Theatre Arts Guild’s (TAG) mini festival this weekend, Playwrights@TAG Festival, showcases a mixed bag of short plays, making use of a “waste not, want not” philosophy. Organizers Nick Jupp and Angela Butler, both TAG members, had noticed a surplus of scripts from aspiring playwrights and members of the guild, but a lack of stage time to accommodate them.
“We were trying to figure out how can we come up with an idea to accommodate these members,” says Jupp. “We picked four short plays out of 15 entries. It’s non-competitive, non-threatening, there’s no adjudication and no prizes. We’re just running them for fun.”
Jupp says the plays are “all different and distinct.” Brain Teaser by Mary Wood is an amusing monologue about failing brain functions; Down for the Count by James Boyer takes a look at how friendships change as we age, Department of Common Sense by Ryan van Horne lampoons bureaucracy and Compassion by Dean Taylor examines how we interact with one another.
The works are short, sweet and simple. “We had to consider practical reasons when we chose them, I mean if you’ve got to bring Ben-Hur’s chariot and 16 horses it’s not going to happen.” Don’t let the lack of horses keep you away, take in a bit of theatre Friday, March 8, Saturday, March 9, 8pm, Pond Playhouse, 6 Parkhill Road ($13 at Ticket Atlantic outlets).
