TheatreAddict.com - Bakersfield Drama Blog

The 20^th Annual Original One Act Play Festival

at Bakersfield Community Theatre!

Review by: Jen Raven

Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to bring us this very special event! The One Acts this year have some delightful surprises in store for the theatre enthusiasts of Bakersfield. I'll do my best to say what I liked so much about the Festival ... without giving any of the good stuff away! And there is plenty of good stuff to go around:

"Old Friends" was first on the roster. If you've done any time in the entertainment biz, for fun or for pay, then you're going to get a real kick out of this performance! You could tell who the theatre peeps in the audience were; they kept laughing and snorting at the comments made by the actors onstage. What I took from this one was a sense of personal priorities ... it's something to think about: What is truly important to you, and how far would you go to get it?

Next came "The Phone Monster" and this play touched me in a personal place. I've really enjoyed the acting of Katherine Dane in the past ... this is not the first time she's hit me where I live, so to speak, in her performances onstage. She knows how to take ugly real-life situations and bring them to life for an audience, while still managing to pull (the often dark) humor in these situations to the surface. She did it again tonight ... I saw part of myself in her character; and I saw some close friends reflected in the character played by Janice Bondurant (we should all have -or be!- a friend like that!). Anyone who's ever been at the mercy of a government agency ... or a rotten health situation ... will especially appreciate this piece.

"Wordplay" moves quickly; you've got to pay close attention. Fast and funny, this performance piece focuses on what happens when a joker starts to think that maybe his whole life is one big ... joke. This is another play in which a good friend comes to the rescue ... even as he's making the main character play the butt in a joke of his own!

"A Cup of Apple Cider Tea" managed to make me cry (phooey). Anything that can get me weepy gets gold stars. This piece was really beautiful! And, I loved the way the director, Enrique Acosta, used the characters to help set the mood by playing scenery, of sorts, when they weren't speaking lines. It worked.

I already had my tissues out when "I wait for Sleep" came up ... good thing! More weepy Jen. This play was, as director Julie Jordan-Scott put it, "a little different." I would describe it as Poetry. It was like a beautiful and moving poem come to life; so as a poetry buff, of course I loved it. I give props to the actors for holding character so well, and for not falling apart, while they were making us fall apart -good job! I also loved the costume choices for each of the characters; they really added to the tone of the whole piece. Withhold judgment and cynicism; allow this performance to wash over you like music. It's really incredible.

By then my tissue was in shambles, and I had to dig for another one ... because "The Script" had me laughing so hard I was actually crying! People: You have to see this one. All four actors in this piece gave standout performances. Fred, Diana Cruz, Danvir Grewal, and Kendall Bruto had the whole audience in perpetual stitches. I must also take my hat off to the writer, Robert W. Schmid, for the brilliance of this work, AND to the director, Michael Pawloski. The comic timing was handled so well; the use of properties and lighting was brilliant; they had us eating out of their hands from start to finish. Oh ... and the costumes in this one were just fantastic!! Droolworthy. I loved it!

Overall, this production showcases some great new local talent in both acting and directing; and all of the writing is done by local authors. Treat yourself to the One Act Play Festival this year ... it's a great experience!

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Bakersfield Community Theatre proudly presents the 20^th Annual Original One Act Play Festival, June 2007: "Old Friends" Written by Terry Willey and Carol Baker Willey; Directed by Althea Williams; Cast: Melvin Watkins, Gary White; Brian Brown, Maurice Pittman, Alexis Strong ~ "The Phone Monster" Written by Vicki Jameson; Directed by Helen Acosta; Cast: Janice Bondurant, Katherine Dane, Fred, Helen Acosta ~ "Wordplay" Written by Terry Willey and Carol Baker-Willey; Directed by Jodi Lowry; Cast: Jeremiah Johnson, Shay Burke, Julia Foreman, Katherine Dane ~ "A Cup of Apple Cider Tea" Written by Kathryn Jordan; Directed by Enrique Acosta; Cast: BeNeece Davis, Mychael Phillips, Janay Hendrix, Brian Brown, Fred, Jennie Babcock, Enrique Acosta ~ "I Wait For Sleep" Written by Laura Maxwell; directed by Julie Jordan-Scott; Cast: Janice Bondurant, Pablo Reyes, Vanessa Vaughan, Joy Wheat, Kayleen Wills ~ "The Script" Written by Robert W. Schmid; Directed by Michael Pawloski; Cast: Fred, Diana Cruz, Danvir Grewal, Kendall Bruto ~ Set Designs by Julie Jordan Scott ~ Set Building by Tim Bunge and Damien Vonderharr