Written by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Cheryl L. Davis, ML Kinney, Bethany Larsen, Riv Massey, Andy Snyder
Directed by Seth Gamble, Bethany Larsen, Riv Massey, Bobbi Masters, Ryan Ratelle, Kimberly VerSteeg

Set Design by Ann Bartek • Lighting Design by Wilburn Bonnell • Costume Design by Meredith Neal

This year, we looked to Galileo to inspire and inform our ten-minute play fest, and decided that science was our theme, and historical eras would be our scope. The six ten-minute plays explore issues relevant to all of us today: work and family, love and friendship, change and choices.

Each of our playwrights was assigned an era of science (the Atomic Age, the Dark Ages, etc.) and asked to write a ten-minute play. The results are funny, intelligent, and just a little bit dark. From an egomaniacal (and frustratingly slow moving) Archimedes to a couple picking out their genetically perfect baby, we've created a intriguing panorama of science, and it's ethical uncertanties, through time.

The Sense of Genius by Cheryl L. Davis • Riv Massey, dir
Featuring Craig Klein, Dan Evers, and Amy Windle
The Sense of Genius looks at the disconnect between genius and the everyday. The same gifts that enabled the scientist Archimedes to change his world also made him unable to live in it.

"There is a certain borscht-belt humor to the interplay between these two characters." (NYTheatre.com)

Gertrude & Alyce Will Serve Ye Soone by Bethany Larsen • Ryan Ratelle, dir
Featuring Sarah Herklots and Cynthia Rice
Alyce annoys Gertrude. Gertrude bosses Alyce around. Working girls have never had it easy -- especially not in (or at) Medieval Times ...

"Herklots and Cynthia Rice (as Gertrude) have a strong rapport and good comic energy." (NYTheatre.com)

Newton's Genesis by ML Kinney
Bobbi Masters, dir

Featuring: Meg Mark, J.J. von Mehren, and Nicholas Wilder

Word play in the Garden of Eden.

"Newton's Genesis by ML Kinney is the crown jewel of the evening....Kinney and her director Bobbi Master have crafted an extremely funny piece that is also thought-provoking." (NYTheatre.com)

Unraveled by Riv Massey • Bethany Larsen, dir
Featuring: Craig Klein, Misty Coy, Dan Evers, and Susan Levin
A family torn apart by the new machine operated looms. Is it better to stay in the past or take the sometimes violent steps that lead to the future?

"Unraveled, representing the Industrial Revolution, is an extremely ambitious piece....Keep an eye on Levin as she slyly moves her character from the play's antagonist to its heart." (NYTheatre.com)

Drill by Andy Snyder • Kimberly VerSteeg, dir
Featuring Matthew Campbell, Matthew Minor, and Miriam Mintz
It's 1953. Fear and suspicion come between three sixth-grade classmates when an air raid siren interrupts their school day and forces them to face the real enemy threatening their safety.

"Their sharp satirical dialogue is achingly funny and pokes holes in la bete noir of the time. The writer, cast, and director Kimberly VerSteeg make sure the laughs are deep and plentiful." (NYTheatre.com)

Greener Grass by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
Seth Gamble, dir

Featuring Mary Cavett and Aryeh Lappin

Free will versus Fate. It's a debate as old as time and one that seems to repeat itself with more and more frequency as we discover new ways in which to control our biology.

"Cavett does well as a woman who wants to conform perfectly to society and has trouble doing so." (NYTheatre.com)