3rd ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF NEW AMERICAN SHORT PLAYS
RUNNING JULY 24th THROUGH AUGUST 27th ONLY
AT 59E59 THEATERS
Featuring World Premieres from John Augustine, Nancy Giles, Bill Connington & Skip Kennon, Roger Hedden, Neil LaBute, Carole Real, Keith Reddin and William Inge
J.J. Kandel and John McCormack will present SUMMER SHORTS 3, their third annual festival of new American short plays, at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street). Performances begin Friday July 24th, and continue through Thursday August 27th. Featured will be eight World Premieres from some of New York’s finest established and emerging playwrights, including John Augustine (“Encore! Encore!” starring Nathan Lane), Nancy Giles (“CBS Sunday Morning”), Bill Connington (Zombie) & Skip Kennon (Herringbone, Time and Again), Roger Hedden (Bodies, Rest & Motion), Neil LaBute (reasons to be pretty), Carole Real (ABC’s “Relativity” and “Port Charles”), Keith Reddin (Life and Limb, Rum and Coke) and the late William Inge (Come Back Little Sheba, Bus Stop, Picnic). Maruti Evans will provide scenic and lighting design.
Summer Shorts returns for another summer of new American one-acts featuring original plays by the country’s top playwrights. Representing some of today’s best writing, directing and acting talents, Summer Shorts celebrates theatre, summer and the short form. The festival’s two separate series offer a diverse range of voices, styles, and subject matter. Summer Shorts 3 offers eight world premiere one-act plays, in two separate evenings. The two series will run in rotating repertory (a detailed description and schedule follows below). Last year The New York Post declared “one-act shorts fit nicely in summer heat!”
59E59 Theaters is the Drama Desk Award-winning state-of-the-art theater complex located on 59th Street between Park and Madison Avenues in Manhattan. Owned and operated by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, a not-for profit operating foundation, 59E59 Theaters has set an invigorating policy of bringing new, challenging and entertaining work to a new Off Broadway neighborhood.
Performances will be Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:15pm, with matinees Saturdays at 2:15 and Sundays at 3:15. Tickets are $18 each (59E59 Members $12.60). Tickets can be purchased from the Box Office (Monday 12pm – 6pm, Tuesday – Saturday 12pm – 9pm, Sunday 12pm – final curtain.), by phone through Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com. Service fees apply to phone and web purchases. For more information, please visit www.59e59.org or www.summershortsfestival.com
SERIES A:
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THINGS MY AFRO TAUGHT ME Written and Performed by Nancy Giles
A black girl, her hair, her adventures, and eventual escape from a Los Angeles acting cult.
DEATH BY CHOCOLATE by John Augustine Directed by Robert Saxner
A woman copes with menopause, her birthday, and the death of her husband. Luckily, she has alcohol and candy to help her get through the day. Unluckily, she faces an unwanted visit from her sister-in-law.
A SECOND OF PLEASURE by Neil LaBute Directed by Andrew McCarthy
A couple head off for a romantic weekend – or do they?
THE ETERNAL ANNIVERSARY Book by Bill Connington Music and Lyrics by Skip Kennon Directed by TBA
A hotel chef in 1913 New York City makes the perfect meal for his anniversary dinner. Very much in love with his wife, he is haunted by the suspicion that she was unfaithful to him years ago. Finding a lost bottle of Grand Marnier to complete the meal, he discovers evidence of her innocence. They can finally rest assured in their “perfect love.”
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Performance Schedule
Fri July 24 @ 8:15PM Saturday July 25 @ 8:15PM Sunday July 26 @ 3:15 PM Tuesday July 28 @ 7:15PM Wednesday July 29 @ 8:15PM Thursday August 6 @ 8:15PM Friday August 7 @ 8:15PM Saturday August 8 @ 2:15PM Tuesday August 11 @ 7:15PM Wednesday August 12 @ 8:15PM Saturday August 15 @ 8:15PM Sunday August16 @ 3:15PM Thursday August 20 @ 8:15PM Friday August 21 @ 8:15PM Saturday August 22 @ 2:15PM Tuesday August 25 @ 7:15 PM |
SERIES B:
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DON’T SAY ANOTHER WORD By Carole Real Directed by Ian Belknap
Irascible and compulsively honest, Josh tells his girlfriend Laura about a conversation he had with his guy friends. Big Mistake.
THE SIN EATER By Keith Reddin Directed by Billy Hopkins
El is 14 and her father has been murdered. She’s plotting revenge and nothing is going to stop her. Not the police, not the court appointed psychiatrist, and definitely not her mother. Because her mother was the one who killed El’s father.
IF I HAD By Roger Hedden Directed by Billy Hopkins
Landscape maintenance, class struggle, and a bikini-clad girl collide in a country with potable water.
THE KILLING By William Inge Directed by José Angel Santana
Desperation leads one man to ask for the ultimate favor from a stranger. |
Performance Schedule
Friday July 31 at 8:15 PM Saturday August 1 at 8:15 PM Sunday August 2 at 3:15 PM Tuesday August 4 at 7:15 PM Wednesday August 5 at 8:15 PM Saturday August 8 at 8:15 PM Sunday August 9 at 3:15 PM Thursday August 13 at 8:15 PM Friday August 14 at 8:15 PM Saturday August 15 at 2:15 PM Tuesday August 18 at 7:15 PM Wednesday August 19 at 8:15 PM Saturday August 22 at 8:15 PM Sunday August 23 at 3:15 PM Wednesday August 26th at 8:15 PM Thursday August 27th at 8:15 PM
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