Diverse, dynamic fare on display in Island Theatre’s Ten-Minute Play Festival

The sixth annual Island Theatre Ten-Minute Play Festival will return to the Bainbridge Performing Arts stage this month bringing with it a colorful cast of characters — a ghost, the goddess of death and deceptively dangerous jellyfish, to name a few — throughout a diverse, dynamic 10-play lineup.

Out of 57 submissions from both experienced and emerging Kitsap County playwrights, the 10 plays selected to be performed by Island Theatre directors and actors were chosen via a blind judging panel (playwrights’ identities were hidden) of three theater professionals.

All 10 plays will be staged during each of the three shows: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, and 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19.

All submitting playwrights were required to either live in or have a strong connection to Kitsap County, managing director Steve Stolee said, and although they were allowed to submit up to three entries, only one play per playwright has been selected for performance.

“The fact that it’s spread out to the rest of the county means a lot to me, and I think to a lot of people,” Stolee said.

“To sort of be able to see this sampling of local talent, both on stage and in the written form, is a benefit and it’s an honor and it’s a testament to the great place we live,” he said.

This year’s featured playwrights include returning five winners from past festivals — Noah Barfield, Paul Lewis, Karen Polinsky, Caroline Smith and Wendy Wallace — plus five newcomers: Jeffrey Brown, Betsy Dorfman, Aleks Merilo, Jenny Weaver and Paige Zubel.

This year’s directors are James E. Anderson III, Pete Benson, Kate Carruthers, Todd Erler, Wilson Milam, Carrie Morgan, Fred Saas and Stolee himself.

Many of this year’s submissions ran the gamut in mood and style, Stolee said, though a large portion of them were somber, which he credits to the goings-on around the country, socially and politically, during the submission process.

The judges then had an unenviable task when it came to whittling down to the cream of the crop, because even the serious stuff was seriously good.

“When you’re selecting this you’re always looking for diversity and something that makes the show complete,” Stolee said.

“In the first flush of things you look at things and you think, ‘Oh, man, all of these are such sad plays!’ But the fact is they really work on another level. They had themes that could be that way, I guess, but when you untangle the thoughts and allow yourself to expand a little bit, you realize there are lots of ways to cut this bagel.”

The tone of direction and the inflection of a performance, Stolee said, can make seemingly stark material more approachable, funny even. And what might otherwise be a casual one-off line might hold great portent when delivered in another way.

It’s part of the joy of creating — and watching — the collaborative art of theater, he said.

“This is one of the great thrills about doing this, for so many writers who are doing this — especially for the first time,” Stolee said. “Even [some] writers who have written plays before, they’ve never seen someone perform them.

“Here’s an opportunity for a writer to work with a director, work with a cast, actually see it mounted on stage, have an audience look at it and comment on it,” Stolee said. “Those are great benefits for a writer.”

And for the audience, it seems. The 10-Minute Play Festival has proven quite popular since it debuted in 2012, often playing to capacity crowds and selling out in advance.

Tickets, $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, students and military and are available through the Bainbridge Performing Arts box office, online at www.BainbridgePerformingArts.org, or by phone at 206-842-8569. If still available, tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Founded in 1994, Island Theatre’s regular schedule includes bi-monthly staged play readings at the Bainbridge Public Library, plus, in intervening months, potluck dinners in privately-hosted homes at which all guests are welcome to join in a selected play reading.

Island Theatre is a nonprofit organization supported through the Bainbridge Community Foundation, One Call for All and audience donations. Visit www.islandtheatre.org to learn more.

The 2017 10-Minute Play Festival lineup

“Bloody Mary”

by Aleks Merilo

Three girls meet in a basement to invoke the ghost of “Bloody Mary.” For two of them, it’s a game. For one, it’s much more real.

“Flight of the Valkyrie”

by Noah Barfield

Dating a workaholic is hard. It’s even harder when she’s the goddess of death!

“Gel Us”

by Paige Zubel

Friends Kathy and Laura discover that running a marathon can be a lot like some relationships: not worth it.

“Jellyfish Apocalypse”

by Karen Polinsky

Jenny and Brook, two kids trapped inside a pressure cooker of adult expectations, are looking for an escape hatch. As the sea temperature rises, jellyfish — apparently delicate, but altogether virulent — threaten to goop up the world.

“Lesson Learned”

by Jenny Weaver

Three couples observe their sons’ post-season Little League tournament game with different expectations.

“Memories of the American occupation”

by Paul Lewis

On a spring day in 1945, a young Ohio wife falls into a reverie in which her G.I. husband returns from the war.

“Moving On”

by Caroline Smith

Annie learns about her cousin Cora’s past when she helps her pack for a move from the house Cora has lived in for 30 years.

“Of a Feather”

by Wendy Wallace

Four very different feathered friends search for connection at the local pond.