Radial Theater And 18th & Union Team Up Again

What happens when playwrights are quarantined due to a worldwide pandemic? They write plays, of course!! The Pandemic Plays is a series of world premiere one-act plays that react to the COVID-19 world we all share. Portraying coping mechanisms ranging from ill-advised scientific experiments to paper bag puppets to hip hop and more, these plays tell stories about how we're navigating a world that suddenly feels smaller and less certain.

Each Pandemic Play will be performed live at 18th & Union and broadcast on a live stream via Zoom. And if we have to lock down again? No problem, performers will stream from their homes. But no matter what, these shows are going on!

The plays will be streamed in repertoire from October 1 through 25 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7 and 8:30 and Sunday matinees at 2 and 3:30.

Tickets can be purchased individually or in three packs at https://18thandunion.org/pandemic-plays

.

GREETINGS

by Lenore Bensinger

directed by David Gassner

Jo creates greeting cards: cute and irresistible cards for the kids and funny pandemic cards for the adults that both bring cheer around the world. It's all fun and fulfilling, but then Big Pharma comes knocking with the opportunity of a lifetime: Jo is asked to create cute, irresistible and hilarious greeting cards to help Big Pharma sell the ultimate COVID-19 vaccine. With her integrity on the line, what will Jo do?

Shelter in Place

by Danny Bryck

directed by Jasmine Joshua

As COVID-19 tears through the country, two New York actors take shelter in a relative's cabin in rural Maine, keeping busy with self-tape auditions and Zoom readings. But the longer they're isolated, the more the lines blur between their real lives and their feverish fantasies. In this witty and dangerous tour of cabin fever, Amelia and Benny race against time, space and cyberspace to come up with a script that works.

COVID Dreams

by Jaqueline A. Ware

directed by Merri Ann Osborne

A witty, finger-snapping, and foot-tapping play loosely inspired by Hamilton. As two college-aged students wait for classmates and the Professor to arrive, they kill time and entertain themselves by singing a capella pandemic-laced songs (written by CJ Dudley) while discussing personal COVID challenges.

407C's Puppet Theatre

by Darby Sherwood

directed by Sadiqua Iman

Tim has been very responsible, quarantining in his apartment in the midst of the pandemic. To create a bit of social interaction in his life, he's been re-enacting dreams and past memories with a cast of paper bag puppets. Elina, his ex-partner, visits to talk about their relationship. How can they communicate? Well, there are those paper bag puppets...

Duplicate

by Maggie Lee

Directed by Amy Gang

Deep in a secret lab below the great city of New Providence, a brilliant scientist tends to a woman dying from a mysterious illness. In order to find a cure, he turns to his greatest invention, the Corpus Duplicator, to create cloned duplicates to keep his experiment alive. But as his obsession for answers spirals out of control, the struggle becomes less about finding a cure and more about losing his soul. When illness and death become abstract puzzles to be solved, what happens to our humanity?

18th & Union is carefully and proactively following all public health recommendations. We've made improvements to the physical venue, acquired equipment to support live streaming over the internet, and set up health and safety protocols for artists, audience members and others who will access the space.**

For up-to-date information about all events at 18th & Union, visit the website at http://18thandunion.org.