The Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival Announces 2016 Finalists

The Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director) is proud to announce the finalists of the 2016 summer one-act play competition.

The finalists are chosen by the Riant Theatre's Artistic Director, Van Dirk Fisher, and through audience votes and online views.

The plays selected in this process will be performed in the finals on Thursday, July 28th at 7pm at the Theatre at St. Clement's, 423 West 46th St, NYC. Tickets to the finals ($35 prime seating, $30 general audience) can be purchased online at www.therianttheatre.com/item.php?date=2016-07-28 or by calling 646-623-3488.

The 2016 finalists are:
(See below for descriptions)

BLACKBERRY WINTER by Kai Elijah Hamilton

THE G69 TRIPLE X-TREME OSCILLATOR by Peter M. Carrozzo

THE COMMUTERS, or A CAUTIONARY TALE OF THE PORT AUTHORITY by Gil Varod, Caleb Damschroder and Kit Goldstein Grant

EXPRESS TRAIN by Michael Selditch

A VIEW FROM THE BACK by Yi Shi

GARBAGE by John Michael Wagner

THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL by John J. Ronan

The finalists will be judged by the jury of industry experts. The winners receive awards for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Costumes. The main prize, The Best Play Award, comes with a $1,500 prize and a development deal for a full-length play produced by the Riant Theatre. Awards will be presented at theClosing Night Ceremony and Performance on July 31st at 7pm, at the Theatre at St. Clement's (For tickets, priced at $35.00, go to https://www.therianttheatre.com/item.php?pid=833). In addition, some of the plays in the festival will be selected for publication in print in the festival's anthology The Best Plays From The Strawberry One-Act Festival: Volume Nine.

One-act plays from the summer for on-demand streaming on the festival's Vimeo channel (vimeo.com/rianttheatre). The fee of $25.00 allows for 24-hour viewing period; a monthly subscription is $15.00 with unlimited viewings.

One-Act Plays Available On-Demand:

BLACKBERRY WINTER by Kai Elijah Hamilton

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/blackberrywinter

An African-American mother finds herself in the abandoned house from her dreams, a place where, as she thinks, her child has been held captive after his abduction. Will a haunting, years-long mystery be solved? Something just ain't right.

THE G69 TRIPLE X-TREME OSCILLATOR by Peter M. Carrozzo

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theg69

A newly purchased sex toy arrives, and a couple is about to try it out - but the user's manual in nowhere to be found. A search for the instructions leads them into several unanticipated discoveries.

THE COMMUTERS, or A CAUTIONARY TALE OF THE PORT AUTHORITY

A musical by Gil Varod, Caleb Damschroder and Kit Goldstein Grant

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thecommuters

When a recently-sacked MTA executive wanders the Port Authority Bus Terminal after midnight, the "Commuters" sculpture comes alive to call him on his subway-related sins. The piece was read to uproarious laughter at Lincoln Center's "Across A Crowded Room" festival.

EXPRESS TRAIN by Michael Selditch

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/80702

In this dark comedy set late one night and forty feet below Times Square, two men reluctantly bond on a subway train stuck between stops. As one man unwillingly reveals an incriminating secret that's haunted him for years, the other finds his own value.

A VIEW FROM THE BACK by Yi Shi

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/aviewfromtheback

Who contemplates the questions of love, death, and violence in a taxi?

GARBAGE by John Michael Wagner

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/garbage

Based on a true story, GARBAGE explores issues of class, race, alcohol, drug abuse, and Christianity. When a college kid sentenced to community service reports to a sanitation worker, they discover they each carry a lot of garbage. Together they learn what stinks and what's worth keeping.

THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL by John J. Ronan

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theearlybirdspecial

A martini to die for: the old folks are really stepping out.

SIXTY SHADES OF GREY by Amanda Ortega

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/80499

A romantic comedy with a twist: a single woman is on her way to meet her first "normal" Match.com date when suddenly she gets stuck in an elevator with a man she wants nothing to do with.

THE UNKNOWNS by Kacie Devaney

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/80704

Can an unexpected visit from the new next door neighbors save a crumbling marriage between Scarlett and Jeb. Everything is about to change. Or is it?

SEE YOU HAVE ME
Book by Simone Allen and Ed Rosini, music and lyrics by Simone Allen

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/seeyouhaveme

Nick's family just doesn't get him, and neither does his older sister, just back home from college. in this short musical, a family struggles with loving each other, and letting go.

PSYCHIC CAFÉ by Anthony Fusco

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/psychiccafe

A flamboyant NYC psychic hires an assistant to draw in new business. The new guy has no idea what he's in for until he meets the quirky clients who reveal the most bizarre, over-the-top secrets.

CROCKETT'S LAST STAND by George Cameron Grant

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/crockettslaststand

A speech at the House of Representatives ends the political career of Colonel David Crockett. Then, Colonel encounters an escaped slave boy and learns from him about the true meaning of courage.

NIGHTS ON THE COUCH by Matt Fotis

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/nightsonthecouch

One man's journey from child to parent, told through five nights spent on the couch.

THE OLD STATES by Lain Kienzle

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theoldstates

As the snowstorm of the decade hits her small farmhouse, Mildred finds a stranger collapsed at her doorstep. But once she opens that door, she may not want to close it.

JUST SAY IT THREE TIMES by Erin Moughon

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/justsayitthreetimes

Joanna and Emilia are spending another night at home drinking and bemoaning the state of their live - until Joanna summons playwright Aphra Behn to visit them from the 1800s.

HIM AND HER, book, music and lyrics by Matt Anderson

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/himandheramusical

A dark story that will leave you asking questions that hopefully will start a dialog about a difficult topic.

A FRIEND by Anika Benkov

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/afriend

A young woman hires a friend off of Craigslist. The play follows their relationship and explores themes of growing up, trust, boundaries, and intimacy between women in an internet age.

THE ELEVATOR by Neil Wolfe

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theelevator

A woman trapped in an elevator is forced to confront her imaginary sister.

LIKE THROUGH A MIRROR by Joseph Lizardi

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/likethroughamirror

What happens when make-believe dominates reality.

REALITY SUCKS by Sonia Cordoves

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/realitysucks

A spoof on things people make up for online date sites, in which a plastic surgeon and a stripper who hit it off through Match.com decide to finally meet in person.

FAMILY GOOGLING by Mark D. Tjarks

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/familygoogling

Jacqueline and Frank invite an old friend over for dinner, hoping she will influence their teenage daughter's decision about her first love. Armed with a smartphone, the youngster starts researching their stories online - and as it happens, grownups learn quite a lot about themselves.

EULOGIES by Amanda Feliciano

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/eulogies

What happens at a funeral, stays at a funeral.

FLIGHT 987 by Tina Posterli

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/flight987

Passengers trapped in a grounded plane struggle with their captivity.

LUCILLE ZANZIBARZ by Don Rosenthal

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/lucillezanzibarz

A tragicomical examination of emotions of a tormented man that may have murdered his wife.

REVOLVER by Paul Trupia

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/revolver

Our Second Amendment in Action.

PUTIN AND THE SNOWMAN by Robert Kerbeck

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/putinandthesnowman

Edward Snowden has been granted asylum in Russia. He's also been given a new job that brings a whole new meaning to the term "whistleblower."

Nicknamed "The American Idol for playwrights," the Strawberry One-Act Festival has been presenting New York premieres and world premieres of short theatrical works submitted for competition from across the country. Since 1995, it has produced over 1,500 one-act plays. Strawberry Festival actor alumni includes Jesse Eisenberg, Chazz Palminteri, Ato Essandoh (2016 Jason Bourne/ HBO's Vinyl/Elementary), Ving Rhames (2016 Bastards/Mission Impossible) and Chance Kelly (NBC's Aquarius/American Sniper). Among the playwrights presenting their work in this year's competition are pianist and performing composer Neil Wolfe and a two-time Emmy nominated producer Michael Selditch (Queer Eye for a Straight Guy).

The Riant Theatre (formerly The Black Experimental Theatre) was founded by Artistic Director, Van Dirk Fisher in 1979 as a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a nurturing environment to develop new plays and outstanding artists - particularly for the African-American Playwrights facing limited access to resources for developing and presenting their work. Through the years, The Riant has extended its mission of furthering the understanding between the races by celebrating diversity through theatre. By 1991, the theatre company expanded to a loft in Tribeca and was renamed The Riant Theatre. Since 1995, it has been producing and presenting the Strawberry One-Act Festival. The Riant (which means merriment and laughter in French) has grown to become a place where artists - singers, writers, actors, directors, musicians, and visual artists - can come together to collaborate on new works and share ideas.

The Riant Theatre has a strong youth mentoring program, which provides internships for teenagers and college students interested in the arts. Besides THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL (usually presented twice a year, in February/March and July/August), its current programs include THE CORE PROJECT, an ongoing intensive workshop for writers, directors and actors to develop new plays and present them in stage readings; NEW PLAY READING SERIES, in which plays are read before an invited audience and followed by a question and answer session with the playwright and artists; and Musical Theatre WorksHOP for students, in which they learn Broadway, gospel and classical style songs under the guidance of theatre professionals and work on scenes and choreography that will lead to a performance.

Van Dirk Fisher, the Founder and Artistic Director of The Riant Theatre and the Strawberry One-Act Festival, has spent his career nurturing and inspiring New York City's emerging actors and playwrights. A native of Brooklyn, he performed on stage and screen since his early years and later has studied acting at SUNY Purchase. In 1979, dismayed by the limited opportunities for African Americans in theatre, he founded the Black Experimental Theatre.

"I wanted to provide stories that covered the economic, social and political progression of the African American," says Fisher. "I thought it was important for us as people of color to produce and tell our own stories and not be dependent on somebody else to tell our stories for us," he further explains.

For his accomplishments with The Riant Theatre, Van Dirk Fisher received the 2009 AUDELCO Special Achievement Award. As an actor, Fisher has appeared in several plays, commercials and voiceovers. He is also a director and a published novelist and playwright. As a TV producer, he created and produced Who's Got Game?, a reality improv game show. Currently, Fisher is working on a reality show version of the Strawberry One-Act Festival.

For more about plays competing in the Strawberry One-Act Festival, click here. For information on the full-length plays in Strawberry Theatre Festival, follow this link. Visit www.therianttheatre.com for more information.

Pictured: Zachery Tuckness and Kalen Hall in THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL by John J. Ronan. Photo by Dennis Gleason.