One-act play festival reveals selections

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Playhouse has unveiled its selections for the 2014 Voices of the Valley New One-Act Play Festival.

The third annual event, running July 1 through Aug. 3 at the Playhouse, will feature four plays written by local playwrights.

Past festivals included two or three plays, but the volume of entries this year prompted the theater to expand the selections.

The selected plays are:

“Cupiditas” by Elaine Habeger.

“By The Book” by Liz Hill.

“Hold That Thought” by Michael J. Hill.

“The Crossing” by Stephen L. Sniderman.

Writer-directors Jim Canacci and Bernie Appugliese will stage the plays. Appugliese is also the managing director of the Playhouse and the festival founder.

Voices of the Valley brings new writers together with directors and actors and provides them an opportunity to collaborate on their never-produced works.

Participating writers will have a voice in the creation of a performance-ready piece as they establish a creative team to discuss, rehearse and produce a staged reading of their new one-act plays.

The festival also gives authors a chance to see their works come to life, because the plays will be fostered and prepared for fully staged productions at other theaters.

Actor auditions for the new plays are scheduled for June 24 and 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Youngstown Playhouse, which is off Glenwood Avenue on the South Side.

All roles are open and a wide range of ages of both men and women are needed. Those auditioning will be asked to read from a script. An experienced percussionist is also needed for one of the plays.

For information, call the theater at 330-788-8739 or go to theyoungstownplayhouse.com.