By Nicholas Serrata, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Phyllissa McEwen-Griffin and Ben Jaekle (top) in Do I Look Like Your Wife?, Chris Wright (center) in Workshop, and Ashley Hyjek and Coletta Fry (bottom) in The Wake perform in the Festival of Ten.

‘Festival of Ten’ offers it all
Love, art, death, comedy: Everyone will find something to like
By Mike Sullivan
THE STYLUS

The fifth biennial Festival of Ten made its debut on Friday, Feb. 23 on the Tower Fine Arts Mainstage.  The Festival of Ten is a collection of 10, 10-minute plays touching on a wide variety of moods, themes and subject matters.  These 10 plays, which were carefully selected from approximately 394 submissions, feature a cast of 26 actors guided by eight directors and an impressive production crew.

The first play of the Festival of Ten is titled Complexities of Love.  This play is partially a monologue by Maggie, played beautifully by Andrea Macy, and partially a love story between Mark and Anne, played by Matt Miller and Lindsay VanKeuren, respectively.  This piece switches back and forth between Maggie, as she expresses her doubts about love, and Mark, as he persistently woos Anne. Both those who are fortunate and unfortunate in their pursuits of love will be able to relate to this bittersweet story.

The second play of the festival, Foster’s Hat, is set in the living room of Owen (Brian Murray) and his wife, Jillian (Heather Morgan), shortly after they arrive home from the funeral of Owen’s close friend, Foster. Owen, pained by Foster’s death, reminisces about him with Jillian.  The actors skillfully convey the play’s melancholy mood while keeping their sense of humor.

The third play of the night is possibly the funniest tragedy (or perhaps the saddest comedy) ever.  Do I Look Like Your Wife? is set on a burning building as the flames slowly ascend to the roof where the protagonists, played by Phyllissa McEwen-Griffin and Ben Jaekle, are stranded.  Although only 10 minutes long, a combination of masterful writing and acting really develops the characters, and despite an ominous sense of impending doom, this play is a riot.  Besides making you laugh and breaking your heart, it will leave you with a poignant message: It is never too late, and there is no situation too dire to make a connection with someone.

Workshop is a quirky comedy set in a writer’s studio in the year 1600.  It pokes fun at William Shakespeare (Peter Vasquez) and other famous individuals from the era.  The acting was solid and it had some clever jokes.

The Wake, the fifth play, takes place in a funeral parlor as an unnamed husband (Kyle Leonard), is visited by his wife (Coletta Fry) and mistress (Ashley Hyjek) … at the same time.  What makes this play interesting are the bitter exchanges between Fry and Hyjek.  Fry gave one of the most provocative performances in the festival.  Her character is such a witch that watching this play was somewhat of a guilty pleasure.

The Beauty of the World is the sixth play of the festival and one of the slowest.  It is set at the front door of a home in suburbia as a young schoolgirl named Melissa Penfield (Laura Miller) sells her homemade cookies.  Miller is excellent as Melissa, who she portrays as bubbly, sweet and just a bit tragic. Although she really works with and animates her dialogue, it is a bit uninteresting until the end of the play.

Summer of Love is a sweet story of old love rekindled.  Steven (Daryl Acevedo), who has just lost his wife, visits his childhood sweetheart, Tracy (Kelly Hylton), also a widow.  This play was well-acted and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Intensity, the angriest play, was a short and rather vulgar argument between a self-destructive football player named Ismael Smith (Joshua Myers), who can no longer play football due to an injured knee, and Coach Reed (Chase Francis) as he tries to convince Smith to take his studies seriously.  As its title suggests, this play is intense and powerful, and the actors both do an excellent job bellowing their lines at each other.

The Titanic Revisited was another quirky comedy.  It takes place on the sinking Titanic as an upper class English couple (Lauren Miller and Royce Bleier) play cards and are served by their bellman (Kyle Leonard).  This play has some good gags and the actors played their characters well, but it was a bit odd.

Untitled #2 is the 10th and final play of the Festival of Ten.  It is set in an art gallery as Mr. Parker (Clayton Cole) and Mr. Thompson (Matthew Robinson) argue over the meaning of a painting by Tornay (Mike Wild).  This play begins slowly but becomes one of the funniest as these proper art critics furiously berate and argue with one another.  Those interested in art and/or politics will particularly enjoy this one.

Overall, the Festival of Ten is a terrific gathering of well-produced, well-acted plays. Because it is a collection, it appeals to many different people, so just about everyone will find at least one play they like. Even the stage crew entertains. 

Performances will run Thursday through Saturday, March 1 to 3, at 7:30 p.m. on the Tower Mainstage. Call (585) 395-ARTS to reach the Fine Arts Box Office for tickets.