2019 One-Act Festival

Three weekends of original one-act plays that will make you laugh, cry, and think.

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WEEKEND 1 – August 15-18
Friday and Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 2pm

Sam Feals by Julia Harris
Directed by Cidney Forkpah
Sam is a teenage girl diving headfirst into a new school year. With the help of her senses of Passion, Wonder, Anxiety, and Peace—personified by other actors—she learns to navigate homework, crushes, and the challenges of growing up.

Sam – Kerala Bannister
Cam – Adelaide King
Passion – Tracye Brewer
Wonder – Ren Stoneowitz
Anxiety – Matt Bannister
Peace – Erin Monaghan
Melancholy – Meg Nemeth

Express by Diane Nichols
Directed by Juli Tarabek Blacker
Young Ed runs away from home to join the Pony Express, despite the pleas of her close friend Frannie. Ed’s plans are threatened when another rider realizes that Ed is a girl, but then a crisis comes along that only she can help resolve.

Hank – Michael J. Fisher
Ed – Rachel Sparks
Franny – Dina Howell
Noah – Ramtin Vaziri

The Birthday Gift by Elizabeth Douglas
Directed by Shannon Wilson
Stephanie meets her parents for dinner to celebrate her 21st birthday, completely unprepared for the surprise that they have planned: they’re starting a new life that doesn’t include room for Stephanie and her siblings.

Helen – Jessica Speck
Doug – Alain Norman
Stephanie – Olivia Speck

Last Night at the Arcade by Kay Ellen Bullard
Directed by Nicole Vaughn Rodriguez
A desperate kid hatches a plan to save a shuttered arcade, only to be dismissed by the elderly owner. After the owner’s son arrives, the three come to understand the challenges facing their generations and the difficult relationships between fathers and sons.

Old Man – Ted Culler
RJ – Matt Williams
Kid – Camden Salguero

The Closet by Steffi Ruben
Directed by Tessara Morgan
Sisters Caroline and Ruth stare at a closet full of shoes, the final step before they can begin a long-overdue night out. A disagreement about footwear opens the door to long-simmering sibling rivalry, as they struggle to understand and accept each other’s life choices.

Caroline – Naomi Ratz
Erin – Janiene Bohannon

WEEKEND 2 – August 22-25
Friday and Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 2pm

Best Friends Forever by Diana Lee Woody
Directed by Emily F. Gouillart
Genevieve and Molly use a Ouija board to reach out to their friend Amanda, who passed away in a random accident a year ago. But when they succeed in making contact with her spirit, they don’t expect Amanda to ask them to join her!

Genevieve – Morgan Booth
Molly – Jenny Oberholtzer
Amanda – Sunna Bee

Prisoner of Love by Keith Whalen
Directed by Shalom Omo-Osagie
Hal wakes up from a nap to find that his wife, Sophie, has handcuffed him to their couch.  With him unable to escape, Sophie forces Hal to answer a series of self-help questions designed to get to the heart of their dysfunctional marriage.

Hal – Adam Rosenthal
Sophie – Rebecca Shoer

The Rockefeller Special by Ryan Stevens
Directed by Jeff Mikoni
A history professor and an ensemble of players interrupt the evening to present an irreverent, no-holds-barred story about a dead rich white man. It’s the definitive recounting of the life of John D. Rockefeller, “an American F—ing A–hole.”

Historian – Melanie A. Lawrence
John D. Rockefeller – Andrew Quilpa
1st Player – Hamza Elnaggar
2nd Player – Whitney Richardson
3rd Player – Olivia Smith-Elnaggar

Miss Peddy & Grace by William Ivor Fowkes
Directed by Pauline Griller-Mitchell
Miss Peddy is a caretaker to the elderly with a history of manipulating her charges for her own financial gain. But is she prepared to handle Grace, a cunning old woman with a penchant for schemes of her own?

Caroline Peddy – Meghan Williams Elkins
Grace Butler – Harlene Leahy

The Mysterious Life, And Even More Mysterious Death, Of That Guy Who Lived Below Max And Beth by Mark Staufenberg
Directed by Brad Tehaan
As police comb over the apartment beneath them, Max and Beth try to figure out what happened to their now-deceased neighbor. After Beth sneaks in via the fire escape for a closer look, she and Max become the prime suspects in an absurd crime story.

Beth – McKenna Kelly
Max – Omar LaTiri
Cop – Rob Gorman

WEEKEND 3 – August 29-September 1
Friday and Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 2pm

Yalu River by Nan Gatewood Satter
Directed by Katie Gallagher
Zach and Lys are world travelers, trapped in an airport terminal as they wait for their flights. The two pass the time by flirting through stories of great adventures and failed relationships, forging a possible connection in the process.

Zack – Matt Roland
Lys – Amber Champ
Gate Agent – Nessa Amherst

Gone Fishin’ by Steve Langley
Directed by Gregory Ford
In the wake of Rodney Dixon’s untimely death, his father and his roommate, Clay, meet at a secluded fishing hole to talk. When Clay reveals that he and Rodney actually were a romantic couple, Mr. Dixon struggles to accept truths about the son he never really understood.

Mr. Dixon – Melvin D. Smith
Clay – Axandre Oge
Rodney – Sebastian Leighton

Help Wanted by Agyeiwaa Asante
Directed by Jenn Dorsey
After Deana’s chronic pain makes it impossible for her and her husband, Prince, to have sex, the two hire Sadira, a college professor who doubles as a sex worker, for help.  The together, the three navigate delicate issues of love, intimacy, and support.

Deana Rule-Aduyemi – Jackie Youm
Prince Rule-Aduyemi – Brock Brown
Sadira – Neelam Patel
Doctor – Kate Lenane

The Elimination Round by Carl L. Williams
Directed by Omar LaTiri
A wealthy man hires a contract killer to murder his wife so he can marry his new love, but it turns out that the hitman is open to better offers. The four of them end up in a battle of wits, bribes, and negotiations to determine who wins and who dies.

Fenwick – Jim Breen
Morgan – Amer El-Bayoumi
Geneva – Kate Lenane
Priscille – Kristen Geatz