Estrogenius Festival at Manhattan TheatreSource

The Manhattan Theatre Source present Estrogenius Festival, a showcase for female creativity, offering a diverse array of short plays, solo shows, dance, visual art, performances by teens and music, at Manhattan Theatre Source from 19 Sep - 13 Oct 2007. Amongst the events scheduled are a series of short plays

The festival will feature a programme of short plays, presented in 4 parts - each part consisting of five plays.

Short Play Programme One
Dates: 19 - 22 Sep 2007

• A Cure For Panacea
  Playwright: Laura Schlactmeyer
  Director: Regina Robbins
  Cast: Adam Nowak, Greta Pauley, Nikolas Priest, Catherine Rush and Allison Walton
  Synopsis: Two bickering couples go to the futuristic Panacea Clinic in hopes of saving their relationships and meet a young woman trying to get over a crush. If you could take a single pill to solve your love life would you?
• After People
  Playwright: Fiona Jones
  Director: Mhari Sandoval
  Cast: D'Vorah Bailey, Judy W. Chen, Brie Eley, Carla Hayes and Elizabeth Rosengren
  Synopsis: Set in the future, three "families" of clones search for answers and understanding about the sun's demise.
• Wedding (Re)Gift
  Playwright: Jennifer Thatcher
  Director: Devon Higby
  Cast: Denise Fiore and Elon Rutberg
  Synopsis: Tensions flare when a young couple realizes they've been given a white elephant as a wedding present.
• The End
  Playwright: Shoshonna Currier
  Director: Michelle Salerno
  Cast: Vonia Arslanian, Frederick Backus, Gordon Lai and Alanda Spence
  Synopsis: Jack, April, Simon and Mal are the four remaining survivors on a reality TV show "The End". Who will win the prize inside the altar? Is it worth giving up on a budding romance?
• Swan Song
  Playwright: Anton Chekhov, adapted by Andrew Frank & Doug Silver
  Director: Andrew Frank
  Cast: James Lawson and Shoshonna Richman
  Synopsis: A new short musical by the team behind THE GREENWICH VILLAGE FOLLIES and SIDD. Based on a Chekhov one-act play, the musical follows an aging actor as he reflects upon his life and finds happiness with the help of his young niece.

Short Play Programme Two
Dates: 26 - 29 Sep 2007

• The Curse Of The Horned Babby
  Playwright: Lisa Dillman
  Director: Heidi Handelsman
  Cast: Amy Dickenson, Ridley Parson, Alison Saltz and Franny Silverman
  Synopsis: How did a town lose all its men? When a minstrel passes through, the cobbler's wife, the baker's wife and a crone tell him the frightening tale of horned babby.
• I Have It
  Playwright: Bekah Brunstetter
  Director: Irene Carroll
  Cast: Caroline Parsons and Thomas Rowen
  Synopsis: An off-the-wall tale about George and Lady, a young couple who meet under the most interesting of circumstances. Will a dose of reality get in the way of their budding attraction?
• Parents Of Typical Children
  Playwright: Michele Markarian
  Director: Leah Bonvissuto
  Cast: Denise Collins, Helene Galek and Bill Kozy
  Synopsis: A 40-ish couple must come to terms with a grim reality: their child will love the Blue Man Group and sports. Are they up to being parents of a typical child?
• Kid Sister
  Playwright: Carrie Louise Nutt
  Director: Lanie Zipoy
  Cast: Zazie Beetz and Dominique Fishback
  Synopsis: When 12-year-old Iris confronts 16-year-0ld Diana about her bulimia, the result is a far cry from and after-school special.
• Saguaro
  Playwright: Philip Dawkins
  Director: Shannon Ward
  Cast: Amelia Campbell and Julie Fitzpatrick
  Synopsis: Are men and cacti the same? Wren finds out when she dates a succulent saguaro in this clever comedy.

Short Play Programme Three
Dates: 3 - 6 Oct 2007

• Please Remove This Stuffed Animal From My Head
  Playwright: Crystal Jackson
  Director: Dev Bondarin
  Cast: Mark Adamsbaum, Nick Arens, Brian Karim and Amy Lee Pearsall
  Synopsis: Phil and Jerry are shocked that Man wants to take part in a life threatening procedure: removing the stuffed animal from his head.
• Rumple Schmumple
  Playwright: Megan Gogerty
  Director: Megan Demarest
  Cast: Medina Senghore and Montserrat Mendez
  Synopsis: A feminist twist on the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale. Tired of many no-sleep nights and being tied to a young baby, the Queen gives up trying to guess Rumplestiltskin's name and instead suggests that he take the baby home. Who will win this tug of war?
• Crossing Over
  Playwright: Natalia Naman
  Director: Mary Hodges
  Cast: Meagan Prahl, Tarantino Smith & Chandra Thomas
  Synopsis: A re-imaging of the tragedy of Philomela, Procne and Tereus as an African American myth. A tale filled with longing, jealousy and revenge.
• In Dog Years
  Playwright: TD Mitchell
  Director: Rosalie Purvis
  Cast: Marinda Anderson and Ivory Aquino
  Synopsis: Can a canine come between a lesbian couple?
• The Body Washer
  Playwright: Rosemary Frisino Toohey
  Director: Zoya Kachadurian
  Cast: Joane Cajuste, Amy Forney and Rasha Zamamiri
  Synopsis: Three women� an African American soldier, a white reporter and a Iraqi body washer, who cleans the dead according to Muslim tradition, � are brought together by one terrible event.

Short Play Programme Four
Dates: 10 - 13 Oct 2007

• Family Time
  Playwright: Pamela Danforth Yaco
  Director: Leslie Cloninger
  Cast: Michael Kaplan, Valerie O'Hare & Kate Sessions
  Synopsis: Siblings Marie and Vinnie confront the past while presiding over their dying mother's hospital bed. Will they be able to find common ground?
• Fetus Envy
  Playwright: Melissa Maxwell
  Director: Kathleen O'Neill
  Cast: Jeanette Bonner, Nigel Jamaal Clark, Charlie Fersko, E.C. Kelly, Synge Maher and Vincent Marano
  Synopsis: In this courtroom drama, a woman is tried for the accidental death of her unborn baby. Will she be found guilty?
• For Want Of A Shoe
  Playwright: Kristine McGovern
  Director: Esther Neff
  Cast: Christine Burnett, Tina Chilip and Michael J. Connolly
  Synopsis: Couple Paul and Laurie see the world differently in this screwball comedy. When Laurie loses her shoe in an expensive restaurant, uptight Paul's faith in their relationship begins to wane.
• Rainbow Sprinkles
  Playwright: Stacey Lane
  Director: Tegan Meyer
  Cast: Christine Bokhour & Jacqueline Kroschell
  Synopsis: Miranda wants to hire a perfectly normal, non-controversial, completely PC clown for her young son's birthday party. When Rainbow Sprinkles walks in her door, she gets more than she bargained for.
• Red Carpet
  Playwright: Kristina Romero
  Director: Maura Kelley
  Cast:
  Synopsis: Young wanna-be starlet Laura is set for the night of her life, a date with Hollywood's biggest hunks, but she soon learns that fame always comes with strings attached.