The Temple Players celebrates 14th season with a festival of original one acts

The Temple Players will open its 14^th season with a staged reading of "Tribal Humor 5," a festival of six original one-act comedies on Thursday and Sunday, June 23 and 26.  The performances are at 7:30 p.m. in the Kava Café of Temple Beth Sholom, 275 Huntington Road in Stratford, near Paradise Green. Three of the plays are by local playwrights who are members of Stratford’s SquareWrights Playwright group.  They are:  “After All I’ve Done for You” by Orna Rawls of Stratford, directed by Marlana Rugg of Branford; “The Free Pass” by Elizabeth Appel of Bethany, directed by Robert Watts of Milford; and "Uncle Murray Does Some Acting” written and directed by Mary Jane Schaefer of Norwalk.The remainder of the show is comprised of “Moscow” by Lauren Simon of La Jolla, CA, directed by Jack Rushen; “Learning Experience at Elderhostel” by John Donnelly of Portland, Oregon, directed by Mark Lambeck; and “The Right to Dry” by Shirley King of Benicia, CA, directed by Tom Rushen.  All three of these directors are from Stratford. This year, submissions were received from all over the country and beyond -- California, North Carolina, Florida, Minnesota, and Oregon as well as Tel Aviv and Singapore. The plays of “Tribal Humor 5” explore mother/daughter, sister to sister and couple relationships as well as the relationship between a disgruntled older man and friends of his family who discover they share a love of theater. The Temple Players is Connecticut’s first theater dedicated to staging works with Jewish themes and characters.  Tickets are $8 for students, seniors, and Temple members; $10 for the public.  For more information and reservations, call (203) 378-6175.