Arts & Entertainment
A Short Festival to Close out the Season
The Driftwood Players end their Alternative Stage Season with the second annual Festival of Shorts.
Join and a panel of local theater celebrities this weekend for the 2nd annual Festival of Shorts, serving as the season finale to the Alternate Stage season at Wade James Theatre.
Friday and Saturday night only, a lineup of seven playwright finalists will present their 15-minute works before the judges, who will vote on Saturday night, choosing their top two favorites. The audience will also get a chance to participate, voting on their favorite work each night.
“We have been doing this program called Alternate Stages for nine years now,” explained Box Office Manager Keith A. Gehrig. “It provides an opportunity to present shows that wouldn’t fit into the regular season.”
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Out of that programming came some adult education opportunities including play-writing workshops. In turn, the theatre staff started embracing more original and local work.
“We started looking at our shows and said maybe we should think about a one-act festival,” Gehrig recalled. “We got some positive feedback and then last year had the inaugural festival.”
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Starting from the submission process, there is a competitive edge. “To make sure that no one could accuse us of favorites, we do a totally blind reading,” said Gehrig. This year they started out with 30 submissions and a group of local theatre veterans who read them, pick their favorites, then get together to “duke it out” and decide on which submissions make the final cut. Seven finalists from around the country, two of which are from Washington, will be showcasing their work this weekend.
This year’s judges includes Elena Hartwell, a local playwright who lives in Newcastle, Dale Burrows, theatre critic for The Everett Herald, and director Eric Lewis, who has done work at the Wade James Theatre.
“What I love about it is the fact that it’s bringing all these different communities together,” Gehrig reflected. “It is so exciting. You’re going to see seven shows that you will never see all together again…it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Tickets for the Festival of Shorts are $12, and are available by calling the Driftwood Players box office at 425.774.9600. For a complete list of playwrights visit the Driftwood Players website. Due to mature themes, Gehrig suggests that the show is appropriate for those 16 and up.