John Chatterton's Midwinter Festival to Present Short Plays with M. Center Playwrights Workshop

John Chatterton's Midwinter Madness Festival, now in its fifth year, presents the finest examples of short stage works. Joining this year's list is two examples from Genesis Repertory's training program, The M Center Playwrights Workshop.

The company's poet laureate, Mohammed Saad Ali, will have a second run of his play Canaan, which had a short run at Manhattan Rep's November Event. Now, this newer version delves even deeper in Ali's series of plays depicting the plight of the 21st century's newest oppressed immigrant. This series started with Old Men are Full of S**t, winner of three MITF Awards last year. Canaan is the story of Yacub and his family and the new chapter in their lives - one they cannot afford and not even sure they want.

M Center's second entry belongs to Christopher Sirota. Sirota, a cinematographer, will have his play, Stalled, presented. The play is a battle of wits between a manager and an employee - the twist is it takes place in-between two stalls in the employer bathroom. Sort of the Art of War ... on the toilet! Sirota's play, Pull the Trigger, was presented as part of John Chatterton's Short Play Lab. Trigger was a surreal take on euthanasia. Sirota was also the cameraman for Genesis pictures works, Two Families, Veronica's Birthday, and the international distributed, Slings & Arrows.

Schedules and venues will be announced forthcoming. Tickets will be handled by OvationTix, 866-811-4111.