Write Act Repertory
8 Original One Act plays
The first production of one’s own work is a magical and deeply emotional moment for a writer.
So being able to share that experience as an audience can be both terrifying, as you hope that everything goes well for the sake of all, and strangely intimate, even when you are completely removed from everyone concerned, as I was on Sunday when I attended ‘Near Life Experiences’ at the Peach Tree Theatre in NoHo.
This 8 play festival is becoming a bit of a tradition of Write Act’s, and NoHo is the better for it!
With the mantles of “love, truth and the unimaginable,” John Lant, Write Act’s Artistic Director, has produced an eclectic and extremely interesting perspective on these very human conditions.
The plays themselves vary enormously in tone and in content.
A couple using golf to search for love, a sister waits for her alcoholic brother at a train station, a mother is interrogated by a cop about the injuries to her son, a young woman tries to persuade an aging acting coach that her talent is real, her motives hidden in the story of her mother. These stories are not your traditional ‘love fest’ that’s for sure!
But in the darkness of these plays, and even in the lightness of them, lie some interesting questions about our sudo traditional lives, as well as a few reasons why we can’t seem to be happy with our blessings.
All the actors are extremely compelling. Taking on these ‘untrodden’ roles and fleshing them out fully could have been a very tricky proposition for any actor, but they all seem to really ‘fit’ the roles they play, making our audience experience even more appealing.
Watching plays like this, in an almost ’45’ format in a way, is extremely enlightening and entertaining. The energy that comes from many people working toward a creative goal, or in this case 8 creative goals, van really inspire and remind us that we all have valuable stories to tell…
These days we could all do with a few more uplifting, humorous and thought provoking stories that don’t require too much of a commitment in time…although I must advise that if you are thinking you could just watch one or two of the plays and sneak off you may be ultimately disappointed…none of these short plays are the kind of shorts you walk out on…too good for that…
Supporting our local playwrights, directors and actor is a surefire way to maintain the ‘Art’ in NoHo Arts District and let us not forget where a writer begins and where an actor can work on his craft and a director discover their voice is what these short play festivals are all about!
Near Life Experiences is produced by the Write Act Rep’s Short Play Lab.
Opened July 30, 2016 and closing Sunday August 21, 2016.
Producers - John Lant, Susan Eiden and Michael Eiden with Write Act Repertory Associate Producer / Stage Management - Jonathan Harrison; Lighting Designer - Alonzo Tavares.
Directors - Susan Eiden. Stina Pederson, Michael Eiden, Mari Falconi Cantos & Linda Rand.
Actors - Kay Capasso, Frank Amiack, Douglas Hampton, Erika Kavanaugh, Jackie Nicole,Vince Palmieri, Jeffery Morgan, Jinny Wilcott, Larry Leiderman, Sara Rose Shearer, Phil Hunter, Kathie Barnes, Joe Nassi, Terry Woodberry, Carla Valentine & Jamie Sowers.
