In July, 59E59 Theaters will welcome the return of Summer Shorts, an annual festival of one-act plays written by both established and early-career writers.
This year's lineup features new works by Olivier Award-nominated playwright Nick Payne (whose monologue play A Life opens on Broadway this summer), Courtney Baron (When It’s You), Sharr White (The True), Nancy Bleemer (Providence), Danielle Trzcinski (Little Black Dress!), and Neil LaBute (Reasons to be Pretty).
019 Summer Shorts, presented by Throughline Artists, will run July 19–August 31. The festival is divided into Series A and B, with both series running in repertory at 59E59.
Casting will be announced in the coming weeks.
Check out the complete lineup below.
Series A
Here I Lie by Courtney Baron, directed by Maria Mileaf
Strangers Maris and Joseph, a young editor and a nurse, collide in this play about what it means to exercise compassion and self-care, in the face of hardship.
Interior by Nick Payne, based on the Maurice Maeterlinck play of the same name, directed by Rory McGregor
It is a seemingly normal day for a small family in a quiet, quaint neighborhood. Two men convene outside. The actions they choose to take in just a few short moments will change the course of this family's life forever.
The Bridge Play by Danielle Trzcinski, directed by Sarah Cronk
A man stands at the edge of the George Washington Bridge and is about to jump, when an unexpected stranger interrupts him.
Series B
Providence by Nancy Bleemer, directed by Ivey Lowe
On the eve of her sister-in-law's wedding, a woman returns to her husband's boyhood home. Tossing and turning next to him in his too-small single bed, they question love, marriage and why there are no all-night drug stores in Providence.
Appomattox by Neil LaBute, directed by Duane Boutté
It’s a perfect day in a big park near a big city and two friends get together for lunch and to play catch. Instead, they begin a discussion about life and history and soon find themselves in a conversational minefield from which they may never return.
Lucky by Sharr White, directed by J.J. Kandel
What's the first thing you say after six years? Just on the outskirts of town, in room 11B of The Royale Motor Lodge, Phil Granger is stripping off his wet shirt as Meredith, his wife, is rushing through the rain towards him. LUCKY is the moment they meet.
The design team for Summer Shorts is made up of Rebecca Lord-Surratt (set design); Greg MacPherson (lighting design); Amy Sutton (costume design); Nick Moore (sound design/composer); Joshua Langman (projection design); and Jenna Snyder and Alexander Wylie (props design). The production stage manager for Series A is Dee Dee Katchen. The production stage manager for Series B is Jenna R. Lazar. The associate producer is Sarah Cronk. The technical director is Dan Teachout. The casting director is Rebecca Gushin.
