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Theatre Cambrian has a special night of fun and laughter on tap, with Sudbury’s premiere One-Act Festival. The concept is simple: three shows (all between 30 minutes to one hour) performed by different actors in one night.
“This is perfect opportunity for Theatre Cambrian to expand its repertoire in the arts and offer some theatre that may not be the right fit for dinner theatre and certainly non-musical” said Mark Mannisto, executive director of Theatre Cambrian. “This also gives us a chance to explore different genres of theatre that we don’t always get the chance to perform.
“From comedy to drama to absurd, our One-Act Festival is going to be like a night going out to a comedy club. You need to come, prepared to laugh.”
Productions involved in the inaugural edition of the One Act Festival include:
Ugly on the Inside
A serial-killing bridesmaid has a habit of “accidentally” murdering her best friend’s fiancés. While trying to bury the latest groom, the two women discover it’s hard to keep a bad man down.
Della has always dreamed of the perfect life: a springtime wedding in Vegas, a litter of kids running around the trailer, and a husband — any husband. Her best friend, Rayanne, only wants the best for Della. Unfortunately, Rayanne doesn’t think any of Della’s boyfriends measure up and, one by one, they all somehow “accidentally” wind up dead.
Ugly on the Inside has been adapted into an independent short film. It is a rare short that follows through on its premise, maintains a tone equal to its subject matter — where most shorts fail to find a balance between the two — and, in the end, feels closer to a mini-movie than a short film.
The Valiant
Produced to wide acclaim on Broadway, and made into a movie. The plot concerns a man waiting in prison for execution. Nothing is known about him except that he killed a man.
On his execution day, a girl comes to see him, thinking he may be her long-lost brother. The prisoner recognizes her, but the sister is not sure of him. He sends her back to her mother happy in the belief that her brother died a hero in the war. Then, with his head held high, he walks to the execution chamber.
The Valiant was also adapted into a film. Made during the turbulent transition period between silent cinema and sound film, The Valiant (1929) is most famous today as the film debut of stage actor Paul Muni, who performed in New York’s Yiddish theatre under the name Muni Weisenfreund and became a star on the Broadway stage, where his talent for elaborate make-up and versatility with character roles earned him a reputation as a “new Chaney.”
You’ve Got Hate Mail
A hilarious broadband comedy of errors, You’ve Got Hate Mail takes a hysterical look at the world of online hook-ups and break-ups. In You’ve Got Hate Mail, love “bytes” all when an extra-marital affair goes horribly wrong, thanks to a juicy email sent to the wrong mailbox.
The story is told entirely in e-mails from laptop computers, although the play still manages to have an unforgettable chase scene, fuelled by cell phones and PDAs.
You’ve Got Hate Mail is to theatre as the internet is to interpersonal communications: a revolution in telling a story.
Theatre Cambrian is presenting its One-Act Festival on Oct. 19 and 20. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Tickets for this production can be purchased at the Theatre Cambrian office located at 40 Eyre St. or by phoning 705-524-7317 ext. 0.
