of the characters.

Dear Nate by Ali Keller – Another situation wish under-developed characters that didn’t go much of anywhere as an office hook up leads to a complicated break up, though who is breaking up with who is never all that clear.

A Peaceful Afternoon by Beth Falcone – More of a sketch than a play, an amusing take on a woman attempting to complete a guided meditation while constantly being interrupted by annoying phone calls. Not quite funny enough to coast on the illogic of why she just doesn’t turn the phone off.