The Actors’ Studio’s LaBute New Theatre Festival continued with four more short plays that demonstrated their creators’ ability to shape a satisfying piece of art in a little more than the four panels a comic strip artist uses.

In his one-act “TNT,” Steve Apostolina amused us as he demonstrated the range of ways three people can deal with each other. First it’s just Mara Bollini and Drew Patterson, and the atmosphere is decidedly chilly. When a customer enters the shop, Bollini makes the trek to the front of the store. But when Patterson leaves to check on the storeroom, and Williiam Humphrey takes his place, the atmosphere warms up considerably. And the treks to the front of the shop are more equitably shared. 

John Yarbrough’s “Maizie and Willow, Brown Penny, Blue Pillow” took us through the pain of an assisted suicide. Because it was reluctantly assisted, the play always held out the hope that it might not happen, until it did. Missy Heinemann and Jaelyn Hawkins did splendid work with Yarbrough’s probing script.

In Cary Pepper’s “What Do They Want,” Brock Russell’s mild store clerk tries to understand what Drew Patterson’s invasive customer wants as Patterson repeats phrases like the show’s title and other equally meaningless questions. Is this a “who’s on first” routine, or lines left over from Ionesco’s Bald Soprano? The puzzle is fun.

“Who Will Witness for the Witness,” by Susan Hansell, has a cast of four women who are arranged on the stage by director Spencer Sickmann facing the audience. Each, Jaelyn Hawkins, Mara Bollini, Bryn McLaughlin, and Missy Heinemann, speaks mostly to the audience, witnessing to the words of feminists some of whom are well known, some less so. It was an impressive recital.

It was followed by a repetition of LaBute’s own play ”St. Louis,” which Gerry has reviewed, liking it better than I did. Once again we had actors facing the audience and not talking to each other. Did Thespis act in vain?

—Bob Wilcox

Photo by Patrick Huber
From left, William Humphrey and Mara Bollini in TNT at the LaBute New Theatre Festival