Review: The Tampa Bay Theatre Festival's 2024 Short Play Competition

Short play festivals are always a hit and miss affair for me, which is precisely why I love them.  They are like Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get.  There are always some winners—terrifically written works with stellar performances—as well as bottom-scrapers—works where we question not only how they got into the festival in the first place but also, when they’re bad enough, life in general.  The good news is, even when a short work may be horrid, it’s at least purposely short.  So, our stay in theatre hell is only for a limited amount of time.

But when a short play is glorious, as some of them inevitably are, then we cannot get enough of these good things.

Last Sunday, I once again attended the Tampa Bay Theatre Festival’s Short Play Festival (their 10th anniversary) performed at the Straz Center’s TECO Theater and, once again, I had the time of my life.  There was some stellar work on display as well as a few that could be described as finger-in-your-mouth ipecac substitutes. Watching nineteen short plays, broken up by two sessions, was joyous.  Even viewing the bad plays can turn out to be an exuberant experience (especially feverishly discussing them afterwards with friends). This year, there seemed to be various themes present in more than one play: twist endings, dementia, death, would-be suicides,  angels, and lots of cell phone activity (how many calls can certain  characters make onstage?) 

I will rank the shows that I saw in order, from the best of the best to the…well, not so great.  So here is my official list from this year’s Tampa Bay Theatre Festival Short Play Competition…

THE BEST OF THE BEST, TOP OF THE HEAP

1. UNDER THE HYDRANGEAS by Samantha Sacasa

Well-executed, poignantly directed and gorgeously written.  I don’t always agree with the judges’ top picks every year, but I sure agree with them here: This was by far the best work of the entire festival.  The play, about a mom’s last moments on her deathbed as she recalls the glories of her youth, felt like an excerpt from a larger work, almost novelesque in scope.  The flashbacks were marvelously accomplished with some choreography thrown in as well.  A tear-inducing pleasure, exquisitely acted by the entire cast, especially Kelly McGuire as the dying matriarch.  Just beautiful.

2. FLICK’RING SHADOWS by Jim Moss

I wonder why my favorite shows at this year’s festival are so sad.  In this one by Tampa favorite, Jim Moss, two older people--wonderfully played by Jenny Aldrich and Dan Walker--sit in chairs facing the audience.  Evocative and meaningful, and quietly quite moving.  My only qualm is the ending, where sound effects of a heart monitor mar the mood.  Simplicity works best here, where less is more (no need for sound effects), and it felt forced when compared to the excellence that preceded it. 

3. ALMOST LIGHT by William Leavengood

A father talks via zoom to his 21-year-old transgendered son.  It’s an interesting look at the parental side of the trans issue, where the only one affected is not always the son or daughter.  One line made me laugh: “We sent you to that crazy left-wing college; maybe we should have sent you to FSU.”   The father’s attempt at understanding crashing head-on with the son’s resolve makes for some strong conflict (i.e. good drama).  Moving performances by Chas Reynolds and Newt Pantalones certainly helped. 

4. UNDER CONSTRUCTION by Deborah Bostock-Kelley

An elevator may be the site for so many clichéd shows and improvs…but not this one.  This  is a marvelously written look at four “strangers” in a stuck elevator.  Kym Welch and Naomi Sample are always stand outs in any show, no matter how short.  The twists at the end really work.  I had one issue, and it’s not with the script: One of the twists involves the actions of a young man (played by Zach Angel Zayas), but we rarely see him doing anything strong enough to get the attention that is needed for the twist to work.  Throughout the scene, he just sort of stands there with a bottle of water in hand.  He should have been more hands-on helpful throughout, more a part of the story.  But such a nit-pick doesn’t taint an otherwise brilliant script. 

5. INTAKE by Joyce Wagner

An interesting view of the Hereafter, with one particularly memorable image that I won’t soon forget—a man stabbed with a golf club that bloodily  protrudes from his chest.  I just wish one of the performers knew how to pronounce “archangel” correctly (unless that was on purpose, but if so, why?) 

ENTERTAINING BUT FLAWED PLAYS

6. THE TRIP by Victor Carr

We all can relate to this one, about a couple relying on GPS (and the disembodied voice of a Siri-like “Nancy”) to get to the church on time.  Lots of repetitive dialogue (how many times does the wife say she wants to wring the husband’s neck?) and it seemed to be going nowhere.  But overall it was quite entertaining.

7. YOUR FACE by Kimberly Mullins

The facial expressions of the actresses in this one won me over.  I’m still trying to figure out the glittery faced entity—a goddess?—but it was certainly a thought-provoking affair.

8. WEDDING DAZE by Victor Car

A funny look at a bride and groom whose nuptials may not be as smooth as they believe.  It’s all done in voice over, and I wish perhaps live actors would have done the talking.  Some good lines, like this one referring to sex: “John is an animal, and not a very accomplished one at that.” The ending was a bit obvious for my tastes, but overall well done.

9. THE CIGMA HOUSE by Stan Gurvitz

This one could have been even better with some editing, taking out the entire opening and starting the script when the parents and daughter arrive at the witchy grandmother's house. And the ending was way too abrupt for my tastes, way too pat.  But the relationship between the grandmother-witch and her adorable granddaughter—a witch to-be—was very sweetly done.

10. GRUESOME GIFT by Rex McGregor

Another humorous show with a scene-stealing performance by Alexa Sheppard.  This one is set at a gift-wrapping station at a store and a man with a secret item in his case that he wants gift-wrapped.  A snazzy premise that promises a lot, but once the secret of the bag’s contents is discovered, it goes nowhere fast.  It should have ended at the moment we realize what the gruesome gift actually is.

11. (ALL) IN THE FAMILY by NaTasha McKenzie

This one was all over the place, with ironic twists and family squabbles reaching new highs and lows.  It’s a hot mess, but an entertaining one.  And they may want to change the title for those of us who remember Archie Bunker.

12. THE MOON IS FULL OF IT by Jim Moss

A jester yearns for a kiss from a scientist.  It’s both clever and oftentimes quite talky (too talky for my tastes), but certainly entertaining. 

13. A TIRED MOTHER’S PRAYER by NaTasha McKenzie

A well-acted scene where perhaps the playwright had a lot to say.  Some great lines, like when a person  describes marriage as “American Horror Stories meets Stranger Things on Lifetime.” Well-acted, but fuzzy—was this a group therapy session or a church social? 

14. BOOK SCAN/BOOK BAN: AN AP’S DILEMMA by Outcast Theatre Collective

An important, timely subject that includes so many quick scenes in such a short time.  It seems more designed for a TV movie than a play, especially the short play format. 

                                                       THE NEXT FLOOR DOWN...

15. PLAYING THE S CARD by Joyce Wagner

This focuses on a troubled man speaking to a therapist.  Good performances about a person who stalks his girlfriend and threatens suicide (the S card).  But it ends on such a very strange note.

16. 10,000 ANTS by Oukast Theatre Collective

This one was all over the place with very little focus.  It includes covid jokes four years out of date.  (It’s like a play about hippies in 1974, long after their flower-power reign.)  It’s an interesting premise—the insensitive, sometimes racially-aimed  comments that build up over time—but peters out at the end. 

                                             WHAT LEVEL OF HELL ARE WE IN, VIRGIL?

17. THE LAST OF ME by James Madden

A man scribes a suicide note and is saved by a guardian angel.  Unfortunately this lacks the necessary heart for the audience to empathize with the sadness of the suicidal lead character.  Includes voice overs and an angel (that needs to project in the intimate TECO theater).  If we find ourselves dispassionate while watching a suicide in progress, then something must be amiss.

18. OPEN HOUSE by Alaina Rahaim Miller

The first show we saw was also one of the weaker ones.  It’s slapstick, like an SNL sketch ten minutes before 1:00 a.m., and forced farce.  There’s a scene where the husband inexplicably dresses as an older woman, while his pregnant wife (who confides to everyone but her hubby about the pregnancy) can’t tell it’s him.  Why is any of this happening?  Unbelievable at every turn and trying way too hard for laughs.

19. THE ACTIVITY DIRECTOR by Jarrod Manos

There’s so much wrong with this one that I don’t know where to begin.  Take all of the old people stereotypes that you can find, strip them of any humanity and dignity, and put them together in this rather unappetizing gumbo.  It’s all over the place and nowhere at the same time.  If the mention of “poopy-pants old lady” makes you laugh, then maybe this one is for you. 

If you have never attended one of the various categories of the TBTF, then make sure to do so next year.  They have play readings, monologue contests, workshops--something for the theatre lover in you.  And if you have time for only one of their offerings, then the short play festival is a must. For ten years now, Rory Lawrence and his company have made such a positive impact on our community with the TBTF, and it’s always my pleasure to attend the festivities.  I already can’t wait for next year!

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