Don't Miss Theatre Three's Festival of One-Act Plays

A must-see theatrical event, the 26th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays, runs through April 5, 2025, at Theatre Three's iconic The Ronald F. Peierls Theatre on the Second Stage. Seven short plays, selected from more than 1,000 submissions, received world premieres. These fully staged productions are directed by Jeffrey Sanzel, an artistic visionary who brings the playwright's words and characters to life while creating a thoroughly entertaining experience for the audience. The top-notch ensemble includes Julia Albino, Steve Ayle, Will Brennan, Samantha Fierro, Jason Furnari, Jae Hughes, Brittany Lacey, Phyllis March, Linda May, Douglas Quattrock, Evan Teich, and Steven Uihlein.

The first act consists of four well-crafted plays that explore interpersonal dynamics and dysfunction, including the slippery slope inherent in parent-child relationships, the drama and trauma couples face, and the soul family we surround ourselves with to survive in an increasingly apocalyptic world.

The festival opened with "A Happy Child" by Melinda Gros. This heartrending drama explores the emotional tightrope a mother treads with her dysfunctional adult child. Hughes gave a riveting performance as Rory, a lost soul adrift in a sea of inner turmoil. May was believable as a devoted mother anxious to rekindle a relationship with her distant child. The play ends on a hopeful note with the spotting of a hawk.

The next play featured a dark comedy by D.L. Siegel, "Monster Love," reminiscent of "The Munsters" or "The Addams Family." Ayle rocked the role of Victor, the jovial, charismatic mad scientist hellbent on making his daughter's upcoming wedding day memorable. Albino delivered an outstanding performance as his kindhearted daughter. However, Victor's otherworldly creation, brilliantly portrayed by Fierro, stole the show!

Melanie Acampora's one-acts have been in two previous Theatre Three Festivals, "When Driven" in 2016 and "Bird Feed" in 2017. Her latest effort, "Too Much Fondant," offers a highly relatable but painful-to-watch unraveling of a couple's long-term relationship. Teich as the emotionally detached, work-driven Ryan and Lacey as his disgruntled partner displayed electrifying onstage chemistry.

The first half of the festival closed with a dark drama, "Final Dress, or Places for the End of the World," by Mathew Green. In a world on the brink of extinction, a local community theatre rehearses "Romeo and Juliet" because we all know "the play's the thing," and the show must go on. The tight-knit ensemble delivered stellar performances, including Furnari as Larry, Hughes as Jess, Brennan as Luke, Fierro as Amy, March as Bobbi, and Uihlein as Desi.

The second act consists of three entertaining plays dealing with healing the physical and spiritual body and the price one must pay to do so. "Where Illusions End," a two-hander by Mark Mulkerin, features adult brothers reconciling their differences to cope with their mother's terminal illness. The unforgettable performances by Furnari as Cam, the caring son left in charge of their mother, and Teich as Alex, a jaded professional magician, were high points of the festival.

Biotech meets medieval solutions in James McLindon's outrageous dark comedy, “Sinergy.” This one-act deals with corporate America and how it conspires to have people sell their souls to make a living. Lacey and Ayle were captivating as two cold-hearted capitalists. Uihlein, a natural-born physical comic, had the audience in stitches as the poor working-class stooge doomed to eternal damnation.

The festival closed on a high note with the clever dramedy "Cliff" by Teri Foltz, which takes place in the waiting room of an oncologist's office. Quattrock's standout performance of the shy, often-invisible, docile husband, Cliff, is worth the price of admission. May delivered a strong performance as Carrie, Cliff's calculating, cold-fish wife. Albino, Brennan, Fierro, and March portrayed many of the players in Cliff's life, and their rapid-fire transformations from one character to the next were spellbinding.

Content Advisory: The plays contain adult content and language.

Tickets to this entertaining and enthralling festival sell out quickly, so drop everything and get yours today! The 26th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays, sponsored by Lippencott Financial Group, runs through April 5, 2025, at Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY 11777. For tickets, call the Box Office at 631-928-9100 or visit their website at www.TheatreThree.com.

Cindi Sansone-Braff is an award-winning playwright. She has a BFA in Theatre from UCONN and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. She is the author of "Grant Me a Higher Love," "Why Good People Can't Leave Bad Relationships," and "Confessions of a Reluctant Long Island Psychic." Her full-length Music Drama, "Beethoven, The Man, The Myth, The Music," is published by Next Stage Press. www.Grantmeahigherlove.com.