Adventure Theater Festival

This weekend and next, the Jon Hassler Theater is hosting 5 theater companies doing short, experimental plays. (Their slogan: “13 performances. 5 companies. 2 weekends. 1 epic adventure.”)

Last night, I saw plays from two companies: Suitcase by Sandbox Theatre and Four Humors’ Lotita: A Three Man Show by Four Humors.

Suitcase

Five short 1-person plays with actors   Derek Lee Miller and Amber Bjork (Bjork wrote one of the shorts; Miller wrote two others). The plays all had whimsical elements as well as poignant endings. Perhaps the most interesting was “A True Story” which actor Derek Lee Miller narrates and plays several of the characters while dressed as a 28-year-old Japanese woman named Takako Konishi in fashionable mini-skirt, boots, and coat. The play is based on a short film about Takako’s death, which news reports connected to the movie Fargo: Japanese woman dies looking for Fargo money.

All five shorts   are interesting plays and well worth seeing.

Lolita: A Three Man Show

The Four Humors’ take on Lolita picks up on the movie theme. Their short description of the play reads: “A one hour stage play, based on the two and a half hour movie by Stanley Kubrick, based on the five hour screenplay by Vladimir Nabokov, based on the 300 page novel by Vladimir Nabokov, as told by 3 idiots.”  The description doesn’t leave much else to say, really. The play deals with Lolita with an unexpected depth, even while making fun of itself and the book and films with predictable, but superbly acted slapstick.

It was a fun night at the theater, and my only regret is that I won’t be able to see the other three companies (Live Action Set on Sunday and SunsetGun Productions, Dangerous Productions) next weekend.

Adventure Theater Festival, August 16 - 26

Jon Hassler Theater

Plainview, MN

For more information visit adventuretheaterfestival.com.