Sandbox One-Act Play Festival to Run 6/4-8

Sandbox One-Act Play Festival returns June 4 - 8 to its new location at West of Lenin in Fremont, premiering the latest from award-winning playwrights of The Sandbox Artists Collective. From political upheaval to lost love to artificial intelligence to a quirky tale of romance and relationships, SOAP Fest 2014 promises to have something for every palate.

• Winner of the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award in 2012 for Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World, Yussef El Guindi's The Tyrant portrays a captured Middle Eastern president, currently imprisoned in the United States, as he speaks to the issues that led to his arrest. Directed by ACT's Anita Montgomery, theatergoers will be captivated by this deftly crafted drama as it simultaneously charms and condemns its audience in one fell swoop.

• In Things to Say When It's Too Late to Say Them, a.k.a. Proof You Were Here, by Heideman Award winner Brendan Healy, a couple wrestles, boxes, sings, and smashes dishes as they reveal all the many things they never told each other. New Century's Peter Dylan O'Connor directs Healy's simple and poignant love story.

• Recently commissioned by Seattle Symphony for an interactive theatrical concert with Carnegie Hall, K Brian Neel delivers iI, directed by SOAP Fest 2013's Annie Lareau. Thirty-six hours into a hackathon, three young programmers make an Earth-altering discovery. But are they ready to take responsibility for unleashing their creation?

• And in Cumulus, by Macha Monkey's own Juliet Waller Pruzan, strangers start conversations on a flight between Seattle and Denver, including one anxious young man getting ready for an on-board surprise. Directed by Rachel Katz Carey of theater simple, the stories told on the flight continue to play out both below and above the plane.

Featuring Megan Ahiers, Nik Doner, Sam Hagen, Sarah Harlett, Robert Keene, Laura Kenny, Leslie Law, Jason Marr, Ben D. McFadden, Christopher Morson, Brian D. Simmons, G. Valmont Thomas, Kayla Walker, and Seanjohn Walsh.

Assembled by Production Manager Liza Comtois, designers are Dan Schuy, Tristan Roberson, Evan Mosher, Kelly McDonald, and Dafni Mavridou. Dennis Culpepper is the Technical Director. SOAP Fest is stage managed by Ruth Eitemiller, assisted by Ryan Gelskey, David Hsieh, and Tracy Kirkpatrick. Gin Hammond serves as Development and Emily Conbere as Literary Manager. Amy Love is SOAP Fest's Coordinator.

Don't miss the ingenuity and skill of the Sandbox One-Act Play Festival! Inspired by Ensemble Studio Theatre's Marathon of One-Act Plays, it begins as a collective-wide call for anonymous submissions in September, and culminates in four world premieres in June. Experience what City Arts described as "the best short story collection you may never get to read again." With five performances only, get your tickets today! For more information, visit www.soapfest.org.

This production is being presented under the auspices of the Actors' Equity Association Members' Project Code.