11th Annual One Act Play Festival...

Past Production - January 2006
Produced by Mace Archer

We are thrilled that you have come to support this year's plays at the festival. You never know what to expect at a Venture One-Act Festival, but you know it will be wildly original and creative, as playwrights, actors, and directors collaborate to bring you brand new pieces of theatre. These six plays refine themselves and mature. Then we added actors to the mix with all the creativity and brilliance that they bring to a project. Our hope, of course, is that you will experience a wild evening of theatre and occasional flashes of brilliance, both in the writing and the performance of each text.

Press and Photos:

See photos and read Jaci Webb's January 6 article in the Billings Gazette's Enjoy here.

Read the January 27 article in the Billings Gazette here.

Shows / Cast Lists:

Cat People
By Erik Johnson
Directed by Zak Kreiter

Randy:  Aric Webber
Dave:  Rob Smith

Cat People is Erik Johnson's first attempt at writing a play and his first involvement with Venture Theatre. After growing up in Billings, Erik moved to Los Angeles, where he made the acquaintance of the "cat people." Having self-published two novels, Erik has already begun work on adapting one of his original stories for the screen.

Letters in a Box
By Elizabeth Hughes Wood
Directed by Sarah Butts

Alexa:  Sofia Gomez
Nina:  Amber Jacques
Carl:  Marc Peters
Edie:  Beverly Clark

Letters in a Box is Elizabeth Hughes Wood's second play produced as part of the Venture One-Act Play Festival. Elizabeth resides in Roundup, Letters in a Box and last year's Garage Sale Day focus on women relating to each other within families. Her themes at the festival have explored these interpersonal relationships from a generational perspective as well. 

Couch Potato
By Lincoln Solem-Sevier
Directed by Tina Scariano

Mark:  Jason Harris
Michelle:  Sarah Butts
Girl Scout:  Sarah Beth Gumm
Lonnie:  Blaine Jensen

Couch Potato is Lincoln Solem-Sevier's third submission to the One-Act Festival, after winning last year's Writer's Voice Award with Juneau. Lincoln's play this year gives him an opportunity to be only the second playwright to ever win the Writer's Voice Award two years running, a feat accomplished in '98 and '99 by Soren Kisiel of Bozeman's Equinox Theatre. Lincoln has also been the recipient of the People's Choice Award for his play Juice, which also won an award for best play at a One-Act Festival at Equinox Theatre in Bozeman. 

A Cut Below the Rest
By D. Paul Schafer
Directed by Hal Hansen

Wade:  Blaine Jensen
Brooke:  Sommer Fain
Grant:  Deano

A Cut Below the Rest is D. Paul Schafer's third play to be produced at the Venture One-Act Festival. He was the recipient of the Writer's Voice Award in 2002 for his play Psight Sometimes plays are written with specific action in mind for roles. That is true of this play as the three actors were selected in advance by the playwright to originate their roles. The One-Acts are the only mainstage for which Venture allows playwrights and directors to cast in advance of auditions. 

Donuts
By M. Avery MacKinder
Directed by Lysa Fox

Freddie:  Andy Smith
Bain:  Jim McRae
Hoskins:  Cliff Hathaway
Elizabeth:  Angela Fulkerson
Maura:  Lisa Halpin

Donuts features an actress who was selected for the production but this time by the director. Lysa Fox selected Lisa Halpin for the role of Maura. Playwright M. Avery MacKinder had no part in casting due to the fact that he currently resides in Los Angeles. Donuts is M. Avery MacKinder's fifth play to be produced at the Venture One-Act Festival. He won the Writer's Voice Award for his play Mack the Knife Salesman in 2001. Mr. MacKinder has also won the People's Choice award on two separate occasions with his plays That's Not Me and DMV.

Life in a Nutshell
By Travis Bierwagen
Directed by Chas Llewellyn

Carter:  Brad Porter
Jessica:  Jessica Kohn
Waitress:  Amber Meyer
Miles:  Josh Payne

Life in a Nutshell is Travis Bierwagen's second play to be produced at the Festival. Last year's Mel and Al Gordon was his premiere, although he had submitted the only musical to ever be considered for production at the One-Act Festival. Life in a Nutshell is a different style than we have seen from Travis before as he stretches himself in a more  insightful and at times truthful direction. Travis's writing is often influenced by fantasy and comic book images that lend a comic tone to much of his work. 

Production and Design:

Producer:  Mace Archer
Technical Director:  Tim Gross
Stage Manager:  Dawn Carter
House Managers:  Wanda Rodriguez, Vickie Eagle, Kim Roebling, Julie Robinson, Tonya Kalfell, Dina Atwood

Show Dates & Times:

January 5, 2006 - 7:30 (Thursday)
January 6, 2006 - 8:00 (Friday)
January 7, 2006 - 8:00 (Saturday)
January 8, 2006 - 2:00 (Sunday) - Talkback after

January 12, 2006 - 7:30 (Thursday)
January 13, 2006 - 8:00 (Friday)
January 14, 2006 - 8:00 (Saturday)

Show Location:

Venture's Roebling Theatre: 2317 Montana Ave., Billings, MT