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Baltimore Playwrights Festival Public Readings: Season XXVII |
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November 11 2007 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
11:00 AM |
Postcards by William Costanza directed by Richard Goldberg It's 1954. In a loft in lower Manhattan jazz icons gather for after hour jam sessions that would eventually become legendary. There to document it all is photographer Alvin Moseby, obsessively trying to capture every moment with his camera as if his life depends on it. Maybe it does. |
1:00 PM |
Impending Events by Rosemary Frisino Toohey directed by Sharon Weaver IMPENDING EVENTS traces the journeys of three young women as they discover they are carrying a child. For a teenager and a career woman, the news is unexpected. For the wife of a wealthy businessman in India, the thorny issue is the unborn baby's sex. The focus of the play is whether or not they continue their pregnancies and how those choices impact their lives. |
3:00 PM |
Vigil by Kevin Kostic directed by Miriam Bazensky David Franell returns home from his first year at college to be with his dying mother. He soon finds though that his relationship with his father, Ed, is in far worse condition. This tender one-act explores themes of self-discovery and the nature of watching after those you love. |
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November 20 2007 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
8:00 PM |
The Docents by Kimberley Lynne directed by Raine Bode When Japan invaded China, the Chinese packed the Beijing museum into peasant carts and dressed volunteers as refugees who rolled the treasure in front of the battle and kept art history safe from the invaders. In the beginning of The Docents, a Woman, a Boy, and their cart have become separated from their group. Alone, pulling the cart only a few miles from enemy lines, the two run across an AWOL soldier who realizes that they are carrying precious artwork wrapped in burlap. Metaphoric for the sacrifice modern artists make, continuing to create art in a military-focused country, The Docents praises the efforts of those who give that precious gift back to their community. |
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December 1 2007 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
11:00 AM |
Shape Shifter by Ira Gamerman directed by Ian Belknap Boy meets shape-shifter. Boy gets shape-shifter. Boy loses shape-shifter. |
1:00 PM |
When the Sun Shone Brighter by Christopher Demos-Brown directed by Miriam Bazensky When the Sun Shone Brighter examines a political candidate's struggle between ambition and truth against the backdrop of the first terror attacks on US soil-- not 9/11, but the Cuban-exile bombing campaign of the 1970s and 80s, a fascinating episode in American history that is virtually unknown outside of Miami, Florida but is directly relevant to events that are shaping our political landscape today.. |
3:00 PM |
Turducken by Lisa Hodsell directed by Lee Sapperstein Synopsis to be added. |
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December 15 2007 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
11:00 AM |
Four Sticks and a Basketball by Joe Dennison directed by Susan McCarty Chris and Lisa have lived together a spell as lovers and in a teacher student relationship. However, Lisa in a maybe "All about Eve" sort of scenario is seduced by Leo the gallery owner into having a show of her own instead over Chris thus creating a summer slash winter love triangle gone sour. . |
1:00 PM |
Helena Troy by Rich Espey directed by Richard Goldberg Helena Troy is a comedy about an artistic director of a theatre who learns to express her voice. It takes place in a small theatre in New York. Amy wants to write a new play in order to win an important grant for women writers which will sustain the struggling theatre, but Ted, her co-founder, co-artistic director and boyfriend, refuses to abandon the theatre's original mission to produce works exclusively by classical Greek authors, all of whom were male. The play begins when the Amy learns an important grant has been lost, and it ends when Amy takes full credit for having written the play that has saved their theater.. |
3:00 PM |
Erasmus by Lisa Hodsell directed by Suzanne Pratt In 1520, Desiderius Erasmus was at the height of his career. He was a critic of his time and an influential advocate for peace. In 1520, Martin Luther received his vision about the emptiness of all action and the corruption of the church. Martin Luther began to preach and divided this Rennaissance world into two opposing camps. Erasmus refused to take either side and found the middle ground that he fought for vanish beneath him.. |
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January 5 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
11:00 AM |
Finding Fossils by Ty DeMartino directed by Alex Carney Over a fourth of July weekend at their family cabin, Vincent Monterelli, a hard-as-nails Italian father, and his son Gus, a soap opera director, struggle to redefine their relationship in the wake of the recent death of Vincent's wife and Gus's mother. Sparks fly as the father and son (who have nothing -- and everything -- in common) come to terms with their troubled past, their plans for their future and their overwhelming grief. |
1:00 PM |
Five Short Plays by Michael Cookson directed by Carmela Lanza Weil Five short plays that involve love, religion, betrayl and dueling serial killers. |
3:00 PM |
The Ape on the Church Steps by JM Dinson directed by Mike Moran The Ape on the Church Steps is a serio-comic tale of existential disgruntlement wherein paradigms are flummoxed, dogmas are upended, the guy may or may not get the girl, and the primacy of the primate is posited.. |
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January 15 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
8:00 PM |
Two Shorts by Lee Sapperstein directed by Steve Goldklang Synopsis to be added. |
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Labor Day by Brent Englar directed by Miriam Bazensky It is the last day of summer vacation and seventeen-year-old Patrick has made up his mind to run away from home. First, however, he must say goodbye to his older brother, Jason, who has no intention of letting him leave without a fight. |
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January 19 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
10:45 AM |
Just Friends by Paul Ballard directed by Adele Russell Michael and Angela are “just friends” who are involved romantically with other people. But as their friendship develops they discover a love for each other that is deeper than either one of them could have imagined. |
12:15 PM |
Morengos by Majeedah Johnson directed by Kwame Jamal Kenyatta Bey Morangos takes place in Chicago during the mid-1970s. Delilah, a mid-twenties African-American woman remains grief-stricken after the death of Momma Dot, her grandmother-whose foul-mouthed and highly religious ghost regularly visits and converses with her. Delilah's longing to be reunited with her parents alongside a fixation with strawberries leads her to some life-altering discoveries about her family history and sense of self.. |
1:00 PM |
Keeping Faith by Mark Scharf directed by John Sadowsky Ed and Jane are not about to let their 18 year old daughter Faith marry 45 year old Hartsell (Hart) Edward Thomas Williams IV – even if he does own "Hartsell's Patio Furniture." So, on the day before the wedding, they do what any parents would do: they kidnap Faith and drive into the wilds of Arkansas to hide out until things cool down or Faith changes her mind. With Hart and the police in pursuit and Faith refusing to play victim, Ed and Jane have their hands full in this dark comedy which is part extremely-dysfunctional-family-fun and part political commentary. |
3:00 PM |
Nowhere, Alaska by Chuck Spoler directed by JG Caldwell Nowhere, Alaska tells the story of a gifted doctor torn between his love of patient care and the pressures of high powered medical research. Will ambition triumph over conscience? |
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February 2 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
00:00 AM |
Rescheduled |
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February 16 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
11:00 AM |
Short and Simple Annals by George S. Friedman directed by Miriam Bazensky Synopsis to be added. |
1:00 PM |
You Don't Get a Vote by Richard Madzel directed by Terry Kenney A young black man and young white woman have come together, to get married, start their family, and create a good life. Their parents feel differently. |
3:00 PM |
Higher Concepts by Joan Dunayer directed by Michael Spellman Monty and Enzi are brilliant, poetic wits—and African gray parrots. They’re the subjects of experiments that test not only their intelligence but also their patience. Rebellion is in the air.. |
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February 19 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
8:00 PM |
Trio by Jim Cary directed by Barry Feinstein Jazz men are supposed to be cool, dig? So what makes the drummer and the piano player of this trio so hot when they try to replace their aging and ill saxophone player? Old family secrets and suspicions of betrayal threaten to break the duo's musical bond. Only when both men confront the truth can harmony be restored. |
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February 21 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
7:00 PM |
Kosher with Salsa by Miryam Madrigal directed by Miriam Bazensky Kosher with Salsa is a romantic comedy about a Mexican immigrant man who is in love with a Jewish woman from Beverly Hills and their meddling mothers. The action takes place in a Melrose (a section of Los Angeles) boutique. The boutique owner is flamboyantly gay and also happens to be the brother of the convert. Their love is tested as secrets are revealed. The question is: will their love transcend the zany worlds they come from?. |
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February 23 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
12:00 PM |
Under the Sign of Capricorn by Peter L. Levy directed by Jerry Gietka The play is a comedy that explores the relationship of men and women on a two generational level. It is hoped that the comedy here is a successor to Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, the short stories of Saki (H.H. Munroe) and Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. If in doubt, come see the play. |
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March 1 2008 |
Fells Point Corner Theater |
11:00 AM |
God Willing and the Creeks Don't Rise by Sheryl Williams directed by Kathy McCrory Former DEA Special Agent Drew Hennigan has lost his faith and his balance, falling hard and landing as a drug trafficker in the Colombian jungle. Current DEA Special Agent Jennie McNulty is Drew's ex-sweetheart, almost-wife, and has been sent to bust Drew on a do-or-die mission. When Jennie's mission takes a turn for the very worst, she finds herself tied to a chair and spinning stories for her life. Drew finds himself still tied to Jennie. But enough to spare her? |
1:15 PM |
Paper Dolls by Ben Logan directed by Gordon Parks Charlotte knew that mother loved the others more. It was only a little lie she told. It was not supposed to go that far...but it did. |
3:00 PM |
Spooky Action at a Distance by Valerie S. Hart directed by John Sadowsky Synopsis to be added. |
| Our festival is geared towards the cultivation of new and diverse plays that showcase the skills of talented Maryland writers. The public is invited to attend our meetings on the third Tuesday of every month. Open readings are held September through March. These readings will lead to on-stage productions in the summer months by participating Maryland theatres. We encourage you, the theatre going public, to join us for play readings, discussion and critiques. |