Cast of Chicago’s 1MPF
Photo: Juan Carlos Pelayo
A PLAY A MINUTE
30 Playwrights Tell One Minute Tales Mile Square Theater to Host 8th Annual Play Fest
By Sally Deering A minute doesn’t seem like a lot of time for a playwright to make a point, but that’s exactly what’s in store at the New Jersey One-Minute Play Festival (1MPF) hosted by Mile Square Theater in Hoboken. On Sat, June 30 and Sun, July 1st, 30 playwrights’ one-minute plays will be presented by a troupe of professional actors and directors. The 60-second plays will explore current topics, ideas, and trends affecting New Jersey residents. The marathon evening of one-minute plays will have three performances: Sat, June 30 at 8 pm, Sun, July 1, at 3 pm and 7 pm. The plays were curated by Producing
Artistic Director of 1MPF Dominic D’Andrea along with Caitlin Wees. The 1MPF theater project’s mission is to engage the community in a public discourse, get them thinking and discussing the issues that are affecting their community. There are 1MPFs in 20 states, so far, and this marks the 3rd year the IMPF will be hosted by Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken. In fact, Mile Square Theatre’s Artistic Director Chris O’Connor has a play in this year’s festival. “It’s exciting,” O’Connor says. “We hosted the New Jersey One-Minute Play Festival last year, and it was a great success. It was
thrilling to have so many New Jersey theatre artists in our theatre, creating such thought-provoking material.” Along with O’Connor, playwrights featured in the festival are Brad Baron, Della Brown, Marian Calabro, Alexander Doyle, Mike Duffy, Laura Ekstrand, Lisa Huberman, Steven Haworth, Chisa Hutchinson, Stephen Hiltner, Margo Hammond, Angela Kariotis, Michele Aldin Kushner, Ari Laura Kreith, Mayumi Lane, Lyn Marie Macy, TS Murphy, Lisa Mary MacNair, Erin Mallon, Benjamin Marshall, Barry M. Putt, Nicole Pandolfo, Seamus Scanlon, Sylvia
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Schwartz, David Lee White, Stanley Werse, Amy Witting, Karin Diann Williams, & Brendon Votipka. Community engagement is at the heart of the One Minute Play Festival. In these stressful times, Community engagement is at the heart of the One Minute Play Festival. In these stressful times, topical theater like the 1MPF is important to our culture because it offers clarity and hope “as the bigger and more important questions are addressed on the national stage.” D’Andrea says: “All of this is reflected in the work. These artists are grappling with some necessary bigger-picture ideas.”
Several directors are also part of the festival: Andrew Binger, Meredith Burns, Jillian Carucci, Jessica Fitcher, Steve Gaissert, John P. Keller, Chris Kuiken, & Enormovs Muñoz – all theater professionals working in the arts. “We are proud to host the 1MPF again this year,” O’Connor says, “and to open our doors to the New Jersey theatre community.” If you go Sat, June 30 at 8 pm, Sun, July 1 at 3 pm & 7 pm The 8th Annual New Jersey One-Minute Play Festival Mile Square Theatre 1400 Clinton St, HOB Tix: $20/www.milesquaretheatre.org www.oneminute playfestival.com
