Artists' Exchange 10th Annual One Act Play Festival Kicks Off Today

Artists' Exchange announces the 16 great plays that will be featured in its 10th Annual One Act Play Festival this summer, after whittling it down from the over 1,000 received submissions. These original, new plays will be directed, produced, and performed by Rhode Island and local theatre professionals, community actors, and Artists' Exchange artists for the entertainment of the community beginning today, July 17th, and continuing through August 8th at Theatre 82 & Character's Cafe? in Cranston.

Play selections are: "A Rocky Relationship" (Chip Bolcik), "All The Way" (Steven Korbar), "Anniversary" (Sam Wallin), "Bottom of the 9th"(Rand Higbee), "Fixing Bob" (David MacGregor), "Goodnight, Irena" (Rhea MacCallum), "Helicopter Parents For Hire" (Stefan Lanfer), "If Everyone Acted Like John Boehner" (Ben Jolivet), "Immersion Therapy" (David MacGregor), "Polly" (Ron Burch), "Santa Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (Patrick Gabridge), "The Big Picture" (Mark Harvey Levine), "The Front Porch" (Roger Lemelin), "The Piggy Pit" (Laura King), "Wedding Belles" (Brett Hursey), and "We're Still Fun, Right?" (Kevin Broccoli).

"Celebration of Creativity" is the central theme for this summer's Festival. We celebrate creativity in our community by highlighting the talents of our playwrights who are Rhode Island locals, Festival fan favorites, and new faces. Playwrights hail from our Ocean State (including Kevin Broccoli, Artistic Director of Artists' Exchange's resident Epic Theatre Company), down South, the Midwest, and across 3,000 miles to the West Coast. Patrons will laugh, smile, ponder, and possibly even cry at this year's line-up of comedies, dramas, and whimsical stories, which celebrate milestones, love, friendship, progress, choice, and more.

Lauren Annicelli, Jessica Chace, Tom Chace, David Kane, and Kate Lester will direct (and act), casting community actors of all experience, age, and walks of life. Wave line-ups will we announced following the completion of casting after final auditions on Saturday, June 6th from 10am-5pm at Theatre 82. Email Artistic Director, Jessica Chace, at jessicabchace@gmail.com to reserve your slot.

Mark your calendars today to join us for laughs, sentiments, and celebrations! Wave 1 performance dates are July 17, 18, 24, 25; Wave 2 performance dates are July 31, August 1, 7, 8. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm, with new Saturday matinees at 3:00pm. Venue is Theatre 82 & Characters Cafe?, located at 82 Rolfe Square in Cranston, Rhode Island. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Beer and wine cash bar available and food and refreshments for sale at Characters Cafe? before and during the show. For information and to buy tickets, call 401-490-9475 or visit the Festival's webpage at www.artists-exchange.org.

Artists' Exchange is a nonprofit arts collaborative whose mission is to create an atmosphere in which creativity, learning, and discovery converge and individuality is celebrated. Home to multiple art studios, a gallery, online art boutique, cafe?, and secondary venue Theatre 82 & Characters Cafe?; it offers year-round classes and summer camps in art, ceramics, theater, and music. Artists? Exchange is operated by Gateways to Change, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all human beings.