The 10th Annual Festival of Originals at Theatre Southwest represents an enormous labor of what must be a whole lot love. Producer Mimi Holloway got over 300 submissions from across the nation and managed to whittle those down to five 20-minute one-acts. The aspiring playwrights tackle subject matter that runs the gamut. John Bohaneยs The Anniversary Gift tells the story of a widower who celebrates his anniversary by hiring a call girl; Kathleen C. Merrittยs Under the Oleanders is about a bum who gets killed in someoneยs backyard; and John Kaiserยs Instant Messaging is about a man who gets a chip put in his head so that he can make calls without a phone. Sex, death and technology ย everything that matters to a citizen of the 21st century.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2007.