Perishable Goods

Last night I caught the opening night of the Women’s Playwriting Festival at Perishable Theatre, featuring three new one acts, one of which was very, very funny. (I point this out only because when you hear something like "women’s playwriting festival," it sounds like you could be in for a humorless night. But that is a whole other can of worms.)

Visiting artistic director Rachel Walshe is making it her personal mission to focus on plays by under-produced women (see can of worms) this season at the Perishable, so hopefully this is just the start of even better stuff ahead. The festival line-up includes Laura Jacqmin’s "This is How" (with Ann Hood’s son, Sam!), about an unsettling encounter in a high school stairwell; "The Golden Lasso" by Kit Idaszak, a disturbing but can’t-look-away glimpse at life on a  military base in the Middle East; and Mary F. Unser’s "Swingin’ with Petula," required viewing for any would-be artist stuck in a crappy  job.

Whatever the reason that about 85% of the plays produced onstage are by men ("Either women can’t write, or there’s serious resistance to producing their works on stage," writes Walshe in the playbill), the festival puts the spotlight on some interesting writers. 

And of course, the other good thing about one-acts is that you can see three plays in less than an hour an a half. 🙂

More info: www.perishable.org.