Currently in its 20th year, TheatreWorks Community Players will present a One Act Play Celebration March 1-3, with showings at 44 Franklin Street, Uptown Martinsville.
The festival will “highlight three unique plays by three aspiring playwrights,” according to Scott Guebert, a member of the organization’s Board of Directors.
In a synopsis of each of the original, never-before-staged shows, Guebert said “If Walls Could Talk” follows the same family as different generations navigate the passage of time. Things change, but the family remains the same.
“Waiting on the Train in Southbend, IN,” he said, is a family drama that follows a group of friends who are stuck on the wrong side of the tracks while trying to get back to their home. They are forced to rely on each other while they wait for the train to come back to them.
“Dating in the Time of Zombies” is a dark comedy about a scientist trying desperately to cling to normal life by attempting to hold a speed dating event. They try to find a way to get back to normal life while dealing with the constant distractions of zombies, Guebert said.
“If Walls Could Talk,” was written by Emma Metzger, a Magna Vista High School student.
The central point of the story is the house and centers on the lives of the individuals who possess it. “Just one room is utilized so the gathering of people can see the changes all through the years,” said Zach Jordan, director of the trio of plays.
“It is set in one room of a house over the course of about 50 years, and shows snapshots from the lives of various people who live in the house over the decades,” Jordan said. “The message is that all of these common experiences are to be valued and that we are all tied together through similar human experiences.”
Cast members include Sarah Kallam, Zoey Kirk, James Wilson, Katllyn Kinney, Landon George, Linzie Register, Owen Amos, Fox Stallard, Daniel Galyon, and William Ortega.
“Waiting on the Train Southbend, IN” was written by playwright Daniel Van Nostrand, a local resident. “Dating in the Time of Zombies,” was by playwright Chuck Smith.
Showings begin Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m., and continue Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. All three plays will be performed at each showing and tickets are $12 each and include all three plays in one night. Tickets are available for purchase at https://www.twcp.net/info/tickets.cfm.
For more information, visit TheatreWorks Community Players at https://www.twcp.net/info/oneact.cfm.
