American Repertory Theater of WNY Presents a One-Act Showcase from Local Playwrights, 7/24-8/2

The American Repertory Theater of WNY is celebrating the 10 year mark of the Buffalo Infringement Festival by bringing back the Local One-Act Showcase to be presented at ART in the Box, 16 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo NY 14219. Showdates and times are July 24th (Thursday)-7:00 pm-9:30 pm, July 25th (Friday) 9:00 pm-11:00 pm, July 26th (Saturday) 9:00 pm-11:00 pm, Aug 1st (Friday) 9:00 pm-11:00 pm, Aug 2nd (Saturday) 9:00 pm-11:00 pm. Suggested donation of $10.

ART/WNY founder Matthew LaChiusa was one of the several original organizers for the first couple of Buffalo Infringement Festivals and to celebrate 10 years of success has opened the ART in the Box performance space with the return of the Local One-Act Showcase as well as providing a forum for other theatrical productions scheduled for the festival. "I can recall when we were struggling to find spaces to perform theater pieces." Said LaChiusa. "After the success in finding a performance space for ART/WNY, I wanted to give back to a festival that didn't see the same support in the early days. I'm glad to see the festival reach this level of success and here's to the next 10 years."

The featured playwrights include Mark C LLoyd, who has been part of ART/WNY's one-act showcase with his work SEE THE SCREAMS, humorous MOON GLOW (directed by ART/WNY alumni Gail Golden), Maura Nolan debuts her works CYCLIC TROUBLE: Choices in Three Episodes. CHIVALRY ISN"T DEAD...FOR MEN, FAKE, PLASTIC HEART and NO U-TURN, Matthew Boyle's impressive BROTHERHOOD OF A WHIRLPOOL BOX sees production on ART/WNY's stage and Megan Kemple co-wrote with Brianna Lanoye, Celine Keefe the compelling THE ESSENCE OF LIGHTNING.

Mark C LLoyd is a published Poet and a produced Playwright who resides in Lockport, New York. As a Playwright, Director, board member and production consultant he has worked with many theater companies in the Buffalo, New York area. To date he has directed over two dozen of his own plays. In 2009 Mark won an award for Directing from the Theatre Association of New York State and in May of 2006 he won the award for Writing "Hollywood Dreams-A Monologue".He has been the featured reader and host at numerous Poetry events and has self-produced several artistic and theater productions. His self-published Poetry chap book from 2010 "Warm Blooded Mornings" is still available for sale as well as his 2012 miniature book "It's The Place You'll Find Me" by Destitute Press. In 2013 his book "Unfinished Suite: Poetry & Prose" was released by No Frills Publishing and is described as "... Lloyd has mastered the art of living in each moment. He captures and brilliantly documents the details of those moments that most take for granted, as if he sees the future and recognizes the fortune in front of him. He breathes life into every day human interactions." Presently Mark is editing another book of Poetry, a Novella and two books of his produced Plays as well as two new feature length plays for 2015.

Mark commented on his work MOON GLOW, "The moon is a bad lounge act?" is an example of what one man has to deal with when getting love advice from the moon. Just one guy to another. Only one of them is the moon."

The rest of the local playwrights featured in the showcase are making their writing debut or are relative newcomers to the writing scene.

In their first staged debut of the work, Megan Kemple along with co-writers Brianna Lanoye and Celine Keefe describes ESSENCE OF LIGHTNING as "a one act surrounding the lives, relationships, and legacies of three famous women: Maria Callas, Marilyn Monroe, and Jackie Kennedy. It attempts to take the mask of the public persona, the archetype away and discover the reality of the human being that lies beneath it."

"She might be among the worst kind of people...She will force you to reconsider your entire life and everything you once knew...Somehow she will make you a better man." writes playwright Maura Nolan from her comprehensive piece CYCLICAL TROUBLE: CHOICES IN THREE EPISODES which includes three interrelated vignettes entitled CHIVALRY ISN"T DEAD...FOR MEN, FAKE, PLASTIC HEART and NO U-TURN. Nolan describes CYCLICAL TROUBLE as "a quirky yet insightful comedic trio of short plays that explores relationships; the decisions we make in them, how they effect other people, the patterns we develop and what you can take from those we let into our lives. Most importantly, though, how we define ourselves by our choices in relationships. CYCLICAL TROUBLE follows one woman or the voice of multiple women and their endless search to find that "thing," her "it." Think you've heard this all before? Think again." As for individual pieces, CHIVARLY ISN'T DEAD...FOR MEN, Nolan describes the work "We meet two men and are introduced to the character of a woman. The first (Present) is at a stalemate with his relationship with "her." Seeing his despair he is approached by Past who recounts how this woman effected him and how she will effect every man until she ultimately learns to effect herself." The final two works FAKE, PLASTIC HEART "is focused on Reagan. A girl who tests her potential significant others by taking them to a porn store. The same porn store. There she encounters Eli, the porn store cashier by day, poet by night, who sees exactly what she's doing. And he's not biting his tongue anymore." Nolan describes her final piece in this trilogy, NO U-TURN, follows "Audrey and her varying relationships with three men; her best friend, a man she has nothing in common with and a man she has everything in common with, and their cars. Entirely taking place in each of the men's vehicles she struggles with what and who it is that she ultimately wants."

An actor/playwright, Matthew Boyle, saw his first produced THE BROTHERHOOD OF WHIRLPOOL BOX debuted at the recent Alleyway Theatre's "Buffalo Quickies" and is now seeing a production on the ART/WNY stage. After thanking Joyce Stilson, Bella Poynton, "his fellow playwrighting workshoppers, all his SCA friends, his wife and children, and God for all their support and love", Matthew described his piece "as a sociology grad student seeking an interview with a homeless man gets more than he bargains for and maybe exactly what we all deserve."

"Am excited to see the merging of two projects I have been honored to be part of and watch grow." Matthew LaChiusa on the participation of his company ART/WNY and BIF. "Both the Buffalo Infringement Festival and American Rep Theater of WNY were considered 'under the radar' and not taken serious in the first few years of existence, and, now, there is larger recognition and a respect for both entities. Their successes makes me proud to have an active hand in reaching their potential...and to extend on with it."

The Local One-Act Showcase individual performances may run on varying nights. The showcase can be seen at ART/WNY's performance space ART in the Box at 16 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo NY. There is a suggested donation of $10.

Please check the ART/WNY website at http://www.artofwny.org/SpecEvents/SpecEvents.html or check the Buffalo Infringement Festival calendar at http://infringebuffalo.org. For additional information please contact 716-634-1102, Mon-Fri, 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Showdates & Times July 24th (Thursday)-7:00 pm-9:30 pmJuly 25th (Friday) 9:00 pm-11:00 pm July 26th (Saturday) 9:00 pm-11:00 pmAug 1st (Friday) 9:00 pm-11:00 pm Aug 2nd (Saturday) 9:00 pm-11:00 pm
Price: $10 suggested donation

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