Players Theatre Short Play Festival NYC Announces Week One Winner

The untamable energy of NYC was in full swing last weekend during week one of The Players Theatre Short Play and Musical Festival NYC 2023. Produced by Be Bold! Production for the past 2 years, the festival runs for three weeks, offering a new selection of 15-minute original plays each week that celebrate the indelible spirit that is New York City. Last week's audience-selected winner was "Twin Towers", written and directed by Esther Caporale.

"Twin Towers" leads audiences down the path of grief, hope, and healing that stems from the worst tragedy in New York City history. Marcus (Edu Diaz) visits the same park bench every Tuesday near Ground Zero, where he used to meet his pregnant wife before she tragically died during the World Trade Center attack on 9/11. He is joined shortly by Raphael (Jonathan Glass) who is grieving the father he never met, who also perished during the tragedy. Together, the two begin reminiscing about the past and discover how to start to move forward.

"Twin Towers" was in good company with four other outstanding plays.

"Low Bar", written and directed by Julianne Mason, is a tongue in cheek view of the world of dating. Jane (Jordanna Hernandez) is looking for a relationship, which proves very hard to do. We follow her on a series of increasingly zany first dates (played by Yuri Buives, Bella Florence, Emma Tadmor, Fia Putri, and Amit Barnathan) who one by one turn out to be disasters. Things look hopeless until at last she meets Date Number 6 (Emily Rellis), who might just be the perfect match-or at least might meet a now very low bar.

"Just a Cockroach", written and directed Jacob de Guzman-Lawson, finds a couple on the rocks trying to answer one of life's greatest questions, "Do we have bed bugs?" Andrea (Jessica Lausell) is convinced she has seen a bedbug. Her boyfriend John (Maximilian Johnsson) doubts that is the case. It soon becomes apparent, however, that they are not really fighting over the possibility of bedbugs, but instead their relationship. Andrea's roommate Helen (Morgan Ruis) comes in at the end as the comic relief and may reveal the answer to the question of whether or not there are actually bedbugs.

"Amazons of Tomorrow", written by Rex McGregor and directed by Kristine Niven, gives audiences a glimpse into the private life of Eleanor Roosevelt (Jane Marx). Set during the 1939 New York World's Fair, Eleanor is affronted at the seemingly antifeminist expos and activities at the fair and insists they are removed, much to the consternation of the President of the NY World's Fair Corporation Grover Whalen (Joseph Fusco). Eleanor's dear friend and intimate companion Lorena Hickok points out the disparity in her objections and begs Eleanor to acknowledge their relationship.

"Art Lovers", written and directed by William Zolla II, opens with the 25th Anniversary of SoHo's first major art gallery. Gallery owner William Leventhal (Joe Patrick Marshall) welcomes guests to the event, while internationally renowned artist Deborah Burnside (Jo Johnson) gets to know Robert Zwick (Ian Federgreen), the grandson of the gallery's co-founder. Through interacting with William, Deborah, and art patron Arthur Pines (Michael Donaldson), Robert discovers some interesting and scandalous facts about his beloved grandfather.

The SPF/NYC 2023 Festival continues this Thursday through Sunday with Week 2, which will present six brand new NYC-themed plays that will have you humming "New York, New York"!

Tickets can be purchased at www.ShortPlayNYC.com. The festival takes place at The Players Theatre: 115 MacDougal Street, NYC, 3rd Floor.

Week 2 Plays, June 15-17 at 7pm, June 18 at 3pm.

"Garbage Wars", written and directed by Adam Ilardi. Starring Lexie Showalter, Tinna Hoffman, John Roperez, and Cameron A. Jackson.

"Six Incidents", written by Mike Rendino and directed by Sally Deering. Starring Nicole Fajardo, León Valencia , and Fermin Mendoza.

"Rip Tide", written by Majorie Conn and Joe Quattro, directed by Joe Quattro. Starring Marjorie Conn and Callie J Cox.

"It's for the Plot", written and directed by Grace Schofield. Starring Olivia Wheeler and Cameron Hepp.

 "Oh, Those Eyes!", written and directed by David Christopher. Starring Stephen Solomon, Sean Morgan, and David Christopher.

"Myles to Go", written by Annie Brown and directed by Julia Gaudioso. Starring Cydney Glecknerr and Sophie Tyler.

For more information, tickets and play descriptions, visit: www.ShortPlayNYC.com.

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