Out of the Box: A Celebration of New Plays
In 2024, we completely revamped the format of the former O.C. Play Fest. Introducing: Out of the Box: A Celebration of New Plays, featuring four short plays that took a unique look on communication during a post information age. We sought longer plays that could be enhanced by an environmental stage. We invited the community into free rehearsals around a table with food and drink to discuss the plays with the intimate audience before they mounted in August. Check out photos and video from our most ambitious celebration of new plays yet.
Audio/Video by Christopher Webb.
Isabel Biagiotti and Ishmael Phillips in Atrophy by Bianca Sass, directed by Holly Gorman.
Em Carubis, Holly Mara Gorman, and Paige Dillon in Woman Under Cloche by Anne Valentino, directed by Gloria Bonelli.
Carli Rhoades as WENDY and Paige Dillon as LORA in Paparazzi by Elena Naskova, directed by Isaac Kiernan.
O.C. Play Fest 2023
New York Orange County Arts Council founded its 10 Minute Play Festival in 2017 with twenty local submissions. With the help of PEP Productions, it expanded to accepting hundreds of submissions each year from our own neighborhood to across the world.
Grant Teitelbaum as GEE in Weather-Weather-Wait-Wait-What? by Carter Lewis, Directed by Paul Ellis.
Deanna “Echo” Mellinger (Left) as NADINE OWENS and David Schiff as ROY OWENS in The Gas Man Cometh by Ian Patrick Williams, Directed by Paul Ellis.
Erika Genovese (Left) as JULE and Freya Webb as EM in Weather-Weather-Wait-Wait-What? by Carter Lewis, Directed by Paul Ellis.
Holly Gobelez as RAPHAEL in Reconnaissance by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend, Directed by Paul Ellis.
Noemi Marte as NANNETTE in (Un)Drinkable by Dana Hall, Directed by Paul Ellis.
(From Left to Right) Isaac Kiernan as DANE, Carli Rhoades as ESME, and Elan Riggs as MITCH in The Mascot Always Pings Twice by Michael C. O’Day, Directed by kat baus.
O.C. Play Fest 2022
After two years of virtual festivals, in 2022, PEP ditched the previous format of staged readings and opted for fully-mounted productions complete with costumes, scenery, props, and off-book actors. 2022 featured a handful of newly selected plays, as well as a few favorites from festival’s past that were never fully realized through staged readings.
Lisa DiBlasi as GRISELDA in Hong Kong Date Night by Angela J. Davis, Directed by Gloria Bonelli.
Paige Dillon (Left) as MEGAN and Fiona Hill as AMELIA EARHART in Amelia?! by Evan Spreen, Directed by Paul Ellis.
Raymond Aponte (Left) as LOUIS and Sue Mormile as NEDRA in Kirby is Missing by Scott Gibson, Directed by Paul Ellis.
Isaac Kiernan (Left) as YERKEL and Lisa DiBlasi as SYLVIA in Why Did I Marry an Illegal Alien? by Lenny Levy, Directed by Paul Ellis.
(From Left to Right) Jillian Portnoy, Julia Dorry, CC Grecco, Jordan Seligman, and Madison Dorry in At Recess by Steve Flowers, Directed by Paul Ellis.
(From Left to Right) Raymond Aponte as ADAM, Erika Genovese as EVE, and Sue Mormile as MRS. SCHULTZ in Guinea Pig Apocalypse by Tony Pasqualini, Directed by Gloria Bonelli.
10 Minute Play Fest 2020/ 2021
In 2017, the 10 Minute Play Festival was founded by the Orange County Arts Council. Producers Paige Dillon and Paul Ellis expanded submissions exclusively from the Hudson Valley, to across the globe in 2020, allowing the festival to grow even during the pandemic. It was traditionally presented as staged readings, in 2021 we integrated costume pieces into the show for the first time.
Cool Metal (EXCERPT) by Jack Rushton, Directed by Paul Ellis. Sophie Pulver (LEFT) as WOMAN and Raymond Aponte as MAN. (2020)
Raymond Aponte as LUIS in The Old Neighborhood by Joe Weintraub, Directed by Erin Woodward. (2021)
Paige Dillon (LEFT) as CLARA in A Fable Play by Christopher Wiley, Directed by Gloria Bonelli. (2021)
Isaac Kiernan (LEFT), Brian Nieves (CENTER), and Holly Gorman in I Think We Need to Have a Meeting by Lindsey Brown, Directed by Paul Ellis. (2020)
2021 Play Fest Clips
CONFABULATION
Confabulations are community driven devised, theater workshops. These sessions are based on stories garnered from the community. A community is defined as any group with a common connection. In our case a community could be an entire town, a school classroom, or a church or social organization.
Confabulations fall into the category of devised theater, a form of theater in which the play evolves from a source other than a traditional script. The value in devised theater lies in its ability to emphasize the differences between people and begin building bridges. Using this as a foundation, the workshops are designed to find common ground through our personal stories.
Confabulations begin with a simple flash card process to encourage storytelling. Using the basic play structure of who, what, and where the stories can then be crafted into a script. Once the full play is written it can be presented as a reading or full performance depending on the length of the residency.
Confabulation workshops are available to groups of any size and residencies can range from one session to several months. Production values also vary depending the type and size of the final presentation.
Air Pirates Radio Theater
A unique mix of live interactive theater and old time Radio Comedy with the audience making all the SFX.
(Left to Right) Alan Andrews, Marylee Shorr, Holy Gobelez, and Kate Brannan
(Left to Right) Lindsey Graham, Brian Nieves, Alan Andrews, Marylee Shorr, Erika Genovese, and Kate Brannan.