Published: 9/9/2016 9:31:22 AM
Plays ‘R Us
Over its 11-year history, members of the Northampton Playwrights Lab have had their work produced at theaters in New York, Boston, Cape Cod, Provincetown, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Berkshires, as well as in the Pioneer Valley. This season they’re back with “Play by Play,” a festival featuring seven plays performed over two weekends at the A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton, including:
“Crowsnest,” by UMass theater professor Harley Erdman, which takes place in a utopian ecovillage somewhere in the hills, where Danny, a newcomer, becomes embroiled in passion, jealousy, secrets and conspiracy. (Thurs., Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m.)
“The Winklemeyers Bet It All,” by Mojie Crigler, the story of one man’s boom-and-bust during the first wave of big internet money and the price he pays for the success that continues to elude him. (Fri., Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.)
“Where’s Annie,” a dark comedy by Eric Henry Sanders, in which Sarah Bitts returns home to confront her estranged grandparents, only to discover that the eccentric pair hides a past more frightening than she ever imagined. (Sat., Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m.)
“Naked With Fruit,” by Meryl Cohn, a comedy about grief, which asks the question: Can three people who share the loss of the same love come together to heal? (Thurs. and Fri., Sept. 22-23, 7:30 p.m.)
“Grimm Women,” by Leanna James Blackwell, a radical re-envisioning of three classic fairy tales. (Sat., Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m.)
“Hotpot” and “My Life in Rock ‘n’ Roll,” two pieces by Tanyss Rhea Martula in which (A) two mothers meet to talk about their teenage children and find themselves in a melange of tight spaces, awkwardness and confusion as things heat up; and (B) a solo performance work-in-progress that takes the viewer on a roller-coaster ride through the highs and lows of an unexpected late-in-life passion. (Sun., Sept. 25, 4 p.m.)
$10 suggested donation at the door. Seating is limited and there are no reservations — early arrival is recommended. A.P.E. is at 126 Main St. in Northampton.
Wedding party
Instead of planning a traditional wedding, the free-spirited coupled Kurt and Chloe decide to invite their closest friends to Kurt’s family’s vacation house in northern New Hampshire. Among the guests: Beth, a talented but aimless aspiring writer; Mia, a recently divorced single mom who’d rather not be at a wedding; and Joe, a theater director recovering from the emotional fallout of a bad breakup. As wine is poured and substances imbibed over the course of the weekend leading up to Chloe and Kurt’s nuptials, old friendships are tested and new relationships forged.
Produced by Bang! Films, an independent film-making troupe in New Hampshire, the two-hour ensemble comedy “Most Likely” was an official selection of the 2016 Wicked Queer Boston LGBT Film Festival. A free screening is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at The Parlor Room at Signature Sounds, 32 Masonic St. in Northampton, as part of Focus Locus, a monthly series of locally produced films and discussions with filmmakers and aficionados, sponsored by Northampton Community Television. Not suitable for younger children.
— Dan DeNicola