Eastbound Theatre/Westport Community Theatre's Present Play Festival, Perfect10n, 7/17

Mark your calendars to attend a special WCT theatre event - Perfect 10n, five original one-act plays brought together into an entertaining summer evening of theatre.

A joint project between Eastbound Theatre of Milford / Westport Community Theatre, this is the second year WCT has produced this one-act original play festival. Last year's summer festival was acclaimed by WCT audiences for the originality of the five plays and the great performances by actors both familiar and new to the WCT stage - the perfect summer night out!

In the fall of last year, Eastbound Theatre, a division of the Milford Fine Arts Council, issued a call for original scripts with the theme Perfect10n in honor of the tenth incarnation of its Eastbound Summer collection of one-act plays. Scripts were received from across the country (including Washington, Oregon, California, Maryland) and around the world (Russia, Australia). From these 50 scripts, five were chosen for the final slate.

FREE to the public, Perfect10n will be performed at Westport Community Theatre on Friday and Saturday nights, July 16 and 17 at 8:00 PM. First presented as part of the New England Arts and Crafts Festival in Milford on Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11, audience members voted for their favorites, and the winning playwright received the Eastbound Summer Audience Award. Which play won? You will have to come to WCT this weekend to find out!

The plays include:

The Proposal
by Jennifer Fama of Hamden, CT
directed by Michael Shavel
featuring Adam Loewenbaum, Tom Rushen, Jennifer Ju

Alex sits in a coffee shop with his best friend Andrew. When he announces his proposal plans, Andrew starts second-guessing every scenario as the two strive for a perfection that always seems one step away.

Jennifer Fama is a playwright from Hamden, CT. Her work has been featured in the New Haven Festival of Arts and Ideas and Hamden's PlayMakers Theatre. A 2002 graduate of Quinnipiac University, she majored in English and Communications and works as an Editor at Penny Publications.

In the words of the playwright... "Everyone wants marriage proposals to be perfect. Alex (and) Andrew... just end up confusing and frustrating each other. In the end Alex finds out that his idea of perfection is very different than that of the woman he is going to marry."

86 Jake
by Jack Rushen of Stratford, CT
directed by Jason Carubia

An extremely flawed waiter is called on the carpet by his supervisor. Although his behavior is questionable, it pales in comparison to that of the chefs. He searches for a way to hold onto his position.

Jack Rushen earned the 2006 Summer Audience Award for his play The Crossing, which was also a finalist in the Arts and Letters Prize at Georgia State University. He has been featured regularly at Eastbound Summer, penning Old Friends, Lunch with Oprah, and Going in Circles. A member of New York's Emerging Artists Theatre and Westport's Theatre Artists Workshop, Jack took first place at the Georgia Theatre Conference for his play Testimonial. His full-length plays include Quitting Time, A Question of Faith, and The Case of the Curious Condiment, a spoof on all things Agatha. Jack has received staged readings at Eastbound Theatre, Westport Community Theatre, and Playhouse on the Green. Film writing awards include the New York Film Festival, Columbus Film Festival, and the Los Angeles Film Festival

In the words of the playwright... "How perfect does a waiter have to be - particularly compared to the antics of the chefs in the kitchen. And what if the customers can tolerate and even enjoy his imperfections?"

The Interview
by Lucille Lichtblau of Fort Lee, NJ

A mother returns from an interview to get her son into a very exclusive pre-kindergarten program. While things do not go according to plan, she tries to understand what really prepares a child for the rest of their life.

Lucile Lichtblau's work has been featured as part of Vital Signs New Works Festival, Turnip Theater's 15 Minute Play Festival, Luminous Theatre, Polaris North, the Herring Run Festival and the Estrogenius Festival at Manhattan Theatre Source. Her play Car Talk, was originally produced in Stageworks Play by Play Festival. Lucile is a graduate of Yale Drama School, where she received an MCA Playwriting Fellowship.

In the words of the playwright... "An obsession for perfection...undercuts many of our accomplishments. I wrote this play with that in mind. It's a comic but very real take on the school acceptance frenzy so many parents experience."

 

Blue Ribbon
by M. Thomas Cooper of Portland, OR
directed by Patrick Kiley

At a state fair, a pie judging competition comes down to two finalists. The judges are deadlocked, attempting to find one flaw or one high note that will separate the two. The youngest of the judges strains to get her opinion heard, dismissed casually by the veterans as personalities clash and ultimately resolve to a sweet finish.

In 2008 Cooper's first novel, 42, was published by Ooligan Press, Portland State University. That same year, his short play, Tongue, Tied, was performed at the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Subsequently Samuel French published a collection of Cooper's plays, Tongue, Tied and Other Short Plays. Most recently his one-act play, Cue, was given Best of Festival honors at The Chameleon Theatre's New Play Festival.

In the words of the playwright... "I chose a pie contest where the judges are deadlocked on which pie to award the Blue Ribbon. It seems, due to the influx of "reality television"...we are...becoming a very critical society, incapable of enjoying what we have and always questing for something bigger, better, brighter."

The M Word
by Mary Steelsmith and Steve Lee of Los Angeles, CA
directed by Robert Watts

Three Shakespearean actors are attempting to mount the dreaded "Scottish Play." Two have already uttered the dreaded "M Word" and suffered unexpected, but hilarious, consequences. As the third man joins the crew, his training and carriage rapidly deteriorate under the spell of the fabled curse.

Mary Steelsmith was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, two cow fields away from the Broadway Drive-In Movie Theater. As a student at Boise high school she wrote This Isn't Exactly How I Expected It, winning First Place in the Dramatics Magazine Playwriting Contest and publication by Pioneer Publishing. Successful productions countrywide include Bedside Companion (premiered at Theatre 40's Festival of One-Acts), Behold A Pale Bronco, Women With Casseroles, The Old Man And The Seed (First Prize, Hewlett Packard 10 Minute Play Contest; performance at Action Theatre, Singapore) They's Weywulves and The Miraculous Day Quartet (Honorable Mention, Best Play, Chester Horn Short Play Festival). She is married to playwright Steve Lee.

In the words of the playwright... "The characters in this play, touted to be the three greatest Shakespearean actors are not perfect enough to overcome the ("Scottish') curse."

No reservations are necessary; if you have any questions, contact the Westport Community Theatre Box Office at (203) 226-1983 or go www.westportcommunitytheatre.com for directions.

 

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