Theater in the Woods’ annual fundraiser at Stone Valley Arts in Poultney takes place Friday and Saturday, November 6 & 7, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday November 13-15.  Eight plays written by community writers are read by actors over two weekends in a dinner theater setting. Soups, salads and sides are served from 5:30 to 6:45 at the evening performances, with the readings beginning at 7 pm. Tickets for the evenings include dinner and are $30; the November 15 Sunday matinee (no meal but refreshments afterward) is $25 and begins at 2 pm.

The eight authors whose plays will be presented in lightly staged readings are: Lauryn Axelrod, Herb Childress, Live Lane, Jon Mathewson, Charles Stevens, Glenn Tarbell, Martin Van Buren III and Mike Worden. Four of the plays are presented the first weekend and the other four the second.

“This is a favorite event for us, and for the community,” Administrative Director Melissa Chesnut-Tangerman says. “Theater brings people together, and over the years presenting Ten Minute Plays in Stone Valley Arts’ welcoming space, we’ve seen how hungry audiences are for involvement in the process of creation. They’re also pretty appreciative of the great food and cameraderie beforehand.” 

Livley talk-backs between audience, actors and directors follow the readings, providing the plays’ authors with feedback and encouragement. 

This year the number of directors has expanded to five: in addition to Meg Bouchard, who directs three of the plays, the other five plays are directed by Mikki Lane, Lauryn Axelrod, Glenn Tarbell, and Evan Breault.

“We adore this event for the mix of experience it brings,” says director Meg Bouchard. “Some people are writing a play for the first time, and some of our readers are people who don’t consider themselves actors — yet. Our purpose is to nurture creative expression in people, to demonstrate that it’s not a specialized thing — it’s within us all.”

Proceeds from the fundraiser go to Theater in the Woods summer camps for ages 7-16.

The venue has limited seating; people are encouraged not to delay booking their tickets. More information on the authors, the readers, and the schedule as well as the link to tickets is here: www.theaterinthewoodsvt.org/ten-minute-plays/

Ten Minute Plays’ major sponsors are Noble’s Hardware; O’Brien Shortle Reynolds & Sabotka, PC; and MacScrap. Other sponsors are The Sparkle Barn, Laughing Child Farm, and Wisewell Goods. The Mountain Times is media sponsor. 

Since 2016, Theater in the Woods kindles creativity through the transformative power of theater in the magic of the woods with sessions of summer day camps; throughout the year Theater in the Woods fosters connection through community engagement-creating theater.

###