Photo Flash: First Look At Sauk Shorts Opening Tonight

A cast of 32 local actors directed by eight local directors will present "Sauk Shorts," an evening of 12 short plays at The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre. Performances are this weekend only, April 25-28.

"'Sauk Shorts' is our annual celebration of 10-minute plays," said Sauk Executive Director Trinity Bird, who coordinates the annual production. "This year, we sent out a nationwide search for short plays. We received over 400 submissions. I think these are the best scripts we have done to date. I am also excited to say that five of the 12 plays are by area playwrights."

This year's production will include:

• Avocado Toast by Ken Levine, Directed by Sandi Miller
• Been There, Done That by Paul Bowman, Directed by Jennifer Wagler
• Dynamite &! Sassy Pants by Laurie Allen, Directed by Jo Johnson
• For Whom the Yell Tolls by James C. Ferguson, Directed by Savannah Durocher
• Funeral Parlor by Christopher Durang, Directed by Trinity Bird
• Just Desserts by David MacGregor, Directed by Savannah Durocher
• Santa Doesn't Live Here Anymore by Patrick Gabridge, Directed by Angela Forant
• Selling It by G.M. (Bud) Thompson, Directed by Bruce Crews
• So, You Want to Be An Actor? by Bud Vear, Directed by Angela Forant
• Stuck by Scott Mullen, Directed by Mari Nunez
• The Naked Man on the Couch by Richard Davis, Jr., Directed by Trinity Bird
• The Ride Home by G.M. (Bud) Thompson, Directed by Trinity Bird

The cast consists of Andy Anderson, Meghan B! arnes, Bird, Travis Blatchley, Isaiah Brown, Sara Cark, Shannon Chen, Allie Cleveland, Dylan Collier, Emily Crews, Velvet Evans-Giacobassi, Summer Housler, Mandee Leigh Howard, Traci Jo Hubbard, John Kasper, Deb Lemke, Josh Lightner, Jennifer Mackie, Gianna Marchese, Russ Martin, Kaleb Matthews, Denise McCosh, Melody Omans, Noah Ortell, Olivia Pike, Matt Sauer, Cameron Stych, Sheldon Sundberg, Tiffany Thatcher, Roene Trevisan, Dean Williams and Lois Williams. The evening is stage managed by Joella Hendrickson.

Performances of "Sauk Shorts" are April 25-27 at 8 p.m. A 3 p.m. matinee will be performed on April 28. All tickets are $10. This production is recommended for mature audiences. Tickets can be purchased online now at www.thesauk.org or by calling 517-849-9100. The Sauk is located at 240 E. Chicago St. in Jonesville.

This production is sponsored by Nash Drugs, Inc. The 2019 Sauk season is sponsored by Expressions Photography & Design. The Sauk receives support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment of the Arts.

An audience talkback will be held following the Saturday, April 27 performance. The talkback will include actors, directors and the four area playwrights - Paul Bowman, David MacGregor, G.M. (Bud) Thompson and Bud Vear.