The Sunflower Troupe, returning to the Cortez stage for the first time since 2019, will hold its first regional play festival, featuring nine plays by area authors Sept. 24-25 at the Sunflower Theatre.
The original plays comprise the Sunflower Shorts 10-Minute Play Festival. Five are written by Montezuma County residents, according to a news release from Heidi Brugger.
The shorts – billed as hilarious, sweet and thought-provoking – include the work of Kellie Pettyjohn, Elizabeth Dickey and Amelia Greco-Weldon of Mancos; Joseph Keleher of Cortez; and Hugh Robinson of Dolores.
Other authors include Michael Burgin of Santa Fe, Phil Ginsberg of Colorado Springs and Vicki Meagher of Albuquerque, Brugger said.
Expect an introduction to a varied range of characters – oracular talking insects, a 99-year-old sea captain wannabe, a cabbie who is more than a driver and card-playing seafood candidates.
“The costumes promise to be a visual delight,” Brugger said.
Kim Welty, the troupe’s executive producer, touted the lineup as a “theatrical smorgasbord.”
“With several short plays, everyone should be able to experience at least one work that speaks to them,” said Welty, adding, “Not only will the audience have a selection of genres to experience, but the plays will be presented live on stage, as videos, and even a ‘radio’ drama in the troupe’s first multimedia production. We will also have ballots for a People’s Choice Award.”
Planning for Sunflower Shorts began in 2019, but productions were put on hold during the pandemic.
Now, actors and directors are ready to get back on stage in front of a live audience, the news release said.
“This is not only a wonderful way to showcase local authors; it has become an opportunity for new directors to test the waters,” Welty said. “Troupe members are working as an ensemble with actors taking roles in a couple of plays, as well as directing. It’s a theatrical smorgasbord.”
The Sunflower Shorts 10-Minute Play Festival runs Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24-25, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at https://sunflowertheatre.org/ticket-info/ or at the door.
The Sunflower Troupe is a program of KSJD Community Radio and the Sunflower Theatre. The Sunflower Troupe is a volunteer-run, community theater group in Cortez that provides an outlet for creative community involvement while seeking to produce quality entertainment.
