Review: SPECTRUM 2024 - A FESTIVAL OF SHORT PLAYS at The Chapel

Six budding playwrights from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin had their one-act plays premiere during Spectrum 2024, a festival of short plays presented by First Run Theatre. Spectrum 2024 runs through next weekend at The Chapel in St. Louis with performances at 8:00 PM on March 8th and 9th, and a matinee performance at 2:00 PM on March 10th. The festival is presenting YOUR NEW BOB by Eric Pfeffinger, GIVE THANKS by Dan Zeliner, VA-VA-VICARIOUS by Kim E. Ruyle, WAIT 10 MINUTES by Marilyn Zerlak, WE GOING TO MERCY by Emil Clausing, UNRQUITED LOVE by Emily Golden, and FARE TO MIDDLIN’, Zerlak’s second play included in the festival.  

Of the Playwrights included in the Festival, Marilyn Zerlak’s two scripts were the best of the lot. FARE TO MIDDLIN’ is a tongue-in-cheek look at what judgment day may look like for folks who think that they may have been just good enough to receive their heavenly reward. Neither of the deceased can see the curveball coming on how their transgressions and sins would be scored to determine their eternal fate. FARE TO MIDDLIN’ had well developed characters and was the most well-written of the seven short plays presented during the program.  

Zerlak’s second entry, WAIT 10 MINUTES, is less effective than FARE TO MIDDLIN, however the epilogue was satisfying enough to illustrate the playwright’s strong storytelling voice. Set in a nail salon, three clients who are acquainted and sitting for pedicures decide to tell each other one of their truths. Two of the three have far out tales that are foreshadowed in small tidbits before the reveal at the end of the short play. Zerlak presents the strongest scripts of all the authors in this festival. She has a knack for penning entertaining narratives. 

UNREQUITED LOVE benefited from Al Alderson’s fearless comedic performance as Clippy. Alderson pined, whined, threw tantrums, and rolled on the floor to garner the attention of a writer who he was convinced that he loved. It was Alderson’s turn that gave UNREQUITED LOVE a bit of charm and a few laughs. The success of this script hinges on the performance of the actor taking on the Clippy role. It was a bit of entertaining fluff. 

Three of the four remaining plays showed narrative promise but were plagued by a less well conceived story, characters that were underdeveloped, or tales that were reminiscent of previous works. GIVE THANKS, YOUR NEW BOB, and VA-VA-VICARIOUS all had elements that were relatable with script concepts that were intriguing. Zeliner, Pfeffinger, and Ruyle’s plays could benefit from tweaks to the script to make their stories more compelling. It is very possible that these new works are from playwrights who may still be laboring to find their voice.  

GIVE THANKS allowed the audience to have a peek inside the minds of family members seated around a holiday dinner table. Each of the characters presented an outward social facade that was not consistent with their unspoken resentment about their other family members. The playwright needs to create greater tension between the characters at the dinner table to help explain the disdain the characters had for one another. 

Pfeffinger’s YOUR NEW BOB attempted provocation about slavery, reparations, and race relations. The playwright was likely trying to use social satire to hit the audience over the head with a lesson. However, if that was the intent, using reverse discrimination as the mechanism for satire likely left audience members feeling offended, or at least ill-at-ease. This script needs further development and much more than 10 minutes to take on the subject of social injustice. 

VA-VA-VICARIOUS was a short play about two travelers meeting in an airport lounge. The script was remarkably similar to Walter Cronkite IS DEAD, a full length play about stranded travelers sharing a table in a crowded airport lounge. The difference in Ruyle’s script was the inclusion of a sexual attraction that wasn’t fully realized over the course of the short play. As written, the sexual tension between the characters in VA-VA-VACARIOUS wasn’t palpable. Both characters needed further development to make the premise more believable. 

The final one act play, WE GOING TO MERCY, is a drama about a skittish passenger in the front seat of an Uber. Clausen’s play contained the most dramatic events of the seven entrants, but the scripted dialogue was confusing and, at times, unintelligible. The characters shouted expletive laced sentences at one another without advancing the plot. Ruyle’s play requires significant rewrites to increase the clarity of the narrative for the audience. Like the events of the play, WE GOING TO MERCY is a bloody mess, literally and figuratively.  

Frist Run Theatre’s mission is to provide regional playwrights with an outlet to stage their new, original, and unpublished plays in a professional theatre environment. Giving Midwestern playwrights the opportunity to present brand new works is what makes this festival unique. While these plays may be completely baked or have some opportunities for rewrites, having the chance to see never produced works does not come around often. Click the link below to purchase tickets for the upcoming performances of First Run Theatre’s Spectrum 2024 Festival.  

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