PREVIEW: Playtime 2 in Burlington delivers diverse lineups
Summertime short play festival will feature fresh new works from local playwrights.
Offering “a summertime fix of community theatre,” Theatre Burlington is presenting the second annual installment of its short play festival called Playtime over two weekends on June 13 and 14 and 20 and 21. Theatre lovers have the opportunity to enjoy and support homegrown talent as the festival features over a dozen plays (of approximately 10 minutes in length), written, directed, and performed by local artists.
To view all 16 plays, prospective audience members will need to attend the festival both weekends it is being held; there will be a separate lineup presented each weekend over three performances on Friday and Saturday. Theatre Burlington says that “due to the volume of play submissions,” it was necessary to spread the festival over two weekends featuring distinct playbills.
Calling Playtime 2 “a great introduction to the world of live theatre,” Theatre Burlington says that for many of the playwrights, this festival represents their first time seeing their work performed on stage. Likewise for many of the directors and actors, Playtime 2 will be their first time participating on stage or behind the scenes, although a keen eye will notice some familiar names from the Hamilton and Burlington theatre community. Several playwrights are directing their own plays and a few are cast in them as well. Another, Valerie King, has written one play (At The Cottage) and is directing another (David Mouti’s Insight). A handful of actors are cast in more than one play in the festival, including Adam Trischler, Dean Rooney, Nectaria Bogdanis, Charles Lo Manto, Braden Worton and Natasha Fiorino.
Theatre Burlington says the festival’s plays “run the gamut from humour, drama (to) maybe even a little farce,” and promises they are “sure to make you think, laugh, and maybe even cry.” As community theatre slows down over the summer period – and with an accessible ticket price – Playtime 2 offers an exciting opportunity to see new works from local and emerging playwrights.
There will be a 20-minute Q&A with playwrights after the performances each night.
Line Up #1: June 13 & 14
The Interview by Heather Kirk
Director: Heather Kirk
Cast: Heather Kirk (The Woman)
Synopsis: A trans woman has been required to explain herself to an authority figure. Her story is very personal, and goes in an unexpected direction.
Pregamers by Kyla Dowling
Director: Maya Tomala
Cast: Naomi Moshe (Bella); Rachel Brinzan (Lexi); Mars Holford (Morgan)
Synopsis: Armed with a perfect pregame soundtrack, Bella is ready to go clubbing and find her soulmate, even if her friends Morgan and Lexi have reservations about this fun night out.
Insight by David Mouti
Director: Valerie King
Cast: Adam Trischler (Aaron); Dean Rooney (Colin)
Synopsis: An older job applicant goes to extreme lengths to ensure the company’s young CEO listens to him, but things take an unexpected turn when the applicant’s true motives are revealed.
The Project by Kate Racheter
Director: Jay Douglas
Cast: Nectaria Bogdanis (Dawn); Kendra Dyck (Mia)
Synopsis: Parents visit their child’s science fair, only to end up questioning their parenting when they see the nature of her project.
At The Cottage by Valerie King
Director: J.R. Hewson
Cast: Adam: Jamie Sinclair (Adam); Dean Rooney (Jeff); Natasha Fiorino (Jessica); Nectaria Bogdanis (Sandra)
Synopsis: During a light-hearted summer evening of cribbage, two married couples in their 40s chat about optimal ways to die – with a surprise ending.
Tricky Ransom by Cynthia Dempster
Director: Cynthia Dempster
Cast: Deanna Moreira (Alex); Kaitlin Danison (Alex Jr.); Dave Moreira (Thomas)
Synopsis: A clever mother of an abductee outwits the abductor when he comes to collect the ransom money.
Charity by Julia Kollek
Director: Julia Kollek
Cast: Natasha Fiorino (Jill); Tess Fairbridge (Sophie); Dean Rooney (Homeless Man)
Synopsis: A fundraising training session at a charity serving the homeless takes an unexpected turn when an actual homeless person turns up.
Looking For Kitty by Maryjane Cruise
Director: Janine Heaven
Cast: Alaina Attard (Iris)
Synopsis: After Iris’ husband betrays her, Iris must decide whether her marriage is worth saving.
Line Up #2: June 20 & 21
The Mother Ship by Michael Brown
Director: Michael Brown
Cast: Adam Trischier (Bud); Sabrina Reschke (Gloria)
Synopsis: A man sits on a bench awaiting his bus and is joined by a woman awaiting her ride; an intergalactic spaceship!
She's Fine by Karen Lee-Boulton
Director: Karen Lee-Boulton
Cast: Mary Pat McBride (Glenda); Jamie West (Paul)
Synopsis: A brother and sister grapple with differing ideas about care planning for their elderly mother who is living with dementia.
On The Go by Tony Corrie
Director: Tony Corrie
Cast: Keith Stemshorn (Man 1); Christopher Sterling (Man 2); Maureen Reid (Ticket Collector); Lisa Weeks (Woman)
Synopsis: The play is a comedy where a strange and bizarre incident occurs on the Toronto to Burlington GO train.
Prognosis by John Lawrence Reynolds
Director: John Lawrence Reynolds
Cast: Charles Lo Manto (Doctor Mattina); Braden Worton (Doctor Callahan); Em Nicholson (Nurse Boucher); Mark Collis (George Bell, patient)
Synopsis: A comedy set in an operating room where the surgeon, in the presence of a semi-alert patient and a nurse, angrily accuses the anesthesiologist of having an affair with his wife.
The Great Deception by Wendy Oughtred
Director: Wendy Oughtred
Cast: Rod McTaggart (Man); Anastasia Saluk (Maya); Wendy Oughtred (Rosalyn); Ilene Elkaim (Sophia)
Synopsis: A lonely widow discovers a mysterious box in her dead husband’s closet.
That Guy by Kyla McCall
Director: Janine Heaven
Cast: Abby: Kyla McCall (Abby); Charles Lo Manto (The Guy)
Synopsis: Our life situation can seem unfair until someone makes us see it in a positive light.
The Encounter by Caroline Way
Director: Caroline Way
Cast: Christopher Sterling (Judas); Braden Worton (Peter)
Synopsis: What if Peter and Judas bumped into each other after they both betrayed their Messiah?
Interrogation Room by Glen Benison
Director: David Cairns
Cast: Julie Docherty (Charlie Wylie); Anthony Deciantis (Harold Watters)
Synopsis: A police interrogator interviews a murder suspect.
NEED TO KNOW
Bonanno Stage at Theatre Burlington
2311 New St., Burlington
Line Up #1:
Friday, June 13, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 14, 2 p.m. (matinée show)
Saturday, June 14, 7 p.m.
Line Up #2:
Friday, June 20, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 21, 2 p.m. (matinée show)
Saturday, June 21, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $15
Box office: 905-639-7700 or online: https://www.theatreburlington.on.ca/play-time-2-a-short-play-festival/
Doors open a half hour before curtain
