Festival51 Brings Women Playwrights to the Stage

Festival 51, the brainchild of actress and director Leann Heath and her co-producer actor/director (and Motif critic) Terry Shea, is putting the spotlight on the work of women playwrights.

Last spring, Festival51 put out the call for new and emerging New England women writers to submit their work for consideration in the first annual festival. The five winning plays are being presented in two parts. Two of the five will be presented each evening and a filmed short script will be shown at every performance. The Festival51 performance schedule will rotate each night over the course of three weekends at the Mixed Magic Theatre in Pawtucket.

First up on opening night was The Waitress, an absurdist farce from Ainslie Caswell. The setting is a restaurant where the normal rules don’t apply. Two women (Colleen Farrell and Becky Minard) sit down and are told there are no menus. They can order anything they want and it will be provided to them. “This place isn’t like other places,” says the waitress (Makiesha Horsley), who doesn’t have a nametag on her shirt. Horsley is an enormously likable and sympathetic presence who sells every minute of the character’s emotional journey as the story heads to an unexpected turn at the climax.

The restaurant is rounded out by Katrina (Vanessa Blanchette), another waitress who seems much less enthusiastic about serving her customers, and Joe (Justin Paige), the cook and sexist pig who cracks inappropriate lesbian jokes to one of his patrons (Caitlin Robert). There is also a homeless woman (Sarah Reed) who is always lingering around.

Caswell creates an eclectic batch of personalities and has fun showcasing their flaws and quirks.
Director Amy Lee Connell keeps the pacing fast and draws some wonderful performances from the cast.

The second part of the bill, Eugenie Chan’s Bone to Pick, is a postmodern variation on the life story of the Greek goddess Ariadne. This time she is a waitress who launches into a stream-of-consciousness monologue, lamenting the misfortunes of her life. Chan’s dialogue is rich in emotion and poetry as the character reveals her inner life.

Victoria Ezikovich is truly spellbinding as Ariadne expresses rage, sadness, despair and seductiveness within the confines of an unusual diner, complete with overturned chairs, sawdust on the floor and an animal’s skull.

Shannon McLoud’s Therapy is the fest’s short film component, about fairy tale characters attending group therapy. If you ever wondered what it would like to see Snow White, Peter Pan, Alice (from Alice in Wonderland), Hansel and Gretel, and others all baring their souls, then this movie, directed by local filmmaker Chris Ferreira, is what you have been waiting for.

There are some talented performers and performances. The cast features Michael Shallcross (Hansel), Vanessa Blanchette (Gretel), Samantha Gaus (Dorothy, from The Wizard of Oz), and Katie Lewis (Snow White). Unfortunately, they are not given enough substance to work with. The concept is intriguing and fun, but the story doesn’t really go anywhere with the concept, quickly making the piece tiresome, and the weakest link in a genuinely enjoyable evening.

The other plays that will be showcased are Hope Throws Her Heart Away by Susan Goodell and Echoes on the Peaks by Deborah DeGeorge Harbin.

Festival51 runs every Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30pm through August 15. Mixed Magic Theatre, 560 Mineral Spring Avenue, Pawtucket. Tickets are available online now at festival51.org.