Review: BSC'S 2021 10X10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL at Barrington Stage Company

With calendars turned to March, temperatures last week in the Berkshires climbed into the sixties, and remnants of snow and ice from the last Nor'easter have disappeared. Indications that Spring is on its way have begun to appear including Barrington Stage Company's (BSC), the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, annual 10X10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL, part of the 2021 10X10 Upstreet Arts Festival.

Another milestone was reached last week as we marked one year since theatres and other businesses were closed in response to the global pandemic. Happily, vaccines have been developed, approved, and are being widely distributed. While this may enable us to resume some sense of "normality", only time will tell the tale. In the time-honored tradition, however, the show must go on so, this year, BSC's 10th annual 10X10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL was filmed live on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage with no live audience.

"Who knew when we started our 10x10 New Play Festival ten years ago that it would become one of our most popular events of the year?" said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. "We started with two weeks of performances and as of last year, we ran our 10x10 Plays for one month in the middle of the winter. This year, we have the added challenge of filming the plays in an empty theatre and streaming them into our patrons' homes. While this is not the challenge we were looking for, we hope to reach an even larger audience than ever before!"

The production streams by demand March 11-14 and 18-21. It offers audiences a collection of ten new works each running approximately ten minutes. The content is not that of a single fully developed work with multiple scenes, acts, sets, etc., THE 10X10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL offers viewers a veritable feast of appetizer sized portions of both comedy and drama to whet our appetites for the 2021 season, details of which are yet to be released.

Directors for the 10X10 New Play Festival are BSC Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and returning for his fifth year, Matthew Penn. The creative team includes Azalea Fairley (costume design), Joseph Martin (scenic design), Scott Pinkney (lighting design) and Alex Sovronsky (sound design). Renee Lutz is the production stage manager. THE cast features 10X10 veterans Doug Harris, Maya Loren Jackson, Matt Neely, Keri Safran, Peggy Pharr Wilson and Robert Zukerman. The ensemble members display ample and well-matched skill and dexterity as they adeptly maneuver through a wide range of scenarios and characters. Performances are consistently strong, and particularly notable given the precious little to no time available for character development.

The ten works featured in BSC's 2021 10X10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL include:

PROTECTING THE INNOCENT by Brent Askari, directed by Julianne Boyd - that looks at what it will take to keep the kids upstairs! Being Santa's Helper is harder than anticipated for these two parents.

FINDING HELP by Marj O'Neill-Butler, directed by Julianne Boyd - where Daphne and her Mother are at loggerheads concerning assisted living or a caregiver. When Daphne tries to solve the problem, she is surprised by her Mother's attitude.

DON'T CALL ME CUPID by Jonathan Cook, directed by Julianne Boyd - examines what could go wrong if Cupid shoots his arrow and well ... it turns out quite a lot.

PEOPLE WILL TALK by Scott Mullen, directed by Matthew Penn - shows what transpires when Martha and Owen both wind up on the same building ledge together, they find themselves talking about what brought them there.

LIZZIE BORDEN GETS ENGAGED by Ellen Abrams directed by Julianne Boyd - an amusing view of when, after her name s cleared, Lizzie Borden goes looking for love.

SPEED PLAY by Alex Dremann, directed by Matthew Penn - shows how on one park bench, two people and a tiny hourglass might tell you a lot about the world.

BLIND LARKS by Christine Foster, directed by Matthew Penn - when four teachers on a field trip are trapped in a rockfall, they find that their thoughts can affect their very chance of survival.

A DATELESS BARGAIN WITH ENGROSSING DEATH by John Minigan, directed by Matthew Penn - When the Messenger of Death comes to visit in the form of an Old Acquaintance from college, database administrator Bobby has to do some quick and computational thinking to stay alive.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEONARD by Walter Thinnes, directed by Matthew Penn - Eleanor has got quite the present for Leonard on his 70th Birthday. But the fun only starts when the clock hits midnight.

ON THE ROCKS by Jessica Provenz, directed by Julianne Boyd - It's a miracle! Grandma is out of the hospital and recovering after her stroke, but something is amiss - Grandpa is stoned on pot brownies and won't let anyone get near her.

BSC's 2021 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL will continue to stream by demand March 18 - 21. Tickets are $35 for one viewer, $55 for a household viewing and are available at http://www.barringtonstageco.org/10x10 Call the Barrington Stage Box Office at 413-236-8888 or visit www.barringtonstageco.org for more information.

To post a comment, you must register and login.