Arts & Entertainment
Theater Review: Evening of One Acts at Ridgefield Theater Barn
The 2022 Evening of One Acts features seven plays, six of which were penned by local playwrights.
RIDGEFIELD - The annual evening of original One Act plays is back at Ridgefield Theater Barn through Apr. 2. The 2022 Evening of One Acts features seven plays, six of which were penned by local playwrights.
The production team never plans a theme for the evening as they sift through the dozens of submissions, but one that emerged this year was a sense of mystery and promise. “The One Acts is a labor of love for everyone at the Barn, and we feel so blessed that our patrons have embraced it year after year,” writes Paulette Layton, One Acts Committee Chair and Production Manager. “The collaboration among such talented actors, directors, and designers is everything this theater is about –encouraging participation from the community (both novices and veterans), while inspiring and challenging each other on an artistic level, culminating in a top-notch production of which we can all be proud.”
The evening begins with “The Voyage” by Joe Carlisle and directed by Brian DeToma. Roberta Robinson, in her Ridgefield Theater Barn debut, plays Stephanie, a demanding actress traveling by ship to her next performance, and Rob Hunt is The Purser.
“Third Window from the Right,” a play by playwright and occasional screenwriter Scott Mullen, stars Benna Strober as Kate in her Ridgefield Theater Barn debut, and T.J. Cequeria as Henry, who were directed by Linda Seay. He is a playwright who has written about a woman that he has been watching eating her lunch on a park bench that he can see from a window in his apartment.
“The Spoiler” is a play by Linda Bidwell Delaney of Westchester County that was directed by Chris Ceponis. Emily Volpintesta (“An Evening of One Acts” in 2018 and 2019) plays Chloe, Joshua Adelson is Kevin, and Elayne Gordon, a veteran of many productions, is Audrey. Adelson plans to study acting in NYC and to seek Broadway and film roles.
“Facetime” is a contemporary piece that was written by Donna Hoke. Pamme Jones, the executive director of the Theater Barn, is a riot as Angela. Jones can be seen regularly on the RTB stage performing improv and co-hosting the wildly popular “Piano Bar...n'' series. In 2019, she launched her debut cabaret show, “Make Your Own Party.”
Kristin Aug plays her former high school classmate Kelly. Aug was part of the theaters’ “An Evening of One Acts” in 2019 and 2021, as well as “A Christmas Carol” as Mrs. Ida Stocks with Newarts and “Blood at the Root” at Brookfield Theatre for the Arts. The women were directed by Craig David Rosen.
“Survival Strategy” was also written by Donna Hoke, who has also been serving the Dramatists Guild in various capacities since 2012. This play was directed by Mark Hankla and features Bonnie Rose (“Last of the Red Hot Lovers”) as Jenny and Bill Warncke (“Urinetown”) as her co-worker Jerry who discuss the benefits of hugging.
“Al with Meatballs” by Joe Carlisle, directed by David Fritsch is a silly play about a take out order with Aaron Kaplan (One Acts 2021) as Al, Tim Brandt in his Ridgefield Theater Barn debut as Murray, and Joshua Adelson as Jimmy.
“Scarsdale” was written by Newtown resident Kate Katcher, and was directed by Nancy Ponturo. This well-written play is about a woman and a man riding a New York train. Jenn Hankla, who appeared in “An Evening of One Acts 2021,” is the Woman and Rob Hunt returns to the stage to appear as the Man. Kate Katcher is a writer, director, actor, and Artistic Director of the Stray Kats Theatre Company.
The audience at the well-attended opening night clearly enjoyed the selection of one-acts. The Evening of One Acts runs Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees March 20 and 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets are almost sold out. There is cabaret seating, so bring food and drink. Doors open one hour prior to curtain. Proof of vaccination is required to attend.
The season at Ridgefield Theater Barn will close in June with “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.
Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.
