The Ensemble Studio Theatre's 32nd annual Marathon of One-Act Plays. This year's festival includes ten World Premiere plays from the country's finest established and emerging playwrights.
Matthew and the Pastor's Wife
by Robert Askins*
directed by John Giampietro*
with Geneva Carr*+ and Scott Sowers*+
Matthew is a small town sinner. Dorothy is the pastor's wife. She's trying to save his soul. He's trying to let her. Then he forgets his bible. Then she leans in. When they kiss the world starts to fly apart and it's gonna take something awful to put it back together.
Safe
by Ben Rosenthal*
directed by Carolyn Cantor
with Gio Perez+ and Danny Mastrogiorgio+
Halloween night. A recently widowed rug salesman must bail his stepson out of jail after the boy assaults a girl at a party. In the aftermath the two must get to the bottom of it all before it is too late - for both of them.
Turnabout
by Daniel Reitz*
directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel*
with John-Martin Green*+, Haskell King*+ and Lou Liberatore*+
An actor in trouble summons the courage to invite his bitter ex-boyfriend for coffee, not in search of closure or rekindling but to ask a tremendous favor of his ex's newfound wealth. What dire circumstances would push him to such an act, and if the favor is granted, what strings will be attached?
Where the Children Are
by Amy Fox*
Based on an original story by Caitlin Shetterly and Amy Fox
directed by Abigail Zealey Bess*
with Barbara Andres*+, Denny Bess*+, Bill Cwikowski*+, Frederick Lehne+, and Melanie Nicholls-King*+
Where the Children Are interweaves the voices of five parents who have children serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The play tracks these parents as they pack hot sauce and snuff into care packages, watch hours of CNN, and take responsibility for grandchildren, somehow managing to support their children and hold onto hope.
Wild Terrain
by Adam Kraar*
directed by Richmond Hoxie*
with Jack Davidson*+, Marcia Jean Kurtz*+, and Catherine Curtin*+
At an outdoor sculpture garden, a retired professor and his dreamy wife battle over love, art and the relativity of memory. In the uncharted territory of later life, Henry and Marion lose their way - yet persist in navigating their fiery relationship.
* denotes EST Member +appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association