“Hurricane Season 2008.”

The fifth annual competition/festival of short plays.
WHO: Actors and directors of The Eclectic Company Theatre stage the plays selected for the competition (details below). Rebecca Bonebrake and Mike
           Hammari produce for The E.C.T.
WHERE: The Eclectic Company Theatre, 5312 Laurel Canyon Blvd. (between Chandler and Magnolia), North Hollywood, CA 91607.
WHEN: July 11- August 24, 2008. Fri. & Sat. at 8, Sun. at 2.
ADMISSION: $15. Student, senior and group discounts available.
RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION: (818) 508-3003.
WEBSITE: www.eclecticcompanytheatre.org
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           Talented playwrights compete for hundreds of dollars in cash prizes in this popular annual competition of short plays. For four weeks, a different program each week of short plays is presented. Each week, the audience votes for a favorite. On the subsequent three weekends, the winners compete against each other for a grand prize of the largest cash award. The grand prize winner and runners-up are also selected by the audience.
           Weekend One, July 11-13
           “Gun Play.” Written by Kurt McGinnis Brown. Directed by Taylor Ashbrook. A woman, with two men and a gun. Which of the three will she prefer? Cast: Beth Ricketson, Mike ‘Fuz’ Edwards and Jason Britt.
           “Fish: A Love Story.” Written by Evan Lai. Directed by Leya Oakley. A man is confronted by the goldfish who loved him in a previous life. Cast: Nick Freilich, Brent Schindele.
           “Sally Spectre: The Musical.” Written by David P. Johnson. Directed by Chelsea Sutton. Little Sally has been confined to one room for a long time. She has terrible headaches. Can her only two friends rescue her from the sinister Wraith who would banish her to eternal Oblivion? Will she ever be reunited with her beloved mother again? Where did the hatchet and the blood come from? Cast: Mason Hallberg, Rebecca Lane, Garrett Liggett, Evan Shafran.
           Weekend Two, July 18-20
           “Presposterous (or: Drinking and Smoking on the Back Porch at John’s Wake).” Written By Jason Britt. Directed by Charles Reed. Friends at a wake for one of their number contemplate the meaning of love and their deepest wishes. Cast: Max Beard, Christina Carter, Sara Klingebiel, Travis Stanberry.
           “Break.” Written by J. Stephen Brantley. Directed by Kerr Seth Lordygan. During the late hours of a summer night on the coast of eastern Long Island, a displaced Englishman and the drug addict who breaks into his home confront their differences and, more importantly, discover their secret similarities. Cast: Kevin Scott Allen, Patrick Holder.
           “Street Theater: A Chance Encounter.” Written by Walter Thinnes. Directed by Conrad Lawson. A public performance elicits larger consequences than those for which its participants are prepared. Cast: Randy Harken, Lori McShane, Elizabeth Southard, Torie Tyson.
           Weekend Three: July 25-27
           “Ewe Gotta Have Friends.” Written by Norman R. Brilliant. Directed by Taylor Ashbrook. A lone detective is all who stands between Bo Peep, her army of cloned sheep, and her dreams of planetary conquest. Cast: RJ Farrington, Geoffrey Rivas, Joan Rizza.
           “Libraries Are Exciting Places.” Written by Anthony Arnold. Directed by Kylie Delre. A man and a woman meet cute in a library during a terrifying storm. A library is full of stories…including some new ones. Cast: Lena Milan, Matt Shea.
           “Show of Affection.” Written by Lawrence Klavan. Directed by Brad Wilcox. Leave it a plague of vampirism to disrupt Thanksgiving with the family in the suburbs. Cast: Adam Briggs, Judy Nazemetz, Steve Peterson.
           Weekend Four: August 1-3
           “Attention Def…Hey, Look, A Dog!” Written by Daniel Damiano. Directed by Danielle Cintron. A patient is being tested for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in this savage ly satirical indictment of the medical profession’s partnership with the pharmaceutical industry. Cast: Alex Sanborn, Marc Ira Segal.
           “Flawless.” Written by Janice Eurgubian. Directed by Susan Lee. A young man proposes to his older girlfriend with a flawless gem. Her manipulative mother tries to interfere. Cast: Kylie Delre, Kenlyn Kanouse.
           “Breaking News.” Written by Matt M. Smith. Directed by Jason Britt. Two males, three females, and some uncertainties about gender orientation. Cast: Kim Burns, Ketryn Porter, Renie Rivas, Eric Saari, David Wolfson.
           Weekends Five through Seven, August 8-10, 15-17, 22-24
           Audience favorites from the preceding weekends in additional performances as they compete for the cash Grand Prize, with winners continuing to be selected by the audience.
           Stage manager: Christine Krebsbach. Lighting design/Technical director: John Dickey. Sound design: Ellen Juhlin. VP of Production: Erin Treanor.
           The weekends of Hurricane Season 2008 display the most appealing playwriting from the many, many submissions considered. Sit back and enjoy.