Category Archives: PlayFest

Playfest 2018 opens this Friday

The 13th Annual PlayFest opens Friday, May 4 on The Grange stage. The following seven short plays will be brought to life—the culmination of local Orcas playwrights, Orcas directors, and Orcas actors. This year brings several new faces out to share their talent.

Nonviolent Gulch  by Evan Wagoner-Lynch
Director: Melinda Milligan
Cast: Travis King, Larry Hampel, Liz Doane, Rick Markov, and Lisa Spesard
What happens when Gunstone, the gunslinging desperado, the devil of Nevada, wanders into his favorite bar in Rattlesnake Gulch and finds that the town has renamed itself  Nonviolent Gulch, the bar is the Namaste Saloon, and they don’t serve whisky anymore… ?

Camelot by Nancy Reas
Director: Carie Lou Gottschaldt
Cast: John Mazzarella and Annette Mazzarella
Through foggy recollections of the past, Fred struggles to make sense of the present as Nancy ponders the end of a dream.

Dust by Mary Bayley
Director: Lisa Spesard and Isabella Schermerhorn
Cast: Leslie Liddle, Don Yerly and Hayley Thompson
A family drama set in the 1930’s. From Philadelphia ballrooms to dusty country farming.. a family relocates with hopes of innovation, but it’s a rougher business than expected.

Moira by Kat Blucker
Director: Madeline Olson
Cast: Susie Shipman
For 25 years, Moira’s life has been consumed by the whims of her violent husband. But one night, everything changes. With startling imagery, clarity, and sensory detail, she recalls the many experiences that have led her to this moment.

Thirteen This Way by Miguel Villarreal
Director: Evan Wagoner-Lynch
Cast: Kevin Doyle, Jessie Gonzalez, Frank Michels, Travis King, Stephanie Wright
Two buddies find themselves working a neverending job with a difficult client, a fellow named Thomas Jefferson. Just when it seems the end is in reach, Jefferson and his friends come up with a new job for the duo–something that will send them down a very perilous path, indeed.

Coming Out by Heather Thomas
Director: Lynda Sanders
Cast: Stephanie Wright, Gus Klueber , and Isabella Schermerhorn
It’s all well and good to raise your kids to be independent and think for themselves, until they do…

The Adventures of Jack Armstrong by Hank Pollard
Director: Frank Michels
Cast: Larry Hampel, Rick Markov, Margot Van Gelder, Alia Hynek, Lesley Liddle
and Frank Michels
Presented in the genre of a 50’s radio drama, the play follows a family on an action adventure archeological roller coaster ride through jungle habitat and ferocious animals, including the natives.

Tickets are $10 and all performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door, at Darvill’s Bookstore, or online at BrownPaperTickets. No one is ever turned away from an Actors Theater performance at the Grange for inability to pay.

Coming up: Playfest 2018 – Time to submit your entries.

CALLING PLAYWRIGHTS, SEASONED AND BRAND NEW!

The13th Annual Ten-Minute PlayFest is underway!

Please put your pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard and submit a short play based on the theme, THIRTEEN.   We’re looking for short play submissions from local writers.  Whether you are a seasoned playwright or a brand new writer, we’d love to consider your work.   We’ll consider your work even if it isn’t about the number 13.

We’ll choose seven plays for a full production in May 2018 at The Grange.

For guidelines, please contact Michele Griskey at [email protected] or 376-3848.

You can submit anytime between now and January 31, 2018.

2017 PlayFest Opening Soon

Friday – Saturday, May 26-27; Friday – Saturday – Sunday, June 2-3-4, The Grange

— from Aaimee Johnson for Actors Theater of Orcas Island —

The 12th Annual PlayFest featuring seven plays written by Orcas playwrights will open Friday, May 26, with performances on Saturday May 27, Friday Jun. 2, Saturday Jun. 3, and Sunday Jun. 4. Curtain is at 7:30, tickets can be purchased at the door, or on line at Brown paper tickets, and at Darvill’s Bookstore. Here is a peek at this year’s terrific lineup:

“Needs New Battery” by Cara Russell. Simone and Simon are new to small island living. And when the power goes out, one stormy night, the two discover a ‘problem’ that is way out of their reach—a small ‘beeping’ problem.

“Emerald City” was written by Corey Homewood. “Emerald City” is a story about surviving on the streets of Seattle after The Big One hits.

“What’s New” written by Miguel Villareal. Original ideas are sometimes contemplated at a moment in time that is too early for them to be realized.

“Wedding Dances” by Tom Fiscus. The act of dancing, when done free of self-conscious restriction, is one of humankind’s purest forms of self expression.

“2.5 Kids” written by Kat Fennell. A comedic opera about dreams, life, and the art of compromise.

“TJ” written by James Wolf. Over 40 years ago the US Supreme handed down a decision that had a profound impact on the lives of countless individuals.

“Open House at Murder Mansion” by Mack Smith. There are many dream houses on an island; well, dreams for some, nightmares for others.