Local Playwrights to Present New Works in September

by Doug Bechtel

The Actors Theater of Orcas Island announces five performances of short and somewhat longer works from our well-known Orcas playwrights. The eight pieces to be read range from monologues to stories to character sketches.

Each spring, our festival of locally written plays is the most popular show of our season. This year we are bringing five of these playwrights together to show some of their works that are not suitable for the PlayFest due to adult language, or are monologues rather than plays, or are part of the playwriting process rather than part of the play itself.

From Elsie McFarland we have “Zalina” the story of a beautiful African heiress facing a change in her life. In “Highest Honor,” Lin McNulty takes us inside the mind of a soldier about to receive our nation’s highest medal. Michele Griskey takes a tongue-in-cheek look at one of our well known political figures and Doug Bechtel shares part of a longer play about growing up Catholic.

Bill Westlake will share three character studies he prepared for a longer play. Most playwrights prepare character studies for full length plays but few share them. These character studies will give you an insight into his upcoming play.

Three other pieces by these playwrights will round out the evening.

Many of these pieces will be read by the playwrights themselves and others will be read by some of our best-known local actors including John Mazzarella, Norm Stamper, Bev Leyman, Nick Hershenow, Freddy Hinkle, Dove Dingman, Zach Knight and Katie Zwilling.

This show contains profanity, adult language and situations that may not be appropriate for preteens and others who may be offended.

The five performances will be at the Grange on September 2-3 and 9-11 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 and are available at Darvills Book Store, on-line at www.orcasactors.com or at the door.

For more information, call Doug Bechtel at 317-5601.