NIGHT OF SHORTS Breathes Life Into New Works

George Bernard Shaw once said that we use glass mirrors to reflect our outward images and we use theatre to reflect back to us our souls. Night of Shorts introduces more questions than answers, allowing for reflection on the parts of both artists and audience.

The premise of Chelsea Frandsen's Trackers, opening Friday as part of Brelby's Night of Shorts, is a sobering indictment of 21st Century culture - when you're tagged, you're tracked. Everywhere you go, everything you do, every thought in your head and word out of your mouth, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You break the rules, you die. Literally. "The news channels and newspapers were a great resource to help me build the world of Trackers," Fransden said.

Allison Bauer's Take me Back is a response to loss - "a substantive number of women" in her life who have experienced profound losses. The short work focuses on memories. Some go to great lengths to relive them and some go to great lengths to get rid of them. How far would you go to hold onto something you never had?

Both artists are new to playwriting. "It gives me a thrill," Fransden said, "to see my story go from words on a page to a living, breathing thing. The cast and crew bring character and story nuances, some of which I never even thought of, to the piece, which make it better than what I first envisioned."

Bauer echoes Fransden's enthusiasm. "Carolyn McBurney, the director of Take Me Back, has taken this idea of a show and has turned it into something more beautiful than I thought it could be. The cast has exceeded any expectations I had. I am honored to be working along side so many women I admire and am proud of the work we have all done."

"One of the things I firmly believe," Fransden said, "is that we should live our lives the way we choose. My hope is that, with this story, I can show one of the possible outcomes if we were not allowed to do so."

According to Bauer, "The biggest thing for me would that the audience understand that life is not always fair. Life is not always happy or uplifting or jovial. But that's okay. It is okay to feel and to hurt and to not be okay. And it is okay to let people know you are not okay. Humans are complex. There is nothing simple about us, so why are our hurts and fears treated simply? I want the audience to know, not necessarily to understand, that no one has the right to dictate how you feel about your life and your hurts and fears."

Trackers
by Chelsea Frandsen
directed by Clayton Caufman

with:
Riley - Kayla Cook
Jason - Peter Loza
Deac - Jon Gradilla

Take Me Back
by Allison Bauer
directed by Carolyn McBurney

with:
Woman - Colleen Carnahan
Boy - Matt Clarke
Girl - Courtney Kenyon

Night of Shorts contains material unsuitable for children.

Brelby partners with downtown Glendale businesses to offer more options for audience members. By showing their digital ticket, audiences can receive 10% off of their bill at the Hop Stop Diner, 10% off of any entrée at Haus Murphy's Restaurant, and 10% off of a customer's bill at the Olde Towne Glendale (OTG) Beer & Wine Bar or the Gaslight Inn.

Night of Shorts performs at 7:30pm January 6-7, 13-14 and at 2pm January 8.

Tickets are available by visiting the official web site at www.brelby.com/tickets. General admission is $15 per performance. Admission to Night of Shorts is included in the benefits of Brelby's ShowGO subscription: brelby.com/showgo. The Brelby Playhouse is located at 7154 N 58th Dr, Glendale, AZ 85301.