Don't Blink Short Play Festival
WHEN: Tonight through March 6. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Pay-What-You-Will Sunday, Feb. 6; talkback Sunday Feb. 13
WHERE: The Vortex Theatre, 2004 1/2 E. Central
HOW MUCH: Tickets $15; for reservations call 247-8600
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Friday, February 04, 2011
Vortex spins out 8 new plays
By Aurelio Sanchez
Journal Staff Writer
Bob and Betty had settled in for a nice quiet evening at home until it appeared some unexpected guests would drop in, uninvited, from a parallel universe.
Bob had just been astounded after reading a book on the existence of a parallel universe, and is trying, unsuccessfully, to impart the ramifications to Betty.
"What it is, Betty ... is a separate, entirely self-contained universe that coexists on the same parallel as our very own," he says. "Coexists, Betty. Just think about that."
"The Skewed Picture," by Andrew Biss, will be among eight 10-minute short plays in the Don't Blink International Show Festival being produced by The Vortex "to foster and showcase new works by playwrights."
Eight new plays, chosen from more than 200 submitted nationally, will be staged by New Mexico directors in full productions.
The festival opens tonight and continues until March 6.
Playwright Andrew Biss of Philadelphia said he was thrilled that his play was picked among the eight produced during the festival.
Biss, who also writes full-length plays, said the toughest thing about writing a short play is compressing an entire story with beginning, middle and ending in such a short space.
"The good thing for the audience is that they're not crazy about one particular play, another one is coming up in 10 minutes," he said in a phone interview.
The winning play will be selected by audience votes and receive a $250 cash prize.
In addition to "The Skewed Picture," other works and playwrights featured during the festival include: "No Sugar," by Philip Hall of Longboat Key, Fla.; "Birthday Escape," by Dale Griffiths-Stamos of Venice, Calif.; "Misfortune," by Mark Levine of Pasadena, Calif.; "That Which Doesn't Kill Us," by James McLindon of Northhampton, Mass.; "Out From Under With Mary," by Chris Swanson of Westerville, Ohio.; "Remembering Peter Christopher," by John A. Donnelly of Portland, Ore.; and "Triple Sec," by Jack Rushton of Newbury, Mass.
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