Best ten-minute plays launch Cornerstone's new season

Cornerstone Theatre Arts opens its 2020 season with "Spotlights: Turn and Face the Strange: The Best of the 2019 International 10 Minute Play Festival."

Eight of the original 24 plays presented as staged readings during the two-evening event last August at the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center have been selected for full production. Performances begin Feb. 15 and 16 at the Goshen Music Hall and run weekends through March 1.

Last year, playwrights from all over the world submitted more than 300 scripts for consideration in the festival, which was presented by the Orange County Arts Council. Twenty-four were presented, and eight are being produced as the opening of Cornerstone’s ninth season in the Music Hall.

Two of the evening's eight plays are written by local playwrights. Cornerstone’s new artistic director, Evelyn Albino, and the festival co-producer, Paul Ellis, are directing four plays each.

The evening includes:

● "A Wake" by Brian Petti

● "Admission Impossible" by Tom Moran

● "Deadman’s Curves" by Dan O’Day

● "Dog Gone" by Jim MacQueen

● "Everything Happens for a Reason" by William J. Royce

● "Packing Up a Life" by Callum Hill

● "Pieces of Divinity" by Brian L. Gray

● "Seasons" by George Sapio

One of the most exciting parts a ten-minute play is the experimentation a writer can incorporate into a story. Given such a short frame, writers tend to get creative and take risks without wasting time.

A great ten-minute play is a tight, economic scene, and many playwrights have improved through writing them. Some of the pieces are funny, some poignant, all are thought-provoking.

The show is sponsored by the Goshen Public Library and Historical Society. Tickets are free but reservations are required.

For more information or reservations call 845-294-4188.