Marathon of One-Act Plays


EST’s flagship festival of new one-act plays, the Marathon has played annually at EST for over 30 years. Past playwrights have included David Auburn*, Leslie Ayvazian*, Horton Foote*, Tina Howe*, Shirley Lauro*, Romulus Linney*, David Mamet*, Cassandra Medley*, Jacquelyn Reingold*, José Rivera*, and John Patrick Shanley*, among many others.

Submissions for the 2012 Marathon of One-Act plays are due by October 1, 2011. Scripts can be submitted via e-mail to literary@ensemblestudiotheatre.org as a word or pdf document, with the writer’s name and contact info redacted from the script. Non-member playwrights may submit a single script, no longer than 40 pages, which has not been reviewed in New York.


Ensemble Studio Theatre’s flagship festival of new one-act plays, the Marathon has played annually at EST for over 30 years. 2011, marking the 33rd year of the Marathon, features all EST member playwrights.


SERIES A

Friday, May 20 – Sunday, May 22
Opening Monday, May 23 – Saturday, June 18

“[Tennessee] pays tribute to Linney, an undervalued playwright who died in January and had a long history with this incubational Off Broadway company. But it also stands as a vibrant example of what superior short-form drama can encompass in terms of narrative density, pithy character development and idiosyncratic authorial voice.”
- The New York Times

[Tennessee], lovingly staged by actor Harris Yulin, features a terrific performance by Kristen Lowman….” - NY Post

“Bike Wreck [is] cleverly directed by John Gould Rubin. Hudson and Acuna are phenomenal together…. Everything about this play is right.” – Curtain up

“...In the Middle of the Night, a thought-provoking piece… [is] neatly done, and McGuire in particular impresses.”
- Curtain up

“John Giampietro stages [Ten High] nicely….
The performances are quite good.” – Curtain up

School Night is “well-acted” & “intriguing”. - Backstage

Bike Wreck by Qui Nguyen*; directed by John Gould Rubin
with Louis Changchien+, Michael Louis Wells*+, & Charlie Hudson III+
Stage Managed by Phillip Rudy
A rookie to the world of Chinese food delivery
learns the rules of the game.

In the Middle of the Night by Billy Aronson*;
directed by Robert Davenport
with Jared McGuire*+, Irene Longshore, Helen Coxe*+
& Scott Sowers*+, Stage Managed by Kelly Ruth Cole+
A college freshman breaks into a campus building
for a night with a wild girl.

School Night by J. Holtham*;
directed by Abigail Zealey Bess*
with Curtis Jackson+, Lucy DeVito*+ & Lance Rubin*+
Stage Managed by Kate Pressman
Two estranged young men are forced into brotherhood when the elder returns home to bury his dead cat.

Ten High by Ben Rosenthal*; directed by John Giampietro*
with Chris Ceraso*+, Ned Eisenberg*+, Danny Mastrogiorgio+
& Tina Benko+, Stage Managed by Alice De Cent
A murder plot on one side of a bar and a marriage unraveling on the other threaten to intertwine.

Tennessee by Romulus Linney*; directed by Harris Yulin*
with Rufus Collins+, Helen Coxe*+, Julie Fitzpatrick*+, Eamon Foley+,
Kristen Lowman+ & Scott Sowers*+, Stage Managed by Mark Karafin+
In the mountains of North Carolina in 1870, the mystery of an old woman’s life is revealed.

Set by Jason Simms, Lights by Geoffrey Dunbar*,
Costumes by Rachel Dozier-Ezell, Props by Bruce Kraemer


SERIES B

Saturday, June 4 – Wednesday, June 8
Opening Thursday, June 9 – Saturday, June 25th

“Memory, both sweet and painful, triggers engaging drama in each of the five plays of Ensemble Studio Theatre’s 33rd Marathon of One-Act Plays (Series B). It is a thin thread weaving together a memorable night of entertainment and talent. Quality casting, tight direction, graceful writing, and program diversity add to a satisfying evening.” -nytheatre.com

“Director Jamie Richards pitches the tension levels just right, and the three-person cast [of Cell] all deliver superb performances. [Cell] provocatively addresses issues of race, class, and immigration even as it remains centered on the complex interactions of these three women, who are just as trapped by their social circumstances as the prisoners whom they oversee.” – theatermania.com

“Uzo Aduba gives an intense portrayal of Mrs. Jones, an African-American woman with an overly obsessional attachment to a baby. Mr. Sater and Duncan Sheik provide touching music for [Mrs. Jones and the Man from Dixieland]….” – picktainment.com


I Know by Jacquelyn Reingold*; directed by Dan Bonnell*
A funny play about a sad day. Two lifelong actors and long-term lovers, devoted to the theatre and each other for forty years, one day find nothing is the same.
with Jack Davidson*+ & Beth Dixon+,
Stage Managed by Meredith Dixon+.

Mrs. Jones and the Man from Dixieland
by Steven Sater*, with a song by Steven Sater & Duncan Sheik;
directed by José Zayas*
A blind sharecropper’s daughter is rocking her infant when a young man in a blue serge suit comes calling with a carpet. The play features a new song by Tony and Grammy Award-winning composers Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, who have collaborated for over a decade.
with Uzo Aduba+ & Stanton Nash+,
Stage Managed by Matthew Klein,
Music Supervisor/Orchestrator: Eli Zoller.

For Elise by David Zellnik*; directed by Pamela Berlin*
At a Hasidic wedding reception, a 90-year-old woman from the old world and a gay 30-something from the new one find themselves on the outside looking in.
with Delphi Harrington*+, Drew Hirshfield+ & Erik Liberman+,
Stage Managed by Jason Weixelman.

Two from the Line by Michael Louis Wells*;
directed by R.J. Tolan*
Two men get a little too personal while
watching a basketball game on TV.
with Eddie Boroevich*+ & Curran Connor*+
Stage Managed by Jes Levine+.

Cell by Cassandra Medley*; directed by Jamie Richards*
An African-American woman rescues her younger sister and adult niece from homelessness only to have a “minor” on-the-job mishap change her family forever.
with Shyko Amos*, MaConnia Chesser+ & Lizan Mitchell+,
Stage Managed by Chiare Di Lello.

Set by Jason Simms, Lights by Greg MacPherson*,
Sound by Benjamin Furiga, Costumes by Erica Evans,
Props by Starlet Jacobs

*denotes EST Member
+ denotes Equity Member

Marathon 2011 is an Equity approved showcase


All shows are at 7pm
with Saturday matinees at 2pm
and Sunday matinees at 3pm

**Sunday June 5th is at 5pm**

A conversation with EST Member playwright J. Holtham about his Marathon play SCHOOL NIGHT.

Billy Aronson discusses his play IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT with director Robert Davenport.

Cassandra Medley discusses her Marathon play CELL.

David Zellnik discusses his Marathon play FOR ELISE.