AUBURN - Some longtime actors will be aiming to make this weekend's “Original Short Play Festival” a worthwhile experience.
The Auburn Players Second Stage will perform nine works submitted by city playwrights as well as scripts originating from the minds of Ithaca and Rochester authors starting tonight.
Producer Bourke Kennedy hopes the inaugural weekend will be the first of many.
“There's just so much talent that doesn't have a chance really to get out there and be seen and talked about,” Kennedy said.
A cast of 15 actors, many of them veterans, will work through the 8- to 15-minute vignettes in two acts.
Though many short play festivals thrive in nearby locales like Syracuse, Ithaca and Geneva, Auburn has not hosted one is some time.
“Theater has been alive and well in Auburn, and we have a lot of actors who've been involved for 10 and 15 years,” Kennedy said. “We have a wonderful pool of talent here.
“It's such a nice creative outlet for a lot of people,” she said.
The Second Stage is part of the Auburn Players Community Theater, which is celebrating its 47th year.
The group reviewed about two dozen scripts sent in by playwrights from across the region this summer.
Kennedy said the selections to be performed in two acts will touch on various emotions.
“Each of the plays deals with a human condition: Asking what is it like to be human?” Kennedy said.
Various themes will pepper the performances that should pack some power in the brevity, she said. The short play format is an enjoyable exercise for the authors and players.
“It's a challenge; it's like short story writing in that you have to have a beginning, middle and end in a short period of time, and it has to mean something,” Kennedy said.
“It's a nice challenge for the actors as well, having to develop these characters in such a short period of time,” Kennedy added.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
If you go
What: Auburn Players Second Stage first annual Original Short Play Festival
When: 7:30 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday; Sunday matinee performance at 2 p.m.
Where: Auburn Public Theater, 108 Genesee St.
Cost: $10 general admission; $8 for seniors and students
For details: Call 253-4315
Producer Bourke Kennedy hopes the inaugural weekend will be the first of many.
“There's just so much talent that doesn't have a chance really to get out there and be seen and talked about,” Kennedy said.
A cast of 15 actors, many of them veterans, will work through the 8- to 15-minute vignettes in two acts.
Though many short play festivals thrive in nearby locales like Syracuse, Ithaca and Geneva, Auburn has not hosted one is some time.
“Theater has been alive and well in Auburn, and we have a lot of actors who've been involved for 10 and 15 years,” Kennedy said. “We have a wonderful pool of talent here.
“It's such a nice creative outlet for a lot of people,” she said.
The Second Stage is part of the Auburn Players Community Theater, which is celebrating its 47th year.
The group reviewed about two dozen scripts sent in by playwrights from across the region this summer.
Kennedy said the selections to be performed in two acts will touch on various emotions.
“Each of the plays deals with a human condition: Asking what is it like to be human?” Kennedy said.
Various themes will pepper the performances that should pack some power in the brevity, she said. The short play format is an enjoyable exercise for the authors and players.
“It's a challenge; it's like short story writing in that you have to have a beginning, middle and end in a short period of time, and it has to mean something,” Kennedy said.
“It's a nice challenge for the actors as well, having to develop these characters in such a short period of time,” Kennedy added.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
If you go
What: Auburn Players Second Stage first annual Original Short Play Festival
When: 7:30 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday; Sunday matinee performance at 2 p.m.
Where: Auburn Public Theater, 108 Genesee St.
Cost: $10 general admission; $8 for seniors and students
For details: Call 253-4315
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