Shorts & Sweets at Birmingham Village Players

Birmingham, Mich. — The fall edition of Playwrights @ Work’s bi-annual festival of new works, “Shorts and Sweets” features six different short plays which are all original works by local authors and members of Birmingham Village Players. The plays will be presented on Saturday, October 7 at 7:30pm.

The six featured plays include Miss Molly’s Bench by Jennifer Ward of Royal Oak. In this heartwarming and funny short, Molly has taken over maintenance of a public bench and charges a nominal fee to regulars to enjoy while they wait for their bus. When a new customer balks at paying for the privilege to sit, she gives her a lesson on entrepreneurship and life!

Tressa Parmann of Huntington Woods wrote Love Isn’t Always on Time. Leaving home for a special dinner should be a breeze after decades of a happy marriage, but it takes a comical turn when one partner is punctual and the other is a time optimist.

In Black Mountain written by Richard Johnson of Farmington Hills, a young couple has a terrible fight that leads to their breakup. The next morning the guy shows up at the woman’s apartment to say goodbye — and sort of apologize. While there he decides to go to extraordinary means to save the relationship.

Tara Makar of Royal Oak wrote Open-Ended Callback, a comedic short about three women auditioning for the coveted roles in Steel Magnolias. See what lengths they will go to when an indecisive director with a wild imagination keeps flipping the script.

In Just Shoot Me by Jeffrey Shuster of West Bloomfield the thought of spending another evening with the world’s most obnoxious couple has driven George to the brink of insanity. Will his wife Marion be able to pull him back from the edge before it’s too late?

Ever wonder what a fetus is thinking moments before birth? How about when twin fetuses don’t see things the same way? Danny Dubin of Farmington Hills explains it all in A Light at the End.

Each play runs approximately 10 minutes and will be performed by local actors as staged readings. A staged reading involves minimal sets and props and the actors will be reading from scripts. There will be a short talk-back after each play for the audience to provide feedback to the playwrights. Sweets will be provided after the show during an afterglow for the audience to meet with the writers and actors.

“Shorts and Sweets” will be presented on Saturday, October 7, 2023. The doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 7:30pm. Admission is free. General seating (no reserved seats).

About The Village Players:

The Village Players of Birmingham, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit community theater, presents high-quality dramatic, comedic, and musical productions. Everyone is invited to participate on stage, backstage or as an audience member in the theater's main stage, youth theater, and Playwrights @ Work productions and programs. The Village Players have been entertaining the community since 1923, and moved to its current location at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham in 1926.