sUBVERsIVE sHORTs 2005

November 3rd-19th, 2005
at Rust Belt Books

     When the Bush Administration first invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, many of us politico-thespians felt there were far too few protest plays that really spoke out against the new strain of Twenty-First Century imperialism, racism, and corruption.  But by 2005, the rising tide of Bush's atrocities at home and abroad had sparked a groundswell of radical new theatrical concoctions all across the U.S.
     Subversive Theatre was eager to do something that would give our audiences a taste of all the exciting new political theatre out there.  So we came up with sUBVERsIVE sHORTs 2005: a haphazard melange of four short plays by Bush-hating playwrights from all different parts of the country -- west coast, east coast, mid-west, and northeast.
     This eclectic menagerie featured vignettes of all different lengths, structures, and styles.  Each evening began with "Has The Whole World Gone Crazy?", a self-mocking Seinfeld-esque ten-minute spoof about two headline obsessed intellectuals who were frantic to solve the world's problems from the comfort of their local coffee shop.  This was followed by "Redundancy", a spoken-word recitation of actual news reports of factory shut-downs and lay-offs that cleverly blended into a thunderous poetic cacophony.  And our showcase ended with "Patriot Act", a haunting Orwell-ian reality show that handed an ultra-patriot a painful taste of his medicine.
     All this was tied together by snippets of "George", an extemporaneous play that featured visitations from a foul-mouthed George Washington.  The Founding Father served as a wonderful narrator, ring master, and through line for each evening's performances as he decried the Patriot Act in four hysterically bombastic tirades.
     sUBVERsIVE sHORTs 2005 was extremely well received by the idealistic audiences who packed into the cramped back room of Rust Belt Books each night.  In fact, the production went so well, we may just turn the sHORTs into an annual offering . . . or maybe into an annual new play competition.  You'll just have to wait and see.
     Anyway, here's a quick rundown on who did what:

GEORGE 
by Buffalo poet/playwright Michael Fanelli*
directed by David Granville*
George . . . . . Jamie Todd Hamilton*
Martha . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Orloff*

HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE CRAZY?
by Elizabeth Emmons of New York City's Blue Box Theatre
directed by Kurt Schneiderman*
Nook . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Joe Weins
Strella . . . . . . . . . . Jeanine Giffear*

REDUNDANCY
by Minneapolis poet/playwright Mark Nowak
directed by Rick Lattimer
News Anchor . . . . . . Sarah Orloff*
Businessman . . . . . . . Donald Gallo
Laid-off Worker . . Jeanine Giffear*
Revolutionary . . . . . . . . Joe Weins

PATRIOT ACT: A Reality Show
by Charles A. Duncombe of Santa Monica, CA
directed by Kurt Schneiderman*
Man . . . . . . . . . Peter Jaskowiak*
Interviewer #1 . Diane Cammarata
Interviewer #2 . . . . . .  Joe Weins
Interviewer #3 . .  Theresa Baker*

    * = indicates members of the Subversive Theatre Collective