The One Act Play Festival (OAPF) is an all-inclusive community theater event celebrating creative collaboration of playwrights, actors, musicians, visual artists, and technical theater artists. First formed in 2006, the festival enriches and entertains the Cranston and Rhode Island communities.
Thousands of short plays are submitted from regional, national, and even international playwrights and
then selected for performance by a panel of theater professionals. Casts feature community actors of all abilities ranging in sex, age, and experience levels; amateur and professional actors, writers, and technicians of all ages and abilities work together in creative harmony.
Artists' Exchange presents the 14th annual
one act play festival
Artistic Direction by Jessica Chace
July 11th-27th
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays @ 7pm
Join us for our 14th annual festival featuring 10 great plays: comedies,
dramas, and something for everyone. Family-friendly fun!
Show runs 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.
Since 2006, Artists’ Exchange has hosted the One Act Play Festival (OAPF) for the
entertainment and enjoyment of the Cranston community. Short plays are submitted from local, regional, and national playwrights and then selected for performance by a panel of directors/actors. This year’s festival will feature a delightful blend of local and national playwrights.
Talk-back Performance on Saturday, July 20: Join us for a talk-back with some of our playwrights, directors, and actors following the performance on July 20. Learn more about the plays, playwrights, and behind-the-scenes of the festival. Playwrights Kay Ellen Bullard (Game Changer), Maximillian Gill (Top Shelf Tolstoy), Ben Jolivet (Up in the Air), and Caity-Shea Violette (The Stand) will be in attendance. Talk-back is free and open to the public.
Tickets $15 Advance, $20 Door
Theatre 82 - 82 Rolfe Square
PLAY SELECTIONS
2019
Game Changer
by Kay Ellen Bullard (Lincoln, RI)
Parents Michelle and Martin have something to tell their thirty-one year old son Marty, who still lives with them. They start by persuading him to play Scrabble with them. Unlike any Scrabble they’ve played before, it will be a game changer for them all.
Top Shelf Tolstoy
by Maximillian Gill (Sunnyside, NY)
Erica just wants to check out a copy of her favorite Tolstoy novel, but she discovers that her local library has resorted to drastic means to raise funds.
Up in the Air
by Ben Jolivet (Providence, RI)
From this height, things are clearer—but that doesn’t make them easier.
FOMO
by Rhea MacCallum (Downey, CA)
A woman suffers an existential crisis after spending too much time obsessing over social media posts.
/ärt/
by Steven G. Martin (Lafayette, IN)
Emotions run high in the judges room during an art competition. Two judges implore the third to vote in favor of the artwork they prefer, and when the artists are invited for interviews, chaos erupts.
When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Christmas Tree
by Rich Orloff (New York, NY)
A child decides what the best possible adulthood would be... and transforms in the process.
Family by Numbers
by Arianna Rose (Miami Beach, FL)
Two people fall in love. They begin a family. But what happens as the numbers change?
Putt-Putt
by George Sapio (Spencer, NY)
Jeff's new marketing brainstorm is Christian-themed minigolf. What he doesn't know is that the idea strikes a little too close to home amongst his officemates.
The Stand
by Caity-Shea Violette (Boston, MA)
After surviving years of abuse, Alicia is behind bars for her husband's murder. When she's offered a deal by the DA, she must make an impossible choice.
The Monster Under the Bed
by Joseph Vitale (Denville, NJ)
A father tries to assuage his daughter’s nighttime fears, although he has never gotten over his. He’s on his way to convincing her that she shouldn’t be afraid…then the monster shows up.
JESSICA CHACE
Festival Artistic Director
Jessica Chace earned her B.A. in Theatre from Michigan State University. She acted with the Beechwood Theatre Company at Astors’ Beechwood Mansion for four years and is currently Creative Producer of the Marley Bridges Theatre Company and Newport Murder Mystery in Newport. Jessica is Artistic Director of Artists’ Exchange’s summer One Act Play Festival in Cranston, and also works on productions for The Gamm Theatre in Warwick.
RHIANNON LYNN
ANNIN Festival Director
Rhiannon Lynn Annin has been working for Artists’ Exchange since 2016, where she most recently wrote and directed the annual production of A Christmas Carol. Her latest endeavor is as founder and Artistic Director of Seed & Ivy Theatre Company. Rhiannon received her BA in Creative Writing and Theatre Arts
in 2013 from Le Moyne College, located in Syracuse, NY. She is also a proud alumna of the National
Theatre Institute in Waterford, CT. When not
immersed in theatre, Rhiannon is spending time
with her two little boys, Teddy and Charlie,
and her fiancé Jordan.
LAUREN ANNICELLI
Festival Director
Lauren grew up in East Greenwich, RI and has lived in this wonderful little state her entire life. The One Act Play Festival has been near and dear to her heart since she first acted with the troupe in 2013. The following year, Lauren began directing for the festival and the experience has proven to be the highlight of every summer since. Lauren is the Theatre Manager and Teacher for Artists’ Exchange and loves directing, acting, and writing with her students. She also really loves her dogs, Lola and Leo - they are THE best!
ENSEMBLE
Adriana Albanese
Nick Albanese
Morgan Andrews
Lauren Annicelli
Jessica Chace
Tom Chace
Kyle Martin Clark
Alondra Cruz
Jackson DiPietro
Sri Dopp
Nova Drewes
Tricia Elliott
Catherine Fay
David Ferranti
Alexandra Groff
Bedros Kevorkian
Jane Kristiansen
Sam Kristiansen
Sarah Kristiansen
Steve Lynch
Bob Macaux
Anika Poshkus
Meg Taylor-Roth
Britney Verria
Chris White
