Got A Minute?

I just need a minute of your time to tell you about a unique play festival coming up next week.

The Players Theatre will host the cleverly titled "Got A Minute?" 60-Second Play Festival 8 p.m. Sept. 4-5 and 2 p.m. Sept. 6. A gala, featuring a silent and live auction, hors d'oeuvres, drinks and a cast meet and greet, will take place on Saturday after the show.

And no, the festival itself doesn't last 60 seconds, but rather the plays. Sixty one-minute plays will be featured in this fast-pace event presented by the Eclectic Theatre Company. The submitted plays come from around the world and include a few from this area. For the fourth annual "Got A Minute?," the plays will be directed by Pamela Wiley, Jeffery Kin, Cliff Roles and Cinda Goeken with musical direction provided by Bob Trisolini.

It would be interesting to see how this process works - how a play rises to its climax and sudden end in 60 seconds. Hmmm. Maybe I should have submitted something. What a feat for the playwrights, actors and directors involved.

A few intriguing play titles caught my eye as I glanced through the list:

"Friday, April 13, 2036" by Asher Wyndham

"Confessions Of A Chicken Pox Survivor" by Bobbie Burrell

"Reality: What A Concept" by David Coyle

"The New Husband Store" by Lyn Wiley

Besides the plays, there's another reason you should go to this event - proceeds raised benefit cancer research. Ticket donations of $20 (and $25 on the night of the gala) will go to the Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation. In the past three years of festival, more than $50,000 has been raised.

The Players Theatre is at 838 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For more information or tickets, call (941) 365-2494. To find out more about "Got A Minute" visit theeclectictheatrecompany.com.

- January Holmes

(pictured are actors Doug Nelson, Susan Underwood, Michael Altiero during a rehearsal)