Two one act plays to complete your (re)education.
The evening begins with the Christopher Durang classic Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For
You. Before there was Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike, before Betty's Summer Vacation or Beyond Therapy there was Sister Mary, the Nun who teaches grade school and explained how life works. Here she gives her lessons to you and to her young student Thomas, who loves her, like all of Sister Mary's students. Four of them return to present the Christmas Pagent for Sister Mary but one of them has something else in mind. Don't worry, I'm sure Sister Mary has something up her sleeve.
We complete the evening with The Lesson by Eugéne Ionesco. One of the greatest writers of the French Avant-garde, Rhinoceros, The Bald Soprano, we are pleased to present one of his early works. An absurd but terrifying private lesson in "New Spanish" and obedience unfolds as a student comes to the home of the Professor. Slowly the position of power and authority devour the humanity and a grotesque lesson is learned.
Presented with a 10 minute intermission.
Love Creek Productions is one of NYC's oldest 'off-off' companies. For over 35 years we have strived to produce exciting theater of both new and old plays to our audiences. Made up of actors, writers, and directors we have been creating vibrant theater in NYC in tiny spaces.
When a professional hockey team comes calling, Ben has to celebrate. His zealous festivities leave him with an upset girlfriend, a lovelorn best friend, an underappreciated teammate, and an ankle device monitoring his movements to a probation officer. As their final playoff game approaches, Ben not-so-deftly navigates the temptations that could potentially undercut his future and leave him with all or nothing. Wincing at the Light is a comedic portrayal of what can happen when loyalty, friendship, and love are forced to face off to decide the true winner.
Directed by Gretchen Ferris
Set in a small town in Upstate New York, Jellyroll Shoes follows the lives of the Anderson Men, lead by patriarch George, a recently ousted town sheriff, and his three sons; Eddie (an up and coming, but still relatively green state patrolman), Joe (the middle son who is now the town's lawyer), and Dave ("The lucky one," the eldest brother who is also an officer). Eddie's girlfriend, firecracker-hottie Linda, helps take care of the boys and their normal routine, which is thrown astray one evening by the surprise arrival of Alice Beck, a local English teacher that Dave helps save from an abusive husband that tries to kill her with a lawnmower. Compounding issues arise when Tim Jones arrives, a miscreant drifter with no past that George believes could be his son that disappeared years ago. 
You are cordially invited to the weekend wedding of Millie and Jeff - a pro-elopement bride and a self-appointed Groomzilla. Come join them on the verge of starting a new life together with only a few obstacles to get in the way, including the bride's brother - a petulant wannabe rocker, a stripper who can't get through a lap dance without tears and of course, the future mother-in-law - a traditionalist who is just a little reluctant to give her little girl away. As the clock ticks down and the bridal party goes astray, will the couple find happiness in a one way ticket to Hawaii, or the more likely promise of disaster? Necessary Adjustments tells a comical tale of knowing when to alter your personality or stay who you are and fight like hell for the ones you love.
Cartoons meets Classics as Phare Play Productions presents A Comedy of Errors, adapted and directed by Michael Hagins. Using the slapstick style that ran rampant in the cartoons we all grew up with, Hagins brings live animation to this Shakespearean tale of double twins confusing an entire town. The show features lots of pratfalls, slaps, weaponry, chases and love triumphant. 
If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, change the locks.
Two couples - a tried and tired doctor and his society wife and a young lesbian couple who aren't quite revealed to the public, enter couples therapy to save their relationships. They meet Agatha who has instituted "separation therapy" in the hopes of reconnecting her wayward clients. When the therapy goes awry, they each find a certain truth in distance from their significant others, and are faced with the choice of acceptance or breaking the rules to reach their desire. Phare Play Productions is proud to present the world premiere of Bludgeon the Lime, a comical tale that explores these divergent relationships and shows how a little space to breathe can do wonders.
Welcome to the chaotic world of semi-engaged Samantha and semi-single mom, Jill - best friends attached by their cells. As they stumble along the path of life, they get tripped up by James the cheater, nice guy Brian, bubbly Cassie and Steve who is… well, just Steve. Filled with good humor, healthy rage and crab rangoons - these gals discover that they've got a lot of advice, they just aren't the best at taking it…but that's for another phone call. Phare Play Productions premieres this fun, new romantic dramedy by Nora Vetter. 
Phare Play is back with its biannual short play festival. 21 hours to put together seven one acts for your viewing pleasure. Here's how those 21 hours break down:
SEVEN CAFFEINATED WRITERS:
Bill Bria, Emily Ehlinger, Duncan Pflaster, Zach Rothman-Hicks, Oliver Thrun, Michael Weems and Spencer Wolf
Friday, March 27th: They meet at the Beckmann theatre in midtown at 10PM to get their themes, script guidelines and the headshots/resumes for the actors they have to write a play for. They go stock up on coffee/Red Bull and write all night and come back at 10 AM on Saturday morning with six copies of their completed scripts ready to go. There they meet up with -
SEVEN IMMENSELY CREATIVE DIRECTORS:
Kelly Barrett, Chris Bell, Nina Capone, Paul Falcetta, Randa Karambelas, Brooklyn Scalzo and Andy Travis
Who also show up at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 28th at the Beckmann theatre. They are then handed a script and given about 30 - 45 minutes to caucus with their writer. Then about 11:00AM, the writers go home to sleep and the directors meet up with their -
THIRTY BRAVE AND ENERGIZED ACTORS:
Donella Alanwick, Melisa Breiner-Sanders, Micah Chartrand, Catherine Corbett, Chris Cramer, Emily Evans, Erin Fehr, Alec Head, Graeme Humphrey, Ben Klier, Jeff Kroh, Andrew Lazaroff, Derrick Marshall, Elizabeth May, Michael McKeogh, Lauren Meley, Kate O'Phalen, Blaine Pennington, Annie Pesch, Cara Picone, Gillian Riley, Eddie Rodriguez, Alicia St. Louis, Dani Suder, Alexia Terrell, Adia Tucker, Steve Unwin, Jere Williams and Danny Wiseman
Who then go out into the city with their directors and casts to rehearse for a good five hours or so. Just enough time for the actors to be fully blocked and off book.
Then there are two shows - one at 7PM and one at 9:30PM that very evening. There is also an audience vote for fun awards like Hottest Cast and Best Use of Prop. Come be a part of the fun!
Show Synopsis: Catherine, the 20-something daughter of Robert, a recently deceased mathematical genius and famous professor at the University of Chicago, struggles with mathematical genius and mental illness. Catherine had cared for her father through a lengthy mental illness. Upon Robert's death, his ex-graduate student Hal discovers a paradigm-shifting proof about prime numbers in Robert's office. While fending off qestions of the discovery, Catherine also must deal with her often absent and overbearing sister, who returns home for their father's funeral. The title refers both to that proof and to the play's central question: Can Catherine prove the proof's authorship? Along with proving the proof, the daughter also finds herself in a relationship with 28-year-old Hal. Throughout, the play explores Catherine's fear of following in her father's footsteps, both mathematically and mentally
Join us for a wine and cheese reception
following our first show
For reservations please call 973 449 7443 or send a mail to jciccarelli@hudsonshakespeare.org
In this day when the family name isn't automatically the daddy's, Hyphen-Nation looks at the alternatives as the parents-to-be battle it out in a doctor's waiting room.
Written by Michael Weems (Fragments and Onward, Forward), this is a one-act about an expecting couple trying to get on the same page.
Part of Brief Acts Winter One-Acts
Art, the Tony Award Winning comedy, raises questions about how well you actually know your friends. Set in Paris, the story revolves around Serge, Marc and Yvan, who find their previously solid 15-year friendship on shaky ground when Serge buys an expensive painting - white lines on a white background. Lines are drawn and they square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to relentlessly batter one another over various failures. As their arguments become less theoretical and more personal, their friendships teeter on the edge. 
After saving the life of an enemy soldier one night by hiding him in her bedroom and feeding him chocolate creams, a young women must sort out her feelings for him when returns to her house on the same day as her father and fiance in this delightful romantic comedy. 
Set in the fantastical world of Illyria, here imagined as the inside of a genie's bottle, Shakespeare's romantic comedy springs to life. This productions aims to be a highly accessible, imediate retelling of the story. It is the tale of the plucky Viola who, shipwrecked in a strange land and disguised as a boy, must fend off the advances of the amorous Olivia all the while pining after Olivia's suitor Orsino. Throw into the mix the drunken Sir Toby Belch, belligerent coward Sir Andrew Aguecheek, pompous Malvolio and sassy young singing girl Festes, and the results are a raucous good time you won't soon forget!