On September 17 and 18, at 7:30 pm, 142 Throckmorton Theatre premiers WRITERS WITH ATTITUDE, a Collection of Short Plays, presented by the resident arm, the Playwright’s Lab. Each evening will feature seven professionally staged readings of plays that offer edgy social and political issues, ranging from serious to humorous. The plays have been penned by members of the Playwrights Lab and each runs from 8 to 20 minutes. Marilyn Shaw and Joan Sadler, former founding directors of PlayBrokers, will produce the event, in association with Mill Valley LiveArts. Participating playwrights include Leroy Aarons, Charles Brousse, Brad Erickson, Dyke Garrison, Lynne Kaufman, Martin Russell and Bernard Weiner. There is a suggested donation of $10 per evening and reservations are recommended. Call 415-383-9600. More information is available online at www.142ThrockmortonTheatre.com
Playing for Peace by playwright Bernard Weiner. Two characters, one Palestinian and one Israeli, rehearse a theatre piece about that intractable conflict, with a director who lived through the worst of the troubles between the IRA and the Unionists. Q.A.M by playwright Dyke Garrison. A woman, seeking help in finding her missing husband, feels trapped in the bureaucracy and suddenly senses that the man from whom she is seeking help knows more than he is telling. Spare Change by playwright Lynne Kaufman. An argument between a man and his wife about how to help the homeless ends when she gets out of the car at an intersection. The homeless man standing there insists on taking her to the nearest coffee house for a latte. Zeke the Profane by playwright Leroy Aarons. Before Zeke was even born, his parents agreed that he would not be circumcised. Then Andrew decides to take graduate classes at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and accepts a position as assistant to the Rabbi. The War at Home by playwright Brad Erickson. Love for his gay son and loyalty to the small southern church were he is the minister creates conflict when the son comes to town to oversee the production of his play about gay marriage. The Wedding by playwright Martin Rusell. Two weddings take place in a large family compound in the Iraqi desert, right on the Syrian border. Coalition forces decide it is a safe house for insurgents, with predictable results. Jim and Essie’s Excellent Picnic by playwright Charles Brousse. Essie had the brilliant idea that she and Jim should picnic at Honeymoon Lake to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Jim, however, isn’t ready to party until he solves the mystery of the cosmos.
