Key City Public Theatre presents the 21st annual new works festival, “PlayFest 21,” featuring new one-act plays written by local playwrights, and performances of new scripts being workshopped by regionally and nationally known playwrights.
PlayFest 21 features performances, open rehearsals, discussion panels, and workshops, allowing patrons a look deep into the creative processes that generate the art that they enjoy year round at the theater.
This year’s featured playwright is Wendy MacLeod, the author of Women in Jeopardy, which was performed to rave reviews at KCPT in April of 2016. She will be workshopping her new play, Juan Deere. Joining her are regional playwrights, Jeni Mahoney and Duncan Frost, both of whom have worked extensively with KCPT in the past. They are working on their scripts Kandahar and My Father’s Dragon, respectively.
Six local winners of the Port Townsend Arts Commission’s One-Act Play competition are having their work showcased in the festival. They are: Hewitt Brooks with The Tree Frog Does Not Know, Micheal Cavett with Peach Cobbler Justice, Doug Given with Intelligence, Mark Rose with Family Style, Deborah Wiese with R.A.P. Anonymous, and D.D. Wigley with Red Bikini Red.
Tickets cost $10 to attend the One Act Readings, $15 for the One Act Productions, and $20 for the Evening with Wendy MacLeod. For those who seek to attend multiple events, a Festival Pass for $35 grants access to all events, and a Writer’s Pass for $90, includes all events and enrollment in a playwriting intensive workshop with Wendy MacLeod. There are also free to the public events: Instaplay, Working Drafts, AfterWords, Panel Discussions, and a PlayFest Workshop.
Details
One-Act Productions: The One-Act Productions are three of the winning scripts being given a full production on stage. They are:
The Tree Frog Does Not Know, by Hewitt Brooks
“Plunge into the vortex of unsolvability!”
Peach Cobbler Justice, by Micheal Cavett
“Just desserts—for everyone!”
Family Style, by Mark Rose
“Big secrets revealed at the Temple of Meat!”
The One-Act Productions are being performed March 3rd and 4th at 7:30pm, March 5th at 1:00pm, March 9th at 7:30pm, March 11th at 3:30pm, and March 12th at 1:30pm. All performances are at the KCPT Playhouse. Tickets cost $15.
One-Act Readings: The One-Act Readings are three of the winning scripts being given staged readings. They are:
Intelligence, by Doug Given
“Cloak and dagger. Cat and mouse. Thingamajig and doohickey.”
R.A.P. Anonymous, by Deborah Wiese
“Three passionate women, one elusive man.”
RED BIKINI RED, by D.D. Wigley
“Mother, father, daughter: love, guilt, and other gifts.”
The One-Act Readings are being performed on March 2nd at 7:30pm at the KCPT Playhouse, and March 10th and March 12th at 1:00pm at the Pope Marine building. Tickets cost $10.
Juan Deere: Featured playwright Wendy MacLeod is workshopping her new full length play. It is performed on March 11th at 7:30pm, with an open rehearsal at 1:00pm, at the KCPT Playhouse. Tickets to the performance are $10, the open rehearsal is free to attend.
An Evening With Wendy MacLeod: A performance of MacLeod’s new full length play, Juan Deere, followed by a reception with the featured playwright. March 10th, 7:30pm, at the KCPT Playhouse. Tickets cost $20.
My Father’s Dragon: Duncan Frost, KCPT mainstay, is workshopping his new theatre-for-young-audiences play. Performances are on March 10th at 11:00am, and March 12th at 3:30pm, and an open rehearsal on March 11th at 1:30pm, all at the Pope Marine building. Tickets to the performances cost $10, the open rehearsals are free to attend.
Kandahar: Jeni Mahoney, PlayFest veteran playwright/director, is workshopping her new full length play. Performances are March 5th at 3:30pm and March 12th at 6:30pm in the KCPT Playhouse. Tickets: $10.
Working Drafts: Local playwrights whose submitted plays to this year’s One-Act for this year’s PlayFest have their works given a cold reading and evaluated by the visiting playwrights. Participating in Working Drafts are Christopher Clow, Joanne Kumekawa, David Langley, and Jack O’Connor. March 11th, 4:00pm, Pope Marine building. Tickets: $10.
Teen Lab Musical: Each year, KCPT works with local teens to engage local youth with theater. This year, Rowan Gallagher’s Sacrificing a Saturday, a musical revue written and performed by local teens, as part of his senior project. Performances are March 4th at 3:30pm, March 5th at 7:30pm, and March 10th at 3:00pm, at the KCPT Playhouse. All performances are free to attend.
Playwriting Workshop: A workshop designed to get everyone writing for the stage, this class, sponsored by the Port Townsend Arts Commission, is relevant for both experienced and novice writers. March 11th, 10:00am, at the Pope Marine building. Free to the public.
Playwriting Intensive Workshop: Come prepared to write and listen to the work of others through exercises designed to inspire new theatrical ideas. Feedback will be focused and intense. March 12th, 9:00am, at the Pope Marine building. $70.
Instaplay: Write a brief play on the spot and see it performed instantaneously. Join the fun as a playwright, actor, or audience member. No experience necessary! March 11th, 8:00pm, at the Pope Marine building. Free to the public.