Carrollwood Players to Host One Act Weekend, MASQUERADE and OWN THE STAGE in June

Housed in the center of Plantation Plaza shopping complex, Carrollwood Players Theatre has been part of Carrollwood's landscape since 1981. One very special weekend per year is set aside to showcase the talent of local playwrights and this year, national.

Hundreds of scripts were read and reduced down to the eight plays that will take to stage during the nonprofit theatre's One Act Weekend, three days of original, never-before-seen short plays on June 3-5.

One Act Weekend has been described as live channel surfing, where performances of no more than 15 minutes long, take the audience to dizzying heights of the playwright's imagination.

Whether you are hoping for a little funny-bone tickling, supernatural, romance or heartbreak, One Act Weekend will not disappoint.

Produced by board member Jim Johnson, eight playwrights with diverse backgrounds, writing styles and themes will have the audience critique the blood, sweat and tears that they poured into their original scripts.

Featured One Acts are A Long Trip by Dan McGeehan; Elephants by Jordan Elizabeth Henry; Fairy Grandfathers by R. James Faurote; Fall and Rise by Joe Gulla; Haywire by Matthew McLachlan; Reflections by JoNathan Cook, and Then Paupers Would Ride by Scott Gibson.

2016 directors are Alicia Spiegel, Jesse Hutson, Sam Burke, Adriane Falcon, R. James Faurote, Hippie Griswold, Georgia Kosloski and Erica Garraffa.

For many of the playwrights and directors, it will be the first time their work has ever been before public scrutiny.

The stage, usually beautifully decorated for the production being featured, will be bare sans a few set design pieces and a velvet black curtain. Instead, the One Acts rely strictly on the talent of the directors, actors and the most minimalistic use of props to bring the playwright's words to life.

On Saturday evening, June 4 following the One Acts, the empty stage will be transformed for CWP Masquerade, a fun adults-only variety showcase with improv, burlesque and drag performances. Featuring improv troupe Nine and Numb, Katscratch Burlesque, and drag queen and songbird Vanna T. Scarlett, theatre guests are encouraged to wear masks and costumes.

Beginning the weekend of the One Acts through August 15, patrons will have an opportunity to own part of theatre history with the ability to "own the stage." The theatre stage is in dire need of rebuilt to protect both cast and crew and guests can purchase in increments of $5 for a square foot to add their autograph to the new stage floor as it's being built. The nonprofit community theatre is hoping that this "FUN"draiser will help defray the cost of the necessary rebuild and is seeking corporate sponsorship or partnership.

One Act Weekend is at Carrollwood Players Theatre, 4333 Gunn Hwy., on June 3-5, Friday and Saturday 8pm, and Sunday 3pm. Tickets are $12. CWP Masquerade is Saturday at 11pm. Tickets are $10. For information and tickets for One Act Weekend or CWP Masquerade, visit http://carrollwoodplayers.org/one-act-weekend-2016 or http://carrollwoodplayers.org/cwp-masquerade. If you want to be part of the community theatre's history and have the bragging rights that you are "Always on stage at CWP....", visit http://carrollwoodplayers.org/own-the-stage. To become a corporate sponsor, email deb.kelley@carrollwoodplayers.org.