On an emergency call, Sam, a burly rent-a-guy, arrives at Maddie’s apartment. There’s a spider under the refrigerator.
So begins the 10-minute comedy and grand prize winner of the Durango Arts Center’s fourth annual contest. Written by local playwright, actor and director Wendy Ludgewait, “The Spider in the Room” competed against 139 other scripts and won the right to a full production and a $500 stipend.
O Friday, “Spider,” along with the other four play contest finalists, came to life in reader’s theater format to a near capacity crowd. For all five plays, volunteer actors carried scripts, sat on the odd chair and may or may not have had sound or light effects. If a script is good, the illusion can be magical.
In the end, three judges chose the winner. Theresa Carson, artistic director at DAC; Terry Swan, former president of the DAC board; and Ginny Davis, associate professor at Fort Lewis College decided on the grand prize. No one – judges, actors, or audience members – knew the names of the playwrights until after 8 p.m.
Audience members voted by secret ballot for the People’s Choice Award. This year, it resulted in a tie: “The Black Bride of Texas,” by Stephanie Dodd of Boulder, and “Bodega,” by Adam Seidel of Chicago. Both playwrights will receive $100. The two remaining finalists, “Once in a Blue Moon,” by L. E. Grabowski-Cotton, of Memphis, and “Health Care,” by Philip Hall, of Florida, rounded out the evening.
All finalists will have staged productions Sept. 19 and 20 as part of DAC’s Autumn Arts Festival.
This is the first year a local writer has won the grand prize. Supporters, for the first time, may sponsor a play for $100. Carson announced the initiative, and a number of patrons asked for details. Sponsors get two free tickets, two free cocktails and two seats in Sponsor Row come September.
Over the years, the competition has attracted mostly comedies, mostly on contemporary themes. In 2014, four of the five finalists fit the comedic profile.
“Spider” spun its unlikely premise into dating and other lifestyle conundrums.
“The Black Bride of Texas” took its title from Western potboilers full of sex and seduction. The play wonderfully intertwined fictional fantasies with the real life of two widows. Norma (Judy Hook) heroically but unsuccessfully urged Wanda (Dolores Mazurkewicz) out of her books. The sudden appearance of an imaginary cowboy (Steve Ward) set up additional comic tension.
Based on an ancient theme, “Bodega” centered on the conflict between fathers and sons. Set in an urban American store run by Emilio (John Garza), the action sparked when Pedro (Shay Lopez), his college-educated son gave some seemingly simple advice. The themes are as old as the Greeks, and thankfully, gifted playwrights like Seidel continue to explore familial strife.
“Once in a Blue Moon” mixed reality with fantasy, as Montgomery (Geoff Johnson) ventured into a travel agency run by Valentine (Katie Dittelberger). A fantasist, Valentine completely bewildered her client, took some odd turns and ended up in an unexpected place.
Light-hearted word play in an unlikely setting grounded “Health Care.” Playwright Hall avoided the formulaic view of aging. With wit and affection, he brought to life Marsha (Dolores Mazurkewicz) and Jerry (John Porter) as they sorted out a medical report. Old friends or long-marrieds, they responded to confusion with a sense of camaraderie. What a pleasure to hear two old souls navigate a final shore with lightness. And what a pleasure to see Pagosa Springsactor John Porter on a Durango stage.
Casting for the September productions may be entirely different. But the plays will be the same – fully staged.
jreynolds@durangoherald.com. Judith Reynolds is a Durango writer, artist and critic.
Review
“Durango 10-Minute Play Contest,” Durango Arts Center, 802 East Second Ave., coordinated by Theresa Carson, 7 p.m. May 30, free, www.durangoarts.org.
