BTMXXII: Special Zoom Edition schedule of plays
Boston Theater Marathon XXII: Special Zoom Edition features readings of ten-minute plays by New England playwrights in collaboration with New England theatres, via the video conferencing tool Zoom. Audiences are encouraged to lend their support to area theatre companies and to the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund, which provides financial support to theatres and theatre artists in times of need.
Readings begin on April 2 at 12 noon EDT, and will happen daily through May 17! To join, click on the link below from your computer, phone, or other device. You’ll need the Zoom app to participate (it’s free!), and it is recommended you call in a few minutes before “curtain” time.
The cast list for each day’s reading will be available on www.BostonPlaywrights.org; theatre links can also be found there and via the Zoom interface itself.
PLEASE VISIT www.BostonPlaywrights.org TO JOIN.
April 2
Three Ladybugs by Vicki Meagher
Sponsored by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
Directed by Darren Evans
Atheist Ladybug: Melinda Lopez
Believer Ladybug: Karen MacDonald
Agnostic Ladybug: Paula Plum
Voice of Woman: Kate Snodgrass
Voice of Man: Darren Evans
Stage Directions: K. Alexa Mavromatis
Three ladybugs—a Believer, an Agnostic, and an Atheist, ponder the existence of other species. Two humans, a man and woman (not seen), ponder the existence of God. But don’t kill that ladybug—it’s bad luck! Or is it?
—and—
Don’t Be a Scrooge by James C. Ferguson
Sponsored by Moonbox Productions
Directed by Andrew Child
Featuring Karina Wen, Sara Kenney, Alyssa Germaine, Liz Eacmen, Gavin Damore, and Michael Eckenreiter
Everyone knows the events of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol. But do you know what happened after…?
April 3
Sked Du Al by Ronán Noone
Sponsored by Northeastern University Dept. of Theatre
Directed by Jonathan Carr
Benny: Carla J. McDonough
Don: Peri Griffiths
Stage Directions: Samantha Richert
Interrogation. Repeat after me. (Learn English, why don’t you?)
April 4
Dinosaur Woman by Marisa Smith
Sponsored by Sleeping Weazel
Directed by Jessica Ernst
Featuring Veronica Wiseman
Clarissa, a woman of a certain age, escapes a boring cocktail party to reflect on modern life and finds the courage to go back to the party.
April 5
Random Access Memory by Erin Lerch
Sponsored by Flat Earth Theatre
Directed by Lindsay Eagle and Elizabeth Yvette Ramirez
Captain Ganymede Dawes: Lindsay Eagle
MALLARD: Elizabeth Yvette Ramirez
Stage Directions: Ames Lehrmitt
Sound Design and Execution: Kyle Lampe
When a virus tears apart the AI mind of Ganymede Dawes’ spaceship, she restores the AI from backup. The only problem? That backup is 14 years out of date, fresh out of the box, and Ganymede doesn’t exactly abide by galactic law.
April 6
Glissade by Richard Ballon
Sponsored by Hub Theatre Company of Boston
Directed by Lauren Elias
Barbara: Maureen Keiller
Meredith: Karen MacDonald
Stage Directions: Lauren Elias
Meredith’s daughter is offered a starring role in a ballet production but with certain stipulations which could endanger her health whether she is allowed to dance the role or not. Sometimes Moms don’t know everything.
April 7
A Call to Mom by Taylor Badoyen
Sponsored by Playwrights’ Platform
Directed by Katie Suchyta
Jo: Adjovi A. Koene
Bella: Tiffany Santiago
Stage Directions: Katie Suchyta
College student Bella, receives a phone call that throws her into a state of panic: a young girl being kidnapped. The call is cut off, and Bella is left confused and in distress. Sometimes a girl just needs her mother.
April 8
Unapologetic by Andrea Aptecker
Sponsored by Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Directed by Courtney O’Connor
Brynn: Kat Murphy O’Connor
Marian: Katherine C. Shaver
Stage directions: Matt Chapuran
When Brynn, an expert on food and French culture, tastes Marian’s homemade chocolate mousse, her critique leads to an unexpected outcome, and a valuable lesson—it’s always better to be…Unapologetic!
April 9
Turbulence by Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro
Sponsored by Umbrella Stage Company/Umbrella Performing Arts
Directed by Danny Gidron
Featuring Bobbie Steinbach
Stage Directions: Michelle Aguillon
A businessman’s wife wonders what awaits her and her husband at the end of a bumpy international flight—the Russian mafia or the F.B.I?
April 10
The Right Moment by Matt Mayerchak
Sponsored by Cohasset Dramatic Club
Directed by Lisa Pratt
Stage Directions: Logan Pratt
Jimmy: Danny Bolton
Sharon: Maryann Zschau
Tom: Steve Bergman
A middle-aged woman receives a surprise visit from an old friend who invites her to reconsider her life choices.
April 11
Third Party by Nancy Peavy
Sponsored by Hovey Players
Directed by Michelle Aguillon
Featuring Craig Ciampa, Christine Connor, and David Berti
Stage Directions: Michelle Aguillon
A canvassing politician learns the price of a vote may be very steep indeed when he visits the home of a couple with peculiar political leanings.
April 12
The Textbook Lady by Nina Louise Morrison
Sponsored by Suffolk University Theater Dept.
Directed by Ingrid Oslund
Camile: Sara Kerr
Penny: Katti Mayk
Textbook Lady: Cara Rittner
When Penny catches Camile checking out another woman again will it be the last straw, the first step, or something else entirely? A dark comedy about love, grief, letting go, and finding what you’re looking for.
April 13
Millstone by Peter Kimball
Sponsored by Greater Boston Stage Company
Directed by Weylin Symes
Dr. Prince: Ilyse Robbins
Julia: Lisa Joyce
Mike: John Manning, Jr.
After having tragically lost a child, a married couple seeks out a new, experimental therapy. Their grief is consuming them, destroying their marriage, and driving a wedge between them and the rest of society. They have found the only therapist who might be able to help them—but his process could be worse than anyone imagined.
April 14
Scattered by Lisa Deily
Sponsored by The Front Porch Arts Collective
Directed by Rosalind Bevan
Chrissy: Elle Borders
Diane: Shannon Lamb
Stage Directions: Rosalind Bevan
Two sisters confront the truth about their mother and their past.
April 15
Glenda Jackson in a Bodega (I am Not) by R. D. Murphy
Sponsored by Actors’ Shakespeare Project
Directed by Sarah Newhouse
Michael Errington: John Davin
Deirdre Lamont: Elle Borders
Stage Directions: Sarah Newhouse
Crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow! Glenda Jackson’s in town and she wants to buy a lottery ticket at the local bodega. (Or does she?) Who battles ’gainst a head so old and white as this?
April 16
The Unbearable Lightness of Greening by Nina Mansfield
Sponsored by Titanic Theatre Co.
Directed by Alisha Jansky
Jane: Shelley Brown
Bob: Phil Thompson
Stage Directions: David Hansen
Bob left his wife Jane for a houseplant, and now he wants her to open an online dating account like him.
April 17
The Rental by Tim Lehnert
Sponsored by Forge Theater Company
Directed by Michael Towers
Steve: Zack Dictakis
Daphne: Maia Cataldo
Tyler: Nick Nudler
Kelly: Kirsten Peacock
James: Sam Nudler
Kevin: Anthony Giovino
Stage Directions: Michael Towers
A vacation house is mistakenly rented to two diametrically opposed couples for the same week. One couple uses their theater training to make the best of the circumstances, but the situation keeps degenerating. And degenerating.
April 18
The Handle by Scott Sullivan
Sponsored by The Actors Studio of Newburyport
Produced by Marc Clopton
Directed by Sherry Bonder
Anton: Peter Leonard Solis
Danny: Guthrie Scrimgeour
Stage Directions: Sherry Bonder
It’s a pickup basketball game in Somerville, MA, Danny, who has been searching for his father’s killer for seven years, suddenly accosts the unwitting Anton. Did Anton have a role in the dad’s death? And if so, what would retribution look like?
April 19
The Bull by Greg Hovanesian
Sponsored by Target Stage/Stonehill Theatre Company
Directed by Matt Greene
Man: Nick Wakely
Woman: Gabrielle Fernandes
A man sees a deer in his garden: a buck, a large male. A woman sits nearby, reading the news, trying to make sense of a world gone mad. What do they both see when they look? They may be miles apart, despite their sharing of a home.
April 20
Interventions by Greg Lam
Sponsored by Liars and Believers
Directed by Lindsay Eagle
Ariel: Meredith Saran
Lil: Rebecca Lehrhoff
Cassandra/Caitlin/Katie: Rachel Wiese
Stage Directions: Lindsay Eagle
A couple’s special plans on a camping trip is interrupted by a succession of time travelers desperate to prevent catastrophe in the future.
April 21
The Vampyr by James Wilkinson
Sponsored by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
Directed by Victoria Townsend
Jolene: Jasper Bliss
Clarice: Karen Shantz
Man/Traveler: Josh Telepman
Stage Directions: Victoria Townsend
Hotel maid Jolene’s shift ended hours ago, but she’s still hanging around the front desk, much to the chagrin of Clarice, the front desk clerk. Mysterious comings and goings in the middle of the night, and…Is there a vampire on the third floor? Let’s see!
April 22
Cain by Alan Brody
Sponsored by Underground Railway at Central Square Theater
Directed by Adam Zahler
Abel: Daniel Rios
Cain: Adrian Peguero
Stage Directions: Catherine Giorgetti
A modern-day, gritty look at two brothers who have a bone to pick with each other, and maybe even with God himself. An existential question at the heart of it all.
April 23
Misplaced by Cassie M. Seinuk
Sponsored by Wellesley Repertory Theatre
Directed by Nora Hussey
Abe: Michael Underhill
Jane: Ariela Nazar-Rosen
Jane has just had a miscarriage, and the grief and heartbreak drives her to find her first-ever heartbreaker, her sixth-grade boyfriend Abe. Abe feels completely unconnected, but Jane holds her knowledge of his whereabouts over his head. Will he participate in her deep need to know “why”?
April 24
Strained Bedfellows by Terrence Kidd
Sponsored by American Repertory Theater
Directed by Christine Noah
Chancellor: Letta Neely
Senator: Kevin Craig West
The Chancellor of a Historically Black College is confronted by an old colleague, her Republican Senator, who is offering more federal funding in exchange for an on-campus appearance of a divisive Republican president.
April 25
Circles by Amy Oestreicher
Sponsored by Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Directed by Andrea Southwick
Ruth: Kate Fitzgerald
Mom: Madison LeBlanc
Music Director: Bethany Aiken
Assistant Director: Lucy Austin
The musical explores the physical and emotional repairs that accompany the path to recovery from sexual abuse by a trusted mentor.
April 26
Common App by Martha Douglas-Osmundson
Sponsored by ImprovBoston
Directed by Mike Carr
Renee: Julianne Snyder
Bella: Kayleigh Kane
A middle-aged woman helps her ex-boyfriend’s daughter with her college application “Common App” and learns how much she means to the girl. Sometimes who we are speaks volumes.
April 27
Deep Blue by Alex Moon
Sponsored by SpeakEasy Stage Company
Directed by Shira Gitlin
Corey: Dev Blair
Nadia: Christina Mei Chen
P.A. Voice: Julia Labuski
Stage Directions: Shira Gitlin
A ten-minute play set in the Monterey Bay Aquarium about the struggles of gender dysphoria and breaking the M/F binary. Having just been proposed to, Corey seeks shelter in the hypnotic calm of the Open Ocean exhibit, but even there he cannot avoid coming to terms with his own sense of self, and what that means for the loved ones in his life.
April 28
Ships in the Night by Kayce Kvacek
Sponsored by Boston University School of Theatre
Directed by Erica Terpening-Romeo
Mykie: Kayce Kvacek
Alex: McKayla Witt
Stage Directions: Erica Terpening-Romeo
Two young kids meet over walkie-talkie while on a cruise. Bored and alone, the kids find out they have more in common than they thought and attempt to find each other on the boat.
April 29
With Intent by Stephen Wrobleski
Sponsored by Fresh Ink Theatre
Directed by Francis Xavier Norton
Sara: Sarah Gazdowicz
Phil: Bob Mussett
Grant: Drew Cleveland
Monique: Regine Vital
Stage Directions: Francis Xavier Norton
A couple discovers in the most unusual way that they have fallen in love. Based on a true story of a couple who realize they have feelings through the strangest of actions.
April 30
A Few Adjustments by Scott Malia
Sponsored by Fort Point Theatre Channel
Directed by Christine Noah
Actress: Krystal Hernandez
Director: Tim Hoover
A young actress auditions for a temperamental director. Can she keep up with all the adjustments he asks her to make to her performance? Will he make any himself?
May 1
Migraine by Cliff Odle
Sponsored by Gloucester Stage Company
Directed by Robert Walsh
Gabe: Steven Barkhimer
Joan: Melinda Lopez
Minding your own business at a bus stop can be dangerous—especially if you’ve just seen a robbery. Be careful who’s riding with you.
May 2
Lo-Fi by Caity-Shea Violette*
Sponsored by Boston College
Directed by Patricia Riggin
Jamie: Noelle Scarlett
Charlie: David Makransky
Voiceover of Man: George Cooke
Stage Directions: Alexandra Lewis
Sound: George Cooke
Following their sex therapist’s advice, Jamie and Charlie try desperately to set the mood and practice staying mentally present during physical connection in light of previous trauma.
*Content warning: Sexual trauma aftermath.
May 3
Pearly Gates by Jack Neary
Sponsored by Acting Out Productions
Produced by John and Deirdre Budzyna
Directed by Jack Neary
Bethel: Bobbie Steinbach
Clarice: Ellen Colton
Olivia: Paula Plum
Malcolm: Jack Neary
The inimitable Clarice and Bethel make a wrong turn and end up in “Continuation” (Heaven) and have to audition to stay. But rival Olivia seems to have the inside track with the Director. Uh-oh.
May 4
The Lady Killer by Erik Nikander
Sponsored by Brandeis University Department of Theatre Arts
Directed by Alex Jacobs
Katrina: Haia Bchiri
Zoe: Rachel Greene
Zoe and Kenneth are on a blind date, and it is not going well. As the two struggle to make it through the excruciatingly dull dinner, Zoe decides to reveal a killer secret that’s sure to liven things up—but will it bring them closer together or end their relationship before it begins?
May 5
Warm Running Water by Janet Kenney
Sponsored by Firehouse Center for the Arts
Directed by Dan Beaulieu
Graziella: Paulina Tobar
Mister John: John McCluggage
Stage Directions: Dan Beaulieu
Props and Environment Design Artist: Dan Beaulieu
Environment Creation Artist: Christine Penney
Mister John is crankier than usual when he receives his weekly visit from his Personal Care Assistant Graziella. She quickly finds out that his precious daughter has stopped speaking to him. There’s a limit to what she can do to help, but she’s maybe the only person who can.
May 6
Downgrade by Eliana Pipes
Sponsored by Huntington Theatre Company
Directed by Caley Chase
Jamie: Rachel Cognata
Cee: Anna Bortnick
Stage Directions: Caley Chase
Julius has a very close relationship with Cee—she’s bubbly, she’s captivating, and she’s also his cellphone. When Julius decides to go off the grid for good, Cee fights for her life in a spirited tug of war that illuminates the complex and sometimes painful role that technology plays in our lives.
May 7
The Stakeout by K. Alexa Mavromatis
Sponsored by Emerson Stage
Directed by Annie G. Levy
Marti: Samara Chahine
Beth: Marlee Mesarchik
Stage Directions: Meghan Dresdner
Stage Manager and Production Designer: Robert Cott
Two teenage girls watch every move inside a large house from their post on the sidewalk. For one, it’s a chance to emulate her TV heroes; for the other, an opportunity to glimpse the father she’s never known.
May 8
Are You One of Those Robots? by Deirdre Girard
Sponsored by Open Theatre Project
Directed by Tom Grenon
Ruth: Karen Dervin
Anne: Olivia Dumaine
Voice 1: Dustin Bell
Voice 2: Sarah Jacobs
Tele-Nurse Ruth is worn out by life, responding by rote to the sometimes-desperate callers who need her medical advice, until one call pushes her out of her indifference and into a world she never thought she’d embrace.
May 9
Number 794 by Jayne Hannah
Sponsored by The Wilbury Theatre Group
Directed by Davis Alianiello
Bette: Carol Drewes
Tilly: Clare Blackmer
Jimmy: Brien Lang
Set in a living room in Dorchester, MA, two close friends, Bette and Tilly, who watch detectives dig up their neighbor’s yard. The rumor is that dead bodies have been found, and this is pretty exciting, especially when Jimmy, Bette’s deadbeat son, finds something else hidden in their garage.
May 10
Choices by James McLindon
Sponsored by Pilgrim Theatre
Directed by Kim Mancuso
Prospective Client: Zoë Mancuso
Debt Counselor: Kermit Dunkelberg
Associate artist: Susan Thompson
A debtor burdened by crushing student loans is offered a way out…but is the deal too good to be true? A funny and serious look at debt.
May 11
Just Listen by Ken Green
Sponsored by New Repertory Theatre
Directed by Michael Bobbitt
Regina: Lyndsay Allen Cox
Sarah: Sarah Morrisette
Gene: Rashed Alnuaimi
Damon: Marc Pierre
Production Manager: Hannah Huling
During a lunch break at a big city marketing firm, two co-workers share differing opinions on what is considered racist/racism. Their difference of opinion on what constitutes a racial insult grows into a bigger discussion on the role of an ally and how best to support someone in a social crisis, whether it’s racism or the Me Too movement.
May 12
The Dobler Effect by John Minigan
Sponsored by Centastage
Directed by Joe Antoun
Lionel: Richard Snee
Didi: Kathleen Monteleone
Sound Consultant: Robert Cott
On an early morning at his retirement home, Lionel tries a grand Say Anything gesture to get the attention of attractive new resident Winnie. But Didi brings him back to reality and a more reasonable chance for love.
May 13
Santa’s Dolphins by Patrick Gabridge
Sponsored by Wheelock Family Theatre
Directed by Emily Ranii
Blixen: Nael Nacer
Prancer: Lyndsay Allyn Cox
Spouty: Becca Lewis
Leaper: Jacob Athyal
Sound Design: Nick Vargas
Lolling on the beach before Christmas, Blixen and Prancer reminisce about the snow—which has gone the way of climate change. Now that Santa is using dolphins to pull his “boat,” what’s a reindeer to do? Fall in love, that’s what. An ungulate and a mahi-mahi are strange bedfellows, so…What will Santa say?
May 14
Black Jesus by Fabiola R. Decius
Sponsored by Company One Theatre
Directed by Elena Morris
Wayne: Hubens ‘Bobby’ Cius
Jesus: Brandon G. Green
Angel: Rachel Cognata
Stage Directions: Elena Morris
Wayne, a troubled teen, has a surprise encounter with “Black Jesus” at the gates of heaven which will have long-lasting effects on the course of his life. Sweet and funny.
May 15
Room 221 by Michael Towers*
Sponsored by Forge Theater Company
Directed by Michael Towers
Mr. Becker: Robert D. Murphy
Kyle: Conor Bellone
Lizzie: Elle Whitehead
Student A: Thomas Sanders
Student B: Lucy Xiao
Student C: Caroline Burke
Student D: Olivia Dunn
Student E: Dustin Waterhouse
Student F: Sami Killian
Student G: Jaramie Cataldo
Student H: Eva Plankey
Student J: Alex Ross
Assistant Director: Kyla Schultz
Stage Manager (Stage Directions): Emily Blagg
Original Music Composition: Alex Franklin
Mr. Becker employs a variety of strategies to prepare his Physics students for an upcoming exam on Force and Stress but no amount of preparation could prepare them for this test.
*Content warning: Possible school shooting.
May 16
The Wheelbarrow by Ron Radice
Sponsored by imaginary beasts
Co-Produced by Laura Detwiler
Directed by Matthew Woods
Albert: Bob Mussett
Bernice: Kiki Samko
Christine: Amy Meyer
Shadow Puppetry: Rebecca Lehrhoff
A father and his daughter wheel grandmother in a wheelbarrow deep into a forest in southern USA. Are they on a picnic, or is this something darker? Darker, maybe, but also expected (and necessary for the future). A play about how we teach our children.
May 17
12 Days by John Kuntz
Sponsored by Acropolis Stage Company
Directed by Evan Turissini
Featuring Adrian Peguero
A meeting at a poetry slam seems harmless enough until Christmas rolls around. From pears and birds to maids and pipers, maybe true love is possible after all.