Chestnut Hill-Mt. Airy resident Susan Blair is in an affair -- THE CHOCOLATE AFFAIR -- at Old Academy Players July 10-19 at the 7th Annual Summer One-Act Bonanza!

Chestnut Hill-Mt. Airy resident Susan Blair stars as Beverly, the woman who steals her daughter’s Halloween candy and hides out in a motel room to enjoy her forbidden love, in the short and sweet comedy, The Chocolate Affair, by Stephanie Alison Walker and directed by Loretta Lucy Miller. [Photo by Loretta Lucy Miller -- Terri Bateman (M&M), Susan Blair (Beverly), & Josh Keiter (Mr. Goodbar)]

Old Academy Players Summer One-Act Bonanza founded in 2009 by Old Academy Players’ member Chris Schenk, is an opportunity to feature new playwrights and directors on the Old Academy stage. Chris, who spent four years with Old Academy as an actor, writer, producer, publicity chairperson and newsletter editor, produced the first two seasons of the One-Act Bonanza until moving to Chicago. He lost his fight with cancer in March 2012, but his legacy lives on through this delightful annual event.

This year there are two World Premiere comedies, showcasing the works of Old Academy members Thomas Abraham, and Brenna McBride! The entire Bonanza is filled with wonderful comedies which are diversified, fun-filled and bound to delight you! They are as follows:
A Perfect Match written and directed by Thomas Abraham: Joel and Abby are searching for their perfect match and a computer dating site says they are compatible. But exactly how truthful have they been?
Murder by Midnight by Jeff Goode, directed by Kristen Hammond: Hotel detective Dick Piston has less than ten minutes to solve a brutal murder for a nude widow, or risk losing her case to the day shift. Can he crack the case before his shift is up?
Scripted written and directed by Brenna McBride: Jenny has written her own happy ending but what happens when life refuses to imitate art?
Senior Coffee by Stanley Toledo, Directed by Susan Zingale-Baird: A young waitress has a fight on her hands when she tries to serve free coffee to a senior citizen.
Sun Dried by Edna Ferber (adapted for stage – Walter Wyckes), directed by Pat Pelletreau: A young aspiring, struggling writer from the mid-west dries her hair on a New York City rooftop and finds unexpected inspiration.
The Chocolate Affair by Stephanie Alison Walker, directed by Loretta Lucy Miller: A woman steals her daughter’s Halloween candy and hides out in a motel room to enjoy her forbidden love.
The New World Aint Cheap by David Vazdauskas, directed by Clinton Cleaver: Christopher Columbus and his conniving young wife try to wrangle ships and sailors out of King Ferdinand, who would rather fight wars over the Old World.

The Summer One-Act Bonanza features the acting talents of: Terri Bateman, Nicole Bishop, Susan Blair, Jillian Bosmann, Tiffany Brink, Rob Bucher, Victoria Cano, Cary Gottlieb, Briana Green, Lauri Jacobs, Leigh Jacobs, Josh Keiter, Dom Lagrotta, Dale Mezzacappa, Michelle Moscicki, David Perelman, Elliot Rotman, David Velez, and George Webster.

Old Academy Players, a non-profit organization located at 3544 Indian Queen Lane in East Falls, has provided continuous community theater since 1923, and featured the acting debuts of both Grace Kelly and Robert Prosky. All tickets for plays are $15. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 pm, and Sunday matinées are at 2 pm. Parking for all performances is free. For reservations, call 215- 843-1109 or visit the theater’s website at www.oldacademyplayers.org for more information.