Ritz Theatre Company’s 6th Annual One-Act Play Festival

by Robert Banskter

Konstantin Stanislavski once said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” A phrase we have all heard at one point or another in our theatre careers. One-Act Play Festivals are a testament to that fact, creating so many opportunities for actors who have not had a chance to shine in lead or featured roles to get a chance to stretch their wings, and it allows performers who wish to try directing an opportunity to do so. The 6th Annual One-Act Play Festival at the Ritz Theatre Co is a perfect example of how One-Act Play Festivals can and should be. I had the honor of getting to see all seven acts throughout the course of the festival. 

The Ritz Theatre cooperates their festival as a competition. The Ritz received upwards of 30-40 submissions for one-act plays, and they sorted through and selected seven shows to produce over 2 days. The top three shows from both days are selected to perform again for a final performance to determine a winner of the festival by a selected Panel of Judges. Having watched all of the performances, I can confidently say that I do not envy the Panel’s job. In my opinion, each show was so very well done that it was so difficult to choose who to move on to the next round. 

The setup for the Festival was a Black Box Theater setup. So instead of getting to sit where one might usually expect to sit at The Ritz Theatre Co., you actually get to sit on stage in rows of chairs as the show goes on, creating a more intimate experience. So without further ado, allow me to enlighten you on what you missed if you didn’t get the chance to see the One-Act Play Festival.  

“I Paid Enough” by Jay Fink

​“I Paid Enough” by Jay Fink is a story of a Jewish Family in New York City in 1978. The story follows Joey (played by Mac Versak-Kennedy) as he remembers and reflects on the lives of his grandparents, Rose (played by Susan Dewey) and Lou (played by Tony Killian). In addition to writing the play, Fink also directed it. The set was minimalistic, as it usually is for most One-Act Play Festivals. The costuming was perfect; it matched the vibe of the show and the setting perfectly. Versak-Kennedy’s performance was amazing; he portrayed the character very well. Dewey was outstanding; her performance of Rose was phenomenal, and she owned every scene she was in. I wish she had more scenes.  Killian’s portrayal of Lou was masterful, dare I say perfect. Killian’s characterization of Lou is genuinely one of my favorite performances in the entire festival. The audience absolutely ate this show up. 

“The Meet-Cute” by Dan Borengasser

For those of you who don’t know what a “Meet Cute” is, it is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a cute, charming, or amusing first encounter between romantic partners (as in a movie).” It follows Felix (played by Tim Catrino) as he meets and is instantly infatuated with Ella (played by Claire McDermott) as they discuss their Screen Writing Midterm with the prompt of a Meet Cute.  Ella gets some writer's block, so Felix describes his experiences with meet-cutes at Comic-Con with Jill (played by Brynne Gaffney) and a fundraising competition with Sandra (played by Vivianna Aviles). Catrino was an asset to the show; I was shaking with silent laughter quite a few times. Especially at the Donald Duck costume. Catrino’s face was very animated, which helped highlight the humor of the show. McDermott had a difficult job, but she absolutely knocked it out of the park. The role of Ella is that of a passive observer, and McDermott made her feel like anything but a passive observer. Ella clocks the tea and is not afraid of calling things what she sees them for. McDermott excelled at channeling those aspects of that character, which resulted in me loving that character so much more than anticipated. Gaffney and her presentation of Jill was delectable. I was eating it up. She looked like she stepped out of a convention. The sheer make-up artistry was phenomenal. Gaffney nailed the flirty banter and matched her scene partner’s energy very well. Aviles’s energy was INFECTIOUS. When Sandra got indignant at Felix letting her win the potato sack race, I also got upset that he let her win; I got sucked right in. She stole the whole show. If there is a production of Legally Blonde nearby in the near future, I need them to cast Aviles as Brook Wydham asap. “The Meet Cute” was directed by Ryan Lynd. This was Lynd’s directing debut. Lynd made very solid casting choices and gave good directions. Lynd was a genius with the sound bites and the voiceovers. Especially during the potato sack race. The choice of Mario Kart for the race was objectively correct and fit the age of the cast perfectly. The set was simplistic yet effective in setting the scenes and scene changes without going over the top. For a directing debut, Lynd has set a high bar for himself, and I cannot wait to see him direct again. 

“From America, With Love” by Caroline Sanchez-Avakian. 

​“From America, With Love” is a story that is so relevant, especially in today’s America. It is a commentary on voting and ensuring votes are counted. We follow Sacha (played by Rachel Stapleton) and Pat (played by Sara Viniar) as they help Jaime (played by Jack Bobbe) get his vote cast. Jamie, for whatever reason, was not on the voter registry and had to get a provisional ballot. This has to get reviewed and verified before it gets counted. Jamie, not liking the chance that his vote might not be counted, calls the Hotline, where the voice (played by Phyllis Josephson) is connected to the Hotline Rep (played by Lindsay Deal). The Hotline Rep ultimately says that, given Jamie’s situation, the only ballot he can be provided is the provisional ballot. He casts the ballot. Sacha and Pat have another moment, leaving Pat to question her belief in the electoral process.  Viniar was flawless in this role; they embodied the spirit of the character and added flair and mannerisms to the character that elevated the entire show. Stapleton carried the show; if they were not carrying the show, I would have said that they stole the show. The Russian accent was amazing, and the sarcasm was delivered perfectly. Bobbe captured and delivered the frustration of Jamie very well. Their performance felt so realistic to how people in that situation would act. Deal was everything I needed The Hotline rep to be. From painting her nails while on the phone to being the embodiment of a call center representative, they were perfect. Josephson was a delight to see perform. Their tone as The Hotline Voice was everything. The Hotline Voice was just supposed to be a voiceover, and Josephson, when given the chance to help it become more than that, took the opportunity and ran with it. “From America, With Love” was selected as a finalist, so I came back on the 29th for the finale to see it again.  After the performances, the judges of the festival went to deliberate and determine the winner and some actor awards. The writers who were present and the directors of all three shows that made it to the finale were assembled for a short Q&A. Jodi Zeichner, who directed “From America, With Love”, had mentioned during the panel that the roles of Hotline Voice and Hotline Rep were originally both supposed to be voiceovers.  The decision to bring both roles onto stage was discussed with Sanchez-Avakian, and it was a decision I am so glad was made. It really helped make the show more comedic.  The props and set were so much more than in the other shows. Whereas the other shows relied more on the actors to establish where they were through dialogue, the set Zeichner set up for the play really helped to make you feel that you were quite literally at a polling place. As someone who has worked at the polls before, this was absolutely accurate for both set design and costuming. 

“Love, Lysol, and Other Delusions” by Brian Brijbag, Esq.

​“Love, Lysol, and Other Delusions” follows a newlywed couple, Kara (played by Meg Bryan) and Ethan (played by Shaun Grace), as they move into their new apartment. They find that they have a roommate, the giant talking cockroach Sal (played by Chase Dannelly). Sal’s presence causes Ethan to pass out, and after a few moments of hostility, tensions ease. Sal and Kara have a quick therapy session, helping Kara work out some of her anxiety about this new chapter of her life and securing safety for Sal. Bryan was a treat to see in this role; Kara is a sarcastic character, and Bryan's deadpan delivery of said sarcasm was flawless. Grace embodied the phrase I mentioned at the beginning of this review, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” Ethan is unconscious 90% of the time; aside from sleep talking after he faints, there is not much that Ethan does. Grace managed to elevate their character; the faint was amazing, and the sleep talking was the funniest part of the show. Dannelly did so well in their role of Sal. Their portrayal of Sal was giving Alex Brightman’s Beetlejuice vibes, peppered with hints of Phil from Hercules. “Love, Lysol, and Other Delusions” was directed by Gabrielle Wilson. Wilson knocked it out of the park with the costume design and the prop and set design. I forgot that I was in a theater and legitimately thought that I was in a dirty apartment full of moving boxes.

“Primary Care” by Rosemary Parrillo 

​“Primary Care” is based on a true story and real events, except for the things that are absolutely not true, according to the author, Rosemary Parrillo. “Primary Care” follows Sandra (played by MacKenzie Ryann) as she seeks treatment at her primary doctor for jaw pain and ear irrigation. She is seen by Dr.Morris (played by David Nikolas), an overworked doctor who has terrible bedside manner and a bogus rule of not doing two procedures in the same visit. Sandra becomes an unwilling therapist for Dr. Morris, who proceeds to lament about the current state of affairs in primary care. Then, in the middle of the appointment, Dr.Morris leaves to take a call. Then we get to meet Harry (played by John Hager), the sentient skull of a former primary care doctor that Dr.Morris stole from the anatomy lab in Med School.  Harry then laments about how things used to be back in his day, again forcing Sandra to become a therapist to get him to judge Dr.Morris less. Sandra, from being a good listener, gets both procedures done for Dr Morris. “Primary Care” was one of the finalists, so I had the opportunity of seeing it performed twice. Ryann did such a great job of conveying the frustration of patients who have to advocate for themselves with very difficult doctors. Nikolas knocked it out of the park with their portrayal of Dr. Morris. Their performance embodied the phrase "overworked and underpaid.” Hager was my favorite out of the entire festival. First of all, they were hidden inside the exam table, then they emerged in a full skeleton body suit and a skull mask. The jaw on the mask moved as they talked. It was something out of a child's Halloween movie, just more profane. Hager was able to convey so much emotion through just his voice and posture. The audience laughed so much while Harry was on the stage.  “Primary Care” was directed by Connor Twigg. Twigg’s choice of set and costuming was superb, especially when it came to Harry. “Primary Care” was a finalist in the Festival, and as we waited for the Panel of Judges to determine the winner, we got to hear not only from Twigg but also from Parrillo.  Parrillo, when asked what inspired the play, cited that it was a true story from a friend's primary visit. Twigg stated that they worked closely with Parrillo for years before “Primary Care” was even submitted to the festival. Twigg, during the panel, stated that the role of Harry was supposed to only be a voice-over, but they made it a full physical character, a change that Parrillo seemed to fully embrace. It made for a memorable show. 

“Queen of Winteria” by Alyssa Borelli 

 “Queen of Winteria” is a story of a junior in college named Kate (played by Emily Seningen) who is home from school visiting her mother (played by Heather Anne Runyon) following an alluded divorce. Kate is struggling to finish her novel as her mother comes in to check on her repeatedly throughout the night.  We then pivot to the characters of Kate’s book, the long-lost Princess Sky (played by KL Flores) and her childhood best friend Fabian (played by Brian Danner). Sky and Fabian just finished fighting the big bad evil guy to win the war and free Sky’s kingdom. Fabien asks Sky to abandon everything she has worked for just as she is about to achieve it and move back home and marry him. Sky doesn’t want that. Kate does. Kate tries to write the ending, when all of a sudden Sky and Fabien come to life and have a non-canonical lovers' spat. Sky and Kate have a heart-to-heart about what is really going on. Sky points out that Kate wrote her to be a powerful woman who bowed before no man and to not give up her power, and that Kate’s desired ending is a 180 of that and would be a betrayal to the readers.  Kate reveals that her boyfriend broke up with her. Sky points out that he only wanted things on his terms and that Kate deserves better than that, suggesting that she tell her mother about what happened. Kate lets Sky become queen of her kingdom and live happily ever after. Seningen had so much chemistry with both Runyon and Flores. Their performance had some of the most range. Runyon really turned it out with the character of Mom. From the delivery of “I own the house which includes this door, I don’t need to knock.” I was hooked. I wish Mom had more stage time so I could see more of Runyon. Flores and Danner were perfect choices for their roles. I am a fan of the Romantasy Author Sarah J Maas; the characters of Sky and Fabien reminded me a lot of the main character from the Throne of Glass Series and one of her love interests. Flores ' accent was spot on for the character, and Dennar’s tone and delivery of the exasperation was immaculate. I bumped into Borelli after the show and was actually able to ask her about some of her inspiration for the characters of Fabien and Sky, and she confirmed that she did draw some inspiration from the series. This made me fall in love with the story even more. Heidi Dugan, the Director, made choices for the set that were minimalistic.  However, it was very well made up by the costuming and props. Dugan’s costumes, especially for Fabian and Sky, were amazing. The dragon on Kate’s desk and the D20 coffee mug that Mom used elevated the show so much.  

“The Ring Master” by Donald Loftus

“The Ring Master” is a story of a bride with a frying pan somehow making her way to a mental circus with a clown after passing out at her wedding. We meet Canny the clown (played by Joe Carlucci) as he is sitting on the bench in the circus tent when Bunny the Bride (played by Cassidy Scherz), with a frying pan and amnesia, enters the tent looking for help and asks where she was.  Bunny remembers that she passed out at her wedding and is actually having cold feet about getting married.  She asks Canny if he has ever been in her situation. He then tells her about the trapeze aerialist that he fell in love with but didn’t go after her when she moved to France. Bunny, with encouragement from Canny, leaves the circus and goes and gets married. “The Ring Master” was the third Finalist to move on to the Finale of the One- Act Festival. Loftus was not present, but the director, Justin Walsh, was, and he cited that his reason for picking “The Ring Master” was to highlight the actors and showcase their talents in a two-person show. Which the pay off was worth it. Both Scherz and Carlucci were amazing; they had amazing chemistry and played off each other so well. I made eye contact with Scherz during one of her lines, and the emotions of what her character was feeling really shone through. Carlucci, during the first performance, did stumble over one of their lines but recovered exceptionally well.  Both Carlucci and Scherz performed even better during the Finale than during their first performance. 

You might be wondering, “Are they going to tell us who won the festival?” Worry not, for I shall. In third place, we have “The Ring Master” by David Loftus; in second place, we have “From America, With Love” by Caroline Sanchez-Avakian. Finally, the one that took home the prize, “Primary Care” by Rosemary Parrillo! As I said earlier, I do not envy the judges; these were all very tough decisions because the actors and the directors were so good. 

I would like to take a moment to thank the amazing staff at Ritz Theater Co. for putting this festival together for the sixth year in a row. Lori Alexio-Howard and Brian Gensel set such a high bar for One Act Festivals. I cannot wait to come back to see next year’s festival.