Dina Thomas
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – The sixth annual 10X10 New Play Festival at Barrington Stage Company takes place Thursday, February 16, through Sunday, March 5, at BSC’s newly renovated St. Germain Stage, located at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center. The event, part of the 2017 10X10 Upstreet Arts Festival in Pittsfield, features ten new 10-imnute plays performed in repertory by a cast of a half-dozen professional actors, directed by BSC artistic director Julianne Boyd and Matthew Penn, co-artistic director of the Berkshire Playwrights Lab in Great Barrington.
This year’s playwrights are Suzanne Bradbeer, Marilyn Millstone, Annette Storckman, Allie Costa, James McLindon, Gwendolyn Rice, Tom Coash, Scott Mullen, Susan Middaugh, and Ann Marie Shea.
The cast of the 10X10 New Play Festival features returnees Matt Neely, Dina Thomas, and Peggy Pharr Wilson, along with newcomers Jane Pfitsch (BSC’s “His Girl Friday”), Lucky Gretzinger, and Douglas Rees.
“The 10-minute New Play Festival is one of our most joyful events of the year, bringing together the Berkshire community with six multi-talented actors and ten very gifted playwrights. It’s the perfect mid-winter treat,” said Boyd.
Jane Pfitsch
BSC’s 2017 10X10 New Play Festival
BROKEN WINDOW THEOREM by Suzanne Bradbeer; directed by Matthew Penn
Desperate for a friend, a young Ph.D candidate employs an unusual tactic to meet one of her classmates.
COMPOS MENTIS by Marilyn Millstone; directed by Matthew Penn
Robert and Alese Langford interview for a coveted spot at Silver Glades Senior Living. But is Silver Glades Senior Living ready for Robert and Alese?
DESK FORT by Annette Storckman; directed by Julianne Boyd
When one employee escapes his desk job in an unconventional manner, his superior must find a way to smoke him out for Team Building Day.
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER PIGEON by Allie Costa; directed by Julianne Boyd
A mafia messenger in a career crisis meets his match while out on assignment.
I DON’T KNOW by James McLindon; directed by Matthew Penn
An old-school drill sergeant takes his new recruits for a cadence-singing run … straight into a brave new world of political correctness.
POCKETS by Gwendolyn Rice; directed by Julianne Boyd
Two strangers make a startling discovery while rifling through the coat pockets of guests at a dinner party.
RAGHEAD by Tom Coash; directed by Matthew Penn
A blind date goes off the rails when a New York City firefighter meets with a veiled woman.
Lucky Gretzinger (photo Deborah Lopez)
SANDBOX by Scott Mullen; directed by Julianne Boyd
A mother is miffed when she finds a group of adults playing in a sandbox in her local playground.
WHEN I FALL IN LOVE by Susan Middaugh; directed by Julianne Boyd
Two devoted spouses of dementia patients strike up an unlikely friendship when they discover what is going on behind the scenes at their partners’ assisted living facility.
THE DIRTY IRISH by Ann Marie Shea; directed by Matthew Penn
Hypocrisy reigns supreme in this Prohibition-era story of a Blue-Blooded bootlegging couple and the immigrant workers they exploit.
The creative team includes lighting design by Jeff Davis, costume coordination by Kelsey VonderHaar and sound design by Alexander Sovronsky. Fran Rubenstein is the production stage manager.
Peggy Pharr Wilson
Tickets to the 10X10 New Play Festival go on sale January 17. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $28 Thursday evening and Saturday/Sunday matinees, $32 Friday and Saturday evenings. Low-priced preview tickets are $20 on February 16 and 17 at 7:30pm. Reserved seating. For more information, call the Barrington Stage Box Office at 413-236-8888 or visit Barrington Stage Company.
About 10X10 Upstreet Arts Festival
The festival is a collaborative effort spearheaded by Barrington Stage Company and the City of Pittsfield, and coordinated through a steering committee that includes the Beacon Cinema, Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF), Berkshire Museum, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts and the City of Pittsfield.