Strawberry One-Act Festival

The Strawberry One-Act Festival is the brainchild of Artistic Director Van Dirk Fisher. The event is a play competition in which the audience and the theatre’s judges cast their votes to select the best play of the season. Twice a year, hundreds of plays from across the country are submitted for the competition, of which 40 are chosen to compete. Plays move from the 1st round to the semi-finals and then the finals. The playwright of the winning play receives a grant and the opportunity to have a full-length play developed by the Riant.

SCHEDULE

Series A
Fri, August 6th & Sat, August 7th at 7pm

THE KISSING BOOTH by David Risk
A women uses her job at a County Fair Kissing Booth as a diversion from an inescapable dilemma.

MONKEY RHYTHMS by John Baldi
Three generations of a family deal with their love for each other. When confronted with pain, love deteriorates into bitterness and denial.

VOICE by Andrew Rothkin
A mother’s painful decision to leave her family to save her spirit stirs emotions of betrayal, confusion and longing in her son.

BIRTHDAY RITE by Lawrence F. Schwabacher
A childhood wish comes true for a man upon turning thirty and there’s no turning back.

Series B
Fri, August 6th & Sat, August 7th at 9pm

J & H BODY BEAUTIFUL by Suzanne Mernyk
A delightful comedy about a brother and sister-in-law who discover a mutual interest in each other.

WHEN MEN WERE MEN by Lawrence DuKore
A man looking for a little action at night in Washington Square Park gets a pleasant surprise.

REWIND by Eric Alter
Some of us would do things differently if we could turn back time. One woman entangled in a violent, domestic relationship learns a powerful lesson about love and hate.

LAST DAY by Jesse Schmitt
The night before his wedding day, a groom-to-be decides to celebrate.

Series C
Sun, August 8th & Mon, August 9th at 7pm

A BULLET, A BEAR by Janet Torreano Pound
An Irishman and his African-American cleaning woman find comfort in their friendship, which has endured many hardships over the years.

WHERE THINGS ARE by Steven Schutzman
Some people say that we choose our parents before we’re born. Only if life were that simple and every birth was a cause for a celebration.

THE LORD GIVETH AND TAKETH AWAY by Kate McCamy
What if God were one of us? A woman is confronted by a bum on teh Brooklyn Bridge as she determines her fate.

HUNTERS by Joseph Lizardi
Two best friends on a hunting trip…one for the sport…one for his honor. Winner takes all.

Series D
Sun, August 8th & Mon, August 9th at 9pm

SPIRIT OF THE BLUES by Laura Y. Bowman
A one-woman choreopoem that traces songs from slavery to modern times and connects Blacks to their spirituality and God.

THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW by Sam Sommer
A comedy of sexual confusion. Three men seek the help of psychologist, Dr. Frontenal, giving new meaning to the mystique of the gay, married man.

LITTLE LIGHT by Matthew Keuter
A look at the space between our lives and our deaths. Why we grieve and why we forget.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE by Andrew Biss
Two young urbanites come to discover the joy of nature and togetherness, as well as the thrill of the great outdoors – though not in quite the way they’d anticipated.

Series E
Tues, August 10th & Wed, August 11th at 7pm

BURNT SUGAR CAKE by Edward Musto
Two housewives plot to kill one another. Ain’t love grand?

JINX by Kevin Brewer
Communication is the key to a good relationship. For one man and woman, it became a blessing and a curse.

NICK & AMINA by Rob Sullivan
Just how far is a guy willing to go for a girl he likes? Nick and Amina will find out when a case of mistaken orientation leads to humor and mayhem in this quirky romantic comedy.

ANYTHING BUT BLACK by Fred Rohan Vargas
A trip to the exchange counter in a department store reveals flaws in two best friends’ perception of one another.

Series F
Tues, August 10 & Wed, August 11th at 9pm

CHECK ME OUT by Holly Hunt
A comedy about the pet peeves of dating.

SOUTH BRONX 10345 by Damian Bailey
A comedic satire about 5 teenagers coming of age in one of the worst schools in NYC.

OPEN, CLOSE by Jed Downey
A son struggles to cope with the impending death of his mother.

JIMMY’S CAFE by Jude Albert
A fun loving waitress plays matchmaker with two of her customers and gets a pleasant surprise.

Series G
Thurs, August 12 & Fri, August 13 at 7pm

THE LADY GODIVA OF FLAMINGO LANDING by Marcia Rudin
In the club room of a train headed to Florida, one woman’s infamous past becomes the topic of discussion.

MAKE HER HAPPEN by L.E. McCullough
A waitress at a roadside diner jumps at the opportunity to get discovered and make her dreams come true.

HAUNTED HEART by Alan Lutwin
A grandmother and granddaughter try to resolve long-standing issues and family conflicts.

PRODUCTS OF CONCEPTION by MIchele A. Miller
A young couple’s love for one another is tested as they try to conceive a child.

Series H
Thurs, August 12th & Fri, August 13 at 9pm

CAPSULE by Eric Alter
Two students who are complete opposites are forced to work on a project together. While doing so, they come to realize who the other person is.

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND by John Paul PorterB
Two women make plans to mate the husband of a recently deceased friend.

FILLING SHOES by Arthur W. French, III
A young man gets more than he bargained for after accepting an award for his father at an awards ceremony.

BRIDESMAID NUMBER THREE by Colette Freedman
An embittered bridesmaid bemoans her lost idealism, lamenting with a handsome stranger at the wedding.

Series I
Sat, August 14 & Sun, August 15 at 7pm

WESTERN WATER REVENGE by David Tyson
A knock down commedia-style farce that pays tribute to the old spaghetti western.

DOUBLE EXPOSURE by Michael A. Casano
A son and daughter-in-law’s simple plans to move his parents into a new home accidentally reveal a family secret.

GOLDEN CHALICES by Laura Lewis-Barr
An Enron executive hiding out in a hotel is pursued by his crimes and the budding conscience of his wife.

THE BOY WHO WAS BORN WITH A TAIL by Matt Casarino
A young girl tries to write a fairy tale with a happy ending.

Series J
Sat, August 14 & Sun, August 15 at 9pm

REQUIEM FOR A LIFE by Tony Macy-Perez
A very modern anglicized son, who has been estranged from his traditional old world father, has to spend one night with him when he returns home for his mother’s funeral.

MRS. PALSGRAF’S DREAM TEAM by Henry W. Kimmel
It’s 1923 and Mrs. Helen Palsgraf, a cleaning woman, convinces a lawyer to help her sue the Long Island Rail Road Company.

SEX, LOVE AND THE PREMATURE EVACUATION by Joan Ravenna Sussman
A man and woman meet in a Sex/Fertility clinic in LA.

THE SELFISHES by David Coolidge
Once upon a time…miles below the Earth’s surface…deep in teh ocean, one brave SelFishy stands up to the injustices brought about by the leaders of the “free” sea.

The Semi-Finals are on August 14 & 15 at 3pm & 5pm and August 16 – 19 at 7pm & 9pm. The Wild Night is August 20 at 7pm & 9pm. The finals are on August 21 at 7pm and August 22 at 3pm.