Short Plays Are Out Of This World In Week 3!

Same-sex marriage, blind love, end-of-life decisions, prejudice, and various absurdist inversions of reality all feature in Week Three of 'the biggest little play festival in the world'.

Among the 10 short plays nightly is Equality by Terrance Bourke. The postal vote was positive; so, now that same-sex marriage is legal, what does it really mean for this family? Uma Kali Shakti directs Dean Nash, Donalda Brown and JP Yerma.

In Monet Monet Monet, written and directed by Paulene Turner, sees an eccentric woman arrested for art theft on the evidence of surveillance video. But is the footage the truth... or just an impression of it? Starring Steven Tait, Eveline Schubert, Carolina Portugal and Katia Moors. Producer Andrew Cohen.

Scent of a Woman for My Dog is a brilliant tour-de-force by Sergej Kozul playing a blind man who meets the woman next door. His dog, Bob, is his only friend - so when they smell her hair, confusion follows!

In the Wildcards section (weekend matinees), Into that Good Night by Mara Dresner (US) tells of a cancer patient ready to give up her fight, when she is offered support by a visiting minister. Lilliane Moffat directs Janet Shay, Deirdre Campbell and Amy Louise Goreham.

Hijab by Andrea Clardy (US) explores how people deal with stupid questions and attitudes. Uma Kali Shakti directs Chaya Ocampo and Madeleine Jurd.

NZ writer Myles Lind's wacky comedy A Space Oddity explores how zero gravity affects the friendship of three flatmates. As events 'take off', who can they really trust? Esther Adelhardt directs Cherry Pearce, Matt Taylor and Shivam Mehndiratta.

Exit Game Productions presents regular US Short+Sweet writer David Vazdauskas' The Human Touch, where a man trapped in a futuristic synthetic reality reaches out to his therapist for a rare human exchange... Corinna Galliano directs Ioulia Stepanova and Mike Hugo.

Finally, The Writer by Chip Bolcik (US) is a hilarious, absurdist romp where a couple in love but also in disagreement are in union with an invisible, omnipresent writer... Who is in control here? Emily Haydon directs Liam Megarrity and Helen Shoobert.

These and more are on offer when Short+Sweet Theatre takes place at the Tom Mann Theatre Theatre, 136 Chalmers St, Surry Hills. The fest runs through February and March with both a Top 80 (weekly, Thur-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6.30pm) and separate Wildcards program (Sat 3.30pm, Sun 2.30pm throughout February). Short+Sweet Film kicks in too each Monday night from March! The gala finals take place in April. Tickets are $25 Top 80 and $20 Wildcards. More info, weekly program and bookings are all available at www.shortandsweet.org/sydney or email tickets@shortandsweet.org