With over 600 entries from all over the country, the Source auditors had a difficult job selecting only the best. Despite the overwhelming odds, each 10-minute piece was obviously picked for a reason and masterful produced by Jenny McConnell Frederick. Whether it be story, characters or clever concept, the collection will keep you guessing and entertained throughout the evening.
Brace yourself DC theatre enthusiasts! Source Festival is here and it’s time to get out to one of their 25 new shows starring all local talent. No matter what your play poison is, they’ve got something for you. First up is a look at one of three 10-minute play series Lover and Friends.
Love, Death and Latex
By Jeffery Mosser
Directed by Matt Ripa
Wait, balloon jokes? What started off with a high potential for corniness quickly turned into a witty look at the friendship living in the same package can bring. Never before has balloon humor been so over the top hilarious. The squeaky, cake devouring Child (Rick Westercamp) though without lines, was hard to ignore and the rest of the floating cast kept the show grounded in helium-laced comedy.
Dance with the Devil
By Christine Hodak
Directed by Hannah Todd
The true power behind every man is his woman, but when senator’s wife Joan (a sharp performance by Robin Covington) finally takes control of husband William (a Bruce Campell-esque Doug Krehbel) the word play gets fierce. Snappy banter and an unbelievable build anticipation make this short a must see.
Feel Your Breath
By B. Walker Sampson
Directed by Hannah Todd
Social commentary can be hard to swallow when it touches on something you enjoy but this poke at modern technological dependency is less of an unwanted lecture and more of a clever wake up call. Y (Edward Daniels) easily had the strongest stage presence of the evening and female counter part X (Sarah Strasser)
Fugue for Amorous Tornadoes
By Gabriel Jason Dean
Directed by Randy Baker
At first the actor’s western drawl and complete indifference to where the lights shone was off putting. But, by the time you realized the amount of passion each character was building to, everything you were questioning fades away to enjoy the powerful performances by both Christian Sullivan (Five) and Kari Ginsburg (Piper). Enjoyable, if not entirely sensible.
Driving Home
By Margaret Hoffman
Directed by Amber Jackson
Bad guys beware the heartfelt retelling of history’s most famous diabolical duo as they come to terms with their downward spiral of a life. Powerful emotions push through their hard outlaw masks to reveal a love that will last through time.
A Disturbing Encounter at the Calhoun Residence Involving Sex, Marriage and the American Musical
By William Cameron
Directed by Hannah Todd
Who needs to read between the lines when there’s no filter on thoughts? The true insights of the Calhoun family are a delightful look at the less than saint worthy society we’ve become and though the entire story is thrown out within the first few lines, what we see is far more entertaining than anything we could have guessed.
Source Festival runs through July 3rd at Source -1835 14th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. For more information and the list of plays, click here.
