Looking for a fun and macabre way to celebrate the month that climaxes with Halloween? Look no further than the Quonset Hut Theater in Athens, where members of the Athens Community Theater (ACT) will present three one-act plays Oct. 8-10, at the 132 N. Capital Ave., downtown Athens location.
Horror of horrors, the theme for this trio of plays is horror. The first two plays, Edgar Allan Poe’s Victorian psychological thriller, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and Saki’s (H.H. Munroe’s) suspenseful short story with an unexpected ending, “The Open Window,” will have audiences on the edge of their seats. The third play is a farcical zombie romp through a beloved Louisa May Alcott book. It’s called “Little Women II: The undead.” The action only gets better following the title.
“Our last set of one-act plays was a big success, so we thought we’d put another together, this time with a fall theme,” said ACT’s Brad Kenyon. He’s directing a cast of seven for “The Open Window,” which he describes as a quintessential horror tale based on the 1914 short story.
Kati Woodward, who for the past 2-3 years has wanted the theater to produce “The Tell-Tale Heart,” has at last got her wish. She’s guiding the actions and dialogue of a cast of six that aims to breathe new life into Edgar Allan Poe’s 1843 tale of woe, while at the same time cause audience members to catch their breath as the story unfolds.
Mark Doubleday has the pleasure of directing through the amusing, third one-act play, “Little Women II: The Undead,” which he accidentally stumbled upon a few years back while researching scripts for a serious production of “Little Women.” He seemed to be having as much fun as his cast of nine as they rehearsed for the farce.
The casts consist of many ACT veterans of varying ages. Three actors will appear in all three productions. Duane Walters, who is new to the Quonset Hut stage, is looking forward to his first appearance, as his previous debut in “Anne of Green Gables” was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID restrictions.
Performances of this fall’s three one-act plays at Quonset Hut Theater in Athens will be at 7:00 PM on Friday, October 8, 2021 and Saturday, October 9, 2021. Additionally, there will be a 4:00 PM matinee on Sunday, October 10, 2021. Admission is free, but donations are always encouraged and welcomed.
Sarah Jordan-Grubb, the Popcorn Lady, will be there with snacks available for purchase.
