BTMXXIII: Special Zoom Edition schedule of plays

BTMXXIII

Boston Theater Marathon XXIII: 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. BTM XXIII is a free event; 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.

This annual event will take place as a Zoom-based “lunch break” beginning Thursday, April 1 and continuing each day (with the exception of Sundays) through May 28. Readings will start at 12 noon ET, and each play will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience. 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.

Please visit www.BostonPlaywrights.org for additional information and to join the Zoom.

We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers’ Unions:

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION

AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS

AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS

SAG-AFTRA

through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on this program.

April 1
Okay by Laurie Lee
Sponsored by Boston University School of Theatre
Directed by Shamus McCarty

Featuring Grace Goble, Emma Laird, Naomi Li, and Sarah Shin

Ora, Kala, Aurora, and Yonder join a walk-in Zoom meeting to find comfort in new strangers during a pandemic, but are drastically hindered from openly communicating with one another when past estrangements come into contact with a blooming friendship.

April 2
A Nasty Piece of Work by Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro
Sponsored by Asian American Playwright Collective
Directed by Daniel Gidron

Featuring Emily Kuroda

A bitter actress rants about her terrible co-star, revealing more about herself than anything else.

April 3
The Ark is a Metaphor by Andrea Fleck Clardy
Sponsored by Cohasset Dramatic Club
Directed by Lisa Pratt

Featuring Madison Pratt and Aisling Sheahan

Two women argue about the meaning of bad weather, as a violent storm comes closer and closer.

April 5
The Grand Reality by Jeanne Beckwith
Sponsored by Liars & Believers
Directed by Jesse Garlick

Featuring Aislinn Brophy, Rosie McInnes, and Mohammad Shehata

When two strange faces show up on her laptop screen, Abby learns that every choice matters. Every decision counts. The fate of the whole universe is at stake.

April 6
First Date, QT Style by Donna Sorbello
Sponsored by The Wilbury Group
Directed by Davis Alianiello

Featuring Dave Rabinow and Donna Sorbello

A comic piece about middle age online dating that doesn’t go where you think it will.

April 7
This is Not America by David Valdes
Sponsored by Huntington Theatre Company
Directed by Regine Vital

Featuring Diego Arciniegas, Marianna Bassham, Michael John Ciszewski, and Michael Underhill

Former strangers, now comrades, meet up at a D.C. liquor store to stock up and celebrate their victory at the Capitol on January 6.

April 8
Teeter by Elijah Vazquez
Sponsored by Playwrights’ Platform
Directed by Olivia Dumaine

Featuring Gina Fonseca and Nate Stephenson

Normal. What truly is it? Two friends ride a see-saw in an abandoned park in the future, trying to find a connection in a world of forced isolation.

April 9
North Pole Noir by Patrick Gabridge
Sponsored by Acropolis Stage Company
Directed by Evan Turissini

Featuring Josephine Moshiri Elwood, Luz Lopez, Ashley Risteen, Stewart Evan Smith, Jon Vellante

A dark look at the underside of the North Pole, as detective Harvey the Elf tries to solve the murder of Frosty the Snowman. Professor Hinkle claims he was framed, but what sorts of tundra games are these folks playing. A noir tale from the land of perpetual midnight.

April 10
Special Guest Saturday: TCBF’s Bob Murphy

Pole Position by Michael Towers
Sponsored by Forge Theatre Company
Directed by Michael Towers

Featuring Caroline Burke and Zack Dictakis

Deidre’s Statistics teacher, Mr. Johnson, asks to see her after class with the intention of discussing her slipping work but the outcome of their conversation begs the question of exactly ‘who’s in the driver’s seat?’

April 12
The Come Up by Miranda Austen ADEkoje
Sponsored by Front Porch Arts Collective
Directed by Elizabeth Yvette Ramirez

Featuring Lyndsay Allyn Cox and Amanda Figueroa

An actress and social media influencer clashes with her agent when she wants to move in a new direction.

April 13
Mother Goose’s Grave by Amy Bennett-Zendzian
Sponsored by Greater Boston Stage Company
Directed by Ilyse Robbins

Featuring Elizabeth Daly, Melydia McCall, Bryan Miner, and Sarah Newhouse

Mary tries to raise Mother Goose from the grave to help her with her history homework, but raises the genteel Mrs. Ball instead. Mrs. Ball wants Mary to raise her husband, but instead, they both must face the Great Molasses Flood victims that Mary accidentally raised as well.

April 14
A Requiem for a Drink by Cliff Odle
Sponsored by Gloucester Stage Company
Directed by Cheryl D. Singleton

Featuring Cloteal Horne and Kira Troilo

Two sisters, a performing duo, catch up on Zoom and discuss how—and if—to move forward with their careers and lives.

April 15
One Cream, One Sugar by Sadie Green
Sponsored by Boston College Theatre Department
Directed by Patricia Riggin

Featuring Deborah Aboaba and Noelle Scarlett

Sparks fly between two friends on the rooftop of a New York City apartment building on New Year’s Eve as they finally speak what’s on their minds.

April 16
Because You’re Julia by Deirdre Girard
Sponsored by Suffolk University Theatre Department
Directed by Adriana Alvarez

Featuring Courtney Bouchard, Alice Byrne, and Justin Peavey

Julia is beautiful, calm, and always in control—the perfect mentor for younger actor Amelia who needs Julia’s advice just to get through the day. Then the mysterious delivery of a dozen red roses to their dressing room sends Julia into a tailspin until she realizes that her and Amelia’s safety depends on her finding the strength to confront her fear.

April 17
Special Guest Saturday: Teatro Chelsea Program Director Armando Rivera

Virgin by William Orem
Sponsored by Pilgrim Theatre
Directed by Kim Mancuso

Featuring Zoe Mancuso and Enrico Micali

A young woman’s mystical visions prevent her from leading the life she desires.

April 19
On Lock by Thomas Sanders
Sponsored by Entropy Theatre
Directed by Amanda Giglio

Featuring Koda Mehalba and Tori Skoniecki

Two high school students at a house party, both in difficult situations, discover that they may be able to help one another in an unexpected way.

April 20
Out Damn Spot by Nina Mansfield
Sponsored by Hub Theatre Company of Boston
Directed by Cassie Chapados

Featuring Lauren Elias and Jamie Hernandez

Mac has inexplicably only brought one good shirt to a business conference, and of course it got stained. Emma, his wife, wishes he just used the stain stick she packed for him. How else is he going to cozy up with Mr. Duncan to make sure the merger doesn’t go through? Not by spilling wine all over his shirt. Or maybe it isn’t wine. Out Damn Spot is a short play inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

April 21
War Dog by James McLindon
Sponsored by Centastage
Directed by Joe Antoun

Featuring Greg Hovanesian and Branden Smith

An ex-military dog confronts what he has done…and who is to blame.

April 22
Skin to Skin by Cassie M. Seinuk
Sponsored by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
Directed by Victoria Townsend

Featuring Charlotte Kinder and Juan C. Rodríguez

Toni and Alex have spent the entirety of the pandemic together, but completely isolated from their friends and family. When shortly after the arrival of their baby boy they are forced to quarantine apart, they must find a new way to co-parent.

April 23
Tadpole to Toad by Kyla Schultz
Sponsored by Fresh Ink Theatre Company
Directed by Jackie Chylinski

Featuring KT Grindeland and Jessica Scout Malone

Sharing secrets is never easy, especially if it can mean losing the ones you love. When Ash’s words fail them they use they help of a frog…or toad? in order to express their truth. However, the reaction they receive is quite different from the one they were expecting.

April 24
Special Guest Saturday: arts and entertainment critic Joyce Kulhawik

Scentsation by Hortense Gerardo
Sponsored by The Umbrella Stage Company
Directed by Nancy Curran Willis

Featuring Michelle Aguillon and Dustin Teuber

When Lily, a medical doctor, learns her recent ex-partner will be her patient at the walk-in clinic, she conducts a “scentsational” test to help Pino recover more than their lost sense of smell.

April 26
1 BDRM Zen Escape by Bill Lattanzi
Sponsored by Actors’ Shakespeare Project
Directed by Bobbie Steinbach

Featuring Adrianne Krystanski and Sarah Newhouse

Affluent New Englander Fay is all up for some alone time in a South Florida AirBnb to work on her book analyzing the state of the country. Her host Paige, though, just can’t help showing her some true southern hospitality.

April 27
Albert (a musical) by Mark Evan Chimsky (libretto and lyrics) and Zev Burrows (composer)
Sponsored by Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Directed by Helen Deborah Lewis
Music Director: Isaac Leaverton

Featuring Alex Leondedis and Mack Schaefer

A musical about Albert Cashier, born Jennie Hodgers, a true figure from the nineteenth century who fought valiantly in the Civil War and lived afterwards in a small village in Illinois. Though he worked odd jobs and was known as a quiet man, Albert was remarkable for his time, daring to live his truth in an unenlightened age.

April 28
Heart Broker by Maryanne Truax
Sponsored by The Gamm Theatre
Directed by Tyler Dobrowsky

Featuring Jeff Church and Alison Russo

Melinda and Steve’s Tinder date is not all it appears on the surface.

April 29
The Conversation We Never Had by Terrence Kidd
Sponsored by Apollinaire Theatre Company
Directed by Emily Larson

Featuring Lyndsay Allyn Cox and Lewis D. Wheeler

A musician and producer meet up many years after creating a hit album and falling out. Who owes what to whom?

April 30
For Time by Kevin Cirone
Sponsored by Emerson Stage
Directed by Jenna Glazier

Featuring Jessica Dallessandro, Sam Fidler, and Jordan Wagner

Luke disappears for six months after his mother’s death, only to be confronted by his sister Rena at his Crossfit gym—where the two are paired up for a partner workout.

May 1
Special Guest Saturday: TCBF’s Joe Antoun

My Mother’s American Dream by Adriana RoCale
Sponsored by Our Place Theatre
Directed by Jacqui Parker
Sound Design: Candis Hilton

Featuring Deannah Blemur, Ines de la Cruz, Richard Dinkins, and Amaris Rios

Erica, a 16-year-old girl, is in a state of distraught after her mother is taken into ICE custody. She runs to her mother’s friend who lives nearby, the friend tells her the story of how they came to America.

May 3
Backyard Duel by Mark Linehan
Sponsored by Titanic Theatre
Directed by Fran Weinberg

Featuring Ruva Chigwedere and Damon Singletary

A college student must complete her Stage Combat final exam remotely. Her father, a successful actor before the shutdown, decides to make himself useful.

May 4
Home for the Holiday by Karla M. Sorenson
Sponsored by Open Theatre Project
Directed by Michelle Aguillon

Featuring Michael Blunt and Tyler Girard

It’s Christmas Eve, Jo and Gil are visiting Jo’s family—the first time as a couple—and just about to ring the doorbell. Both are wary, especially after Jo admits not only do his parents not know that he and Gil are dating—they might not even know he’s gay.

May 5
Ariadne Unbound by Tofer Carlson
Sponsored by Moonbox Productions
Directed by Arthur Gomez

Featuring Marc Pierre, Carolyn Saxon, Chantal Tribble, and Antonia Turilli

Ariadne disrupts the Fates’ plans when she takes matters in the Labyrinth into her own hand, and slays the Minotaur in Theseus’ place.

May 6
Where the Fireworks Come From by Michael Pisaturo
Sponsored by SpeakEasy Stage Company
Directed by Shira Helena Gitlin

Featuring Nathan Malin and Sam Warton

With college looming just around the corner, Tony and Gabe sit outside to watch their neighborhood’s annual Fourth of July fireworks one last time before parting ways, but when a recent incident threatens to undermine their relationship, the decision to confront the unknown becomes more terrifying than they could have possibly imagined. On a night that celebrates tradition, two boys dare to swim against the tide, navigating their own identities amidst the suffocating atmosphere of small-town suburbia.

May 7
Ipswich by Sophie McIntosh
Sponsored by Fort Point Theatre Channel
Directed by Christine Noah

Featuring Madeline Cook and Berit Palma

Callie is making an effort to confront the severe aquaphobia that has dominated her life for years. She invites her sister Aspen, newly returned from college, to serve as her emotional support “anchor” during an exposure therapy session at the beach. Tensions explode and childhood wounds are reopened as the tide creeps ever closer.

May 8
Special Guest Saturday: Paula Plum and Richard Snee

Monster Mother-in-Law by Marisa Smith
Sponsored by Hovey Players
Directed by Nancy Curran Willis

Featuring Barbara Douglass

The worst future mother-in-law hatches a plan NOT to be a mother-in-law.

May 10
Something I Know To Be True… by Alexa Derman
Sponsored by Theatre on Fire
Directed by Darren Evans

Featuring Isabelle Hahn, Donovan Holt, Ashley Lyon, Thedita Pederson, Gigi Watson, Lewis D. Wheeler, and Lynn Wilcott

Online sleuths, commentators, and conspiracy theorists try to determine the truth about a disturbing video posted to the web.

May 11
178 Ludlow Street by Cayenne Douglass
Sponsored by Sleeping Weazel
Directed by Jessica Ernst

Featuring Ciera-Sadé Wade and Dayenne C. Byron Walters

In a sweet role reversal, Cathleen visits her former babysitter Mae, taking on the role of caregiver. On a routine visit Mae shares that a life altering event that she’s been waiting 25 years for has, against all odds, finally happened.

May 12
Unpacking by John Minigan
Sponsored by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Directed by Jess Meyer

Featuring Marge Dunn and Jecenia Figueroa

Long time tenant Gabriela visits her new white neighbor Priscilla with what seems to be a welcoming gift. When the visit and the gift turn out to be more than gestures of welcome, Priscilla must confront her assumptions about her impact in the neighborhood, and Gabriela must decide how to use her anger productively.

May 13
A Good Mother by Alan Brody
Sponsored by Underground Railway Theater
Directed by Benny Sato Ambush

Featuring Debra Wise

A mother struggles with grief and guilt about the choices she made that affected her gifted son.

May 14
Your Favorite by Ken Green
Sponsored by American Repertory Theater
Directed by Christine Noah

Featuring Joshua Wolf Coleman and Robert D. Murphy

An overly-enthusiastic museum visitor chats up a stoic guard about his art preferences.

May 15
Special Guest Saturday: StageSource

Auditioning for Mary by John Oluwole ADEkoje
Sponsored by Wellesley Repertory Theatre
Directed by Marta Rainer

Featuring Sarah Nwafor

A Nigerian woman “auditions” for a most unusual role in the United States.

May 17
Thrasher by Nick Malakhow
Sponsored by Brandeis University Department of Theatre Arts
Directed by Alex M. Jacobs

Featuring Alaysia Penso and Anderson Stintson III

Gabby tries to convince Taj to make the trek to Nutley to go to a party. Taj is unimpressed with Gabby’s interest in her “edgy” (and entirely Caucasian) new friends, and sees his fellow outsider buddy drifting away as she primps and spritzes and preps to impress her new friends…and a potential love interest.

May 18
Following the Rules by Alexis Krysten Morgan
Sponsored by New Repertory Theatre
Directed by Rosalind Bevan

Featuring Jade Guerra and Jackie Theoharis

A ten-minute play about a teacher who uses the system to punish a student who makes a mistake.

May 19
When I Grow Up by Fabiola R. Decius
Sponsored by Wheelock Family Theatre
Directed by Deen Rawlins-Harris

Featuring Thomika Bridwell and Caryn May

A kindergarten teacher calls a conference with a parent to discuss her son’s answers in class, leading to a confrontation about racial awareness.

May 20
Funeral by Jessica Durdock Moreno
Sponsored by Firehouse Center for the Arts
Directed by Tim Diering

Featuring Conor Seamus Moroney

When Brian misses out on his best friend Tyler’s COVID-safe Zoom wedding due to a bad internet connection, he realizes that what was meant to be a celebration of love ended up feeling more like a funeral as he sat alone in his room isolated from his family, his friends, and his life.

May 21
Swans by Melinda Lopez
Sponsored by Northeastern University Department of Theatre
Directed by Jonathan Carr

Featuring Christelle Girimana and Madi Vespa Williams

How long does it take to become a local? A first date takes a detour in this comedy set at an iconic Boston location.

May 22
Marty by K. Alexa Mavromatis
Sponsored by Hartford Stage
Directed by Zoë Golub-Sass
Puppet Design and Operation: Kalob Martinez

Featuring Ted Hewlett and Adrianne Krstansky

A COVID-time trip to the grocery store brings adventure, reflection, frustration, discovery…and something else. Is it despair?

May 24
The Brunch Crowd by Dillon Yruegas
Sponsored by Sparkhaven Theatre
Directed by Desiré Bennett

Featuring Tsaitami Duchicela, Krysta Gonzales, Meaux Palmer, and Cristobal Paulino

Always wanted to know how transgender people of color go about their daily lives? Spoiler alert: they don’t talk about—the surgery—or anything else that the cis seem to be so obsessed about; they go to brunch and drink too many mimosas, just like you!

May 25
Today, Boston Theater Marathon XXIII: Special Zoom Edition pauses to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd. We hope you will use the Zoom link (the “Purchase Tickets” button on www.BostonPlaywrights.org) to read our full statement on that day during the regular BTM time slot (12-12:30 p.m. ET).

May 26
Reset by Kelly Smith
Sponsored by Flat Earth Theatre
Directed by Arthur Gomez
Stage Manager: Afrikah Smith

Featuring Abigail Erdelatz and Lorraine Kanyike

Desperate to buy last minute concert tickets, Lindsey tries to remember her login password with the help of…her Password.

May 27
Ritual by Alexis Scheer
Sponsored by imaginary beasts
Directed by Matthew Woods

Featuring Caroline Forbes, Molly Kimmerling, Catherine Luciani, Amy Meyer, and Sam Terry

A digital manifestation of magic and intention, at the intersection of guided meditation and performance art.

May 28
More by Kirsten Greenidge
Sponsored by Company One Theatre
Directed by Jasmine Brooks

Featuring Blyss Cleveland, Ines de la Cruz, Regine Vitale, and Karimah Williams

Four girlfriends get together on Zoom to chat and catch up, but something is wrong with one of them. Is it a technological glitch or something deeper?

—and—

Kick the Tires, Alma by Jack Neary
Sponsored by Acting Out Productions
Directed by Jack Neary

Featuring Ellen Colton, Cheryl McMahon, and Bobbie Steinbach

Three ladies “of a certain age” tackle Zoom together for the first time. Introduced previously in a number of Marathon plays, and in Jack Neary’s The Porch, Alma, Gert, and Marjorie address a wide range of subjects, but always end up talking about sex. Which is what they do in Kick the Tires, Alma.