Double Take: Greenfield Comes Alive with Theater All ‘Round Downtown This Weekend
Linda McInerney is up to her wonderfully clever old tricks once again! Formerly Old Deerfield Productions, her company is now Eggtooth Productions, but this is the fifth year of a most exciting and creative idea–bring together eight short plays, find unusual places to produce them, and then let it rip! If you love surprises, being outdoors (between venues) in the crisp October air, and want to support Linda’s generous vision of vibrant local arts, then GET TICKETS! Only $20 for eight unique plays, happening within walking distance in downtown Greenfield, this Friday and Saturday.
DOUBLE TAKE FRINGE FESTIVAL LINE UP:
1. A staged reading of Breastless by Laurel Turk directed by Melissa Redwin. One woman’s determinedly truthful exploration of body image and sexuality after double mastectomy. Intimate monologues are juxtaposed with wry humor and satirical songs. Anyone with a body will find something to relate to in this piece. (Not recommended for children under 13.) 9 Mill Street (6 and 8 pm)
2. Genuine Cousin of Pearl by Jonathan Caws-Elwitt directed by John Bruner. A slightly surreal, more than silly new one-act comedy featuring eccentric cousins, a hereditary ticket booth, and a thoroughly Grouchoesque family lawyer. When the death of an ancient grandmother reunites Pearl with her cousins the family absurdity comes into full flower. 345 Main Street (7 and 9 pm)
3. Innocent Kind of Love by Rachel F. Hirsch, directed by Kathryn B. McNall. A dark story that explores the expectations and standards we put on love in today’s society. Do we choose love or does love choose us? Wheelhouse, 289 Main Street (6 and 8 pm)
4. I’m Herbert, directed by Chris Rohmann. You walk into a room and can’t remember what you came for, right? In Robert Anderson’s funny, sweet one-act, an old – very old – married couple have trouble even remembering each other’s names. In their rockers (but not quite off them) they reminisce about the past, arguing over their hilariously unreliable versions of it. GCTV, 393 Main Street (7 and 9 pm)
5. John Reese is directing The Sand Box by Edward Albee, Shel Silverstein’s The Best Daddy, and The Tarantino Variation, playwright Seth Kramer’s tribute to the disturbing spirit of Quentin Tarantino’s artistry under the collective title, Laughter in the Dark. Often dark, always funny, and perpetually witty examinations of the human condition performed by nine of the Valley’s most talented local actors. 4th Floor Artsblock, 289 Main Street (6 and 8 pm)
6. Silverthorne Theater offers two related one-act plays by Jane Anderson. Lynette Has Beautiful Skin and Lynette At 3 A.M. Two dramedies that explore the emotional needs and frustrations, from the title character’s perspective, of a contemporary young couple in a romantic relationship. Studio Seven 229-231 Main Street (7 and 9 pm)
7. The Water Project by Emma Ayres, a staged reading with live music. A curious writer with a tape recorder finds an old woman and preserves her memories of a small town gone, as if in amber. While The Water Project is written about the Quabbin Valley, 1920’s-1949’s, water has always been a currency used by the rich to control the poor. Artsblock Mainstage. 289 Main Street (6 and 8 pm)
8. Another Chance, Name Tag, and Attention Is Inevitable. Three short one-act plays written, directed and performed by graduates of the Greenfield Center School co-directed by Bob Strachota. Cast and crew includes: Tai Coppinger, Margot Schocket-Greene, Lydia Anderson, Edwin Anderson, Emma Worth, and Cassidy McDonough-Penson These teens have created a sophisticated and exciting night of theater that are suitable for all audiences. Hope and Olive Upstairs, 44 Hope Street (7 and 9 pm)
More at www.double-take.org.