Week Two Winner Revealed For The Players Theatre Short Play Festival

This past weekend saw West Village audiences gathering to enjoy 5 original short plays about life in New York during Week 2 of the 13th annual Players Theatre NYC Short Play Festival. Each weekend for three weeks in June, a new selection of 15-minute original plays premieres to reflect on life in the Big Apple.

Last weekend's audience-selected winner was "Married Strangers", written and directed by Alan CordoBa-Diaz.

In this short play, a married couple decide to finally have a date in the city for the first time since the pandemic. To spice things up, Jim (Mark Stephen Kopas) decides on a game of strangers at the bar with his wife, Karen (Veronica Murphy). Sadly, it doesn't go at all according to plan. The bartender, Cole (Hunter Corbett), offers comic relief that takes some of the sting out of the situation.

"Married Strangers" debuted with four other NYC-themed one-acts.

"Waiting for the 6", written by Maddy Stillman and directed by Grace Konstanty, features friends Nora (Mackey Almey) and Abigail (Maddy Stillman), who are waiting for the subway after a night out and trying to distract each other while waiting by chatting about nothing. Feelings of existential crises arise and hangxiety begins to take over as the discussion moves from bagels to "casual" relationships to hangover cures and the meaning of life.

"A Wandering Life," written by Richie Altmanshofer and directed by Elizabeth Slack, introduced a modern knight in shining armor, a prophecy, and a necklace that means everything. Greg (Will Jacobs) shows up at his ex-girlfriend Kat's (Alex Evans) apartment in an attempt to return a charm necklace that he believes will keep him wandering forever as long as it's in his possession. A series of events soon occurs that prove to challenge his resolve.

"INTERVIEW", written by Steve Fogelman and directed by Joseph Fusco, finds recent college grad Valerie Albright (Regina Famatigan) wanting a job assisting treasured Broadway playwright Norm Richards (Steve Fogelman), whose flailing career requires revival. Norm's irrational needs make hiring anyone almost impossible, though Valerie is determined, as she wants more than a job - she wants the opportunity to re-establish a relationship with her estranged grandfather.

"Busking in the Square," written by Herut Ashkenazi and directed by Tamara Lechner, takes place in Times Square, where we meet new busker Vivi (Herut Ashkenazi ), who inadvertently moves in on busker Daniel's territory. This leads to police officer Chacha the Cop's (John Ciarcia) involvement and a surprising romance at the end...turning out to be a window into the world of struggling artists in the city.

The Players Theatre NYC 2024 Short Play Festival will conclude this weekend Thursday through Sunday with Week 3, which will present four brand new NYC-themed plays that are sure to delight audiences settling into a New York City summer!

Tickets can be purchased at: www.ShortPlayNYC.com

The festival takes place at The Players Theatre:

115 MacDougal Street, 3rd Floor

Week 3 Plays, June 20 - 22 at 7pm, June 23 at 3pm.

"Duck, Duck, Pigeon", by Kathryn Loggins

"Gimme the Light", by Rishi Chowdhary

"Locked Out", by Veronica Murphy

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