Annual PlayFest Opens in One Week

Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, April 25 – May 4, 7:30 p.m., The Grange

— from Cara Russell —

It’s the 9th Annual Playwrights’ Festival presented by The Actors Theater of Orcas Island at the Grange! Come and see this years’ series of seven short plays, all written, directed, and performed by the members of our community. PlayFest will surprise you, make you laugh, make you think, and always, make you cry (but just a little.)

The plays included this year are:

• A Dish Served Cold written by Tom Fiscus, directed by Kristen Wilson, and starring Robert Hall and Eric Eagan. Things may not always be what they seem in this tale of revenge and double-cross served up for your examination.
• Mephisto Waltz #1 written by Brigid Ehrmantraut, directed by Cara Russell, and starring Vanessa Moriority and Kelly Toombs. Margot has just gotten the operatic role of a lifetime, however her own story echoes the plot of the opera a little too closely for comfort.
• Prelude to Notoriety written by Rebecca Herman, directed by Ron Herman, and starring Alison Calhoun and Kelly Toombs. When faced with a life changing decision who do you turn to?
• Hammerfest Date Night written by Cara Russell, directed by Creighton Hofeditz, and starring Cele Westlake and Larry Coddington. It is virtual date night for two romantics who can’t afford to travel, but love to dream about it.
• Night Lights written by Rick Markov, directed by Lin McNulty, and starring Maura O’Neill, Tom Fiscus, and Vanessa Moriarty. A visit to a psychologist takes an unanticipated and bizarre turn.
• Main Course written by Michele Griskey, directed by Gillian Smith and starring Aaimee Johnson, Brian Richard, and Adam Thomas. When house hunting goes terribly wrong.
• Four Christmases written by James Wolf, directed by Cara Russell, and starring Elane Phipps. An elderly widow rides the bus home and is reminded of several Christmases in her long life.

The plays will be presented at the Grange on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, April 25 – May 4. On Sunday April 27, pay what you can at the door. Tickets are $10, and all performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors open at 7 p.m.

For parents who like to stick to the rating system, the event is PG 13, for some mild but choice words that will appear in certain plays.

The Sunday April 27th performance is ‘pay what you can’ at the door only. Tickets can be purchased for $10 at Darvill’s Bookstore or online.

For additional information contact Cara Russell via email.

NOTE: In the spirit of keeping community theater alive, no one is ever turned away from an Actors Theater performance at the Grange for inability to pay.