The Pint-Sized Plays, San Francisco Theater Pub’s popular annual short-plays festival, will return this August for four performances at the PianoFight bar.
Beginning in 2010, the Pint-Sized Plays –short plays by Bay Area playwrights that take place in a bar and involve characters drinking beer – have been Theater Pub’s flagship new-works event. Pint-Sized went on hiatus in 2014, but it returns this year for a fifth edition at Theater Pub’s new host venue, PianoFight!
The work of the Pint-Sized 2015 writers spans a diverse stylistic range, from the hilarious “Branding” by Lorraine Midanik, to the affecting “Colored Pencil Werewolves” by Jeremy Geist, to the noirish “Magic Trick” by Elizabeth Flanagan.
Juliana Lustenader and Alan Coyne, better known in the Bay Area as actors, will be making their San Francisco playwriting debuts with the comedies “To Be Blue” and “Relativity.” Christina Augello, founding Artistic Director of EXIT Theatre, also makes her playwriting debut with “She Don’t Work Here No More.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Ng, author of the hit “Mark +/-” from Pint-Sized 2013, returns this year with “Wretched,” which blends pop-culture references with a keen sense of social justice. Authors Stuart Bousel and Megan Cohen, along with actors Rob Ready and Allison Page, will be updating us on the further adventures of the Llama (Pint-Sized Plays’ mascot, seen in every festival) and the Beer Bear (last seen in 2012).
The evening will be punctuated with Christine Keating’s vignettes of “People Having Important Conversations While On Their Phones.”
Full lineup of plays below:
“She Don’t Work Here No More” by Christina Augello, directed by Stuart Bousel – In the best dive bars, nothing ever changes. But what if the bartender wants to change her life?
“Llama V” by Stuart Bousel, directed by Meghan Trowbridge – He said goodbye two years ago, but now he’s back. Take off your Judgment Pants and have a beer.
“Bear 2: Electric Beargaloo” by Megan Cohen, directed by Meghan Trowbridge – The Beer Bear has risen from the ashes, with a new dye job and a new electric guitar.
“Relativity” by Alan Coyne, directed by Colin Johnson – E=mc2 is simple. Puns, innuendo, and loaded banter are complicated enough to stymie Einstein.
“Magic Trick” by Elizabeth Flanagan, directed by Claire Rice – A bag of money, a ticket to Belize, and a couple in handcuffs. But who’s got the key?
“Colored Pencil Werewolves” by Jeremy Geist, directed by Alejandro Emmanuel Torres – All a grieving parent wants to know is: why were the wolves wearing dreamcatchers?
“People Having Important Conversations While On Their Phones, Parts 1 to 5,” by Christine Keating, directed by Sara Staley – When you’ve got a phone and a beer in front of you, how can you be expected to pay attention?
“To Be Blue” by Juliana Lustenader, directed by Neil Higgins – To be green in a song that aggrandizes the blue lifestyle is just as bad as being dead.
“Branding” by Lorraine Midanik, directed by Gabriel Ross – Pilsner Urquell hopes that Stella Artois will go with him to see a Blue Moon in the Sierra Nevada.
“Wretched” by Daniel Ng, directed by Sam Tillis – Alien Lives Matter, even in a wretched hive of scum and villainy.
The Pint-Sized Plays acting company will feature the talents of Bryce Allemann, Tony Cirimele, Matt Donovan, Colleen Egan, Matt Gunnison, Kathy Hicks, Dorian Lockett, Chris Markle, Carlos Mendoza, Eden Neuendorf, Allison Page, Dylan Pembleton, Rob Ready, Brian Rosen, James F. Ross, Jessica Rudholm, Heather Shaw, Jacinta Sutphin, Jess Thomas, and Scott Van De Mark.
The evening will also feature live guitar music by Duncan Wold. Marissa Skudlarek is the fearless Pint-Sized Plays Tsarina (i.e., producer).
The Pint-Sized Plays will perform four times: August 17, 18, 24, and 25 at 8 PM at PianoFight, 144 Taylor St, San Francisco. Admission is FREE to all performances. For more information, please visit www.sftheaterpub.com.
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