The Festival of Independent Theatres (FIT) returned to the Bath House Cultural Center at White Rock Lake in Dallas for its fifth season, July 10-August 2, 2003. FIT is a showcase for many of Dallas' smaller theaters, who put on a series of one-act plays of one hour or less. This year, 12 area theaters brought a cultural smorgasbord to Dallas' theater buffs, co-produced by David Fisher, manager of the Bath House (so named because it was originally a bath house for swimmers at White Rock Lake's beach in the 1940s and 50s) and Brenda and Michael Galgan, producers of Beardsley Living Theater.
Returning theaters were each assigned six performance slots on Thursdays-Sundays (with one exception), with first-time presenters utilizing three slots each on Wednesday evenings. Participating theaters and their productions are:
Audacity Productions: Cleveland by Mac Wellman.
Set in a Midwestern suburb, it tells the story of a Catholic school girl with a secret, and her Trotskyist mother who has her own secret.
Beardsley Living Theater: The Widow Maker by Bill Bozzone.
An early morning week-end hunting trip with two adult brothers and their father takes a bizarre turn at their mountain cabin.
Bucket Productions: Fumed Oak - An Unpleasant Comedy in Two Scenes by Noel Coward.
A milquetoast husband turns into a tyrant after putting up way too long with his overbearing wife, whining daughter, and interfering mother-in-law. And yes, this is a comedy.
Cara Mia Theater Company: TO DIE: GO in Leaves by Frida Kahlo.
This world premiere is a surreal enactment of the fantasies, fears, and desires of Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo.
Core Performance Manufactory: Lot 13: The Bone Violin by Doug Wright.
A mysterious fugue where art and life intertwine.
Echo Theater: Ariel Bright by Katherine Long.
This regional premiere is a fantasy in which art, death and love intertwine between an actress and a clairvoyant mortician.
And new for 2003 Echo presents a late-night outdoor performance, Dumb Supper by Deborah Pryor, an eerie tale rooted in Ozark Mountain ghost story tradition.
Ground Zero Theater Company: Necessary Errands (three short plays) by Valerie Brogan Powell:
Greetings: a widow seeks the help of a seer to communicate with her departed husband. Holiday Clothes: A woman looks for a seamstress to make her a perfect outfit for a special occasion. Gifts: The seer returns to give advice on the perfect gift.
Theater Quorum: Marlboro Man by Clare Dowling, a regional premiere.
The story of an infertile Irish couple dealing with the condescension of the wife's family.
Wingspan Theater Company: Crave by Sarah Kane.
A confessional talk show on which the topic is "A Craving." Delves into love, loss, and desire.
New for 2003 are:
Boaz Unlocked: The Harry and Sam Dialogues by Karen Ellison.
The story of two men whose lives and thoughts are interwoven as the questions of loneliness and friendship are explored.
ProgreXssive Arts Productions: The Dragonslayers: A Musical Fairy Tale by Bruce Coville.
Encompassing four family matinees over three weekends, the tale is told of six heroes who set off to slay a dragon who has been terrorizing the kingdom.
Good Doctor Productions: Relative Strangers by Sheri Wilner.
Introduces the audience to "two women (who) become acquainted on a flight that leads to adoption, divorce, and a new perspective on mother's intuition."
The Festival of Independent Theaters is always innovative, and usually two or three good plays emerge from this performance potpourri. It's at the Bath House Cultural Center: 521 East Lawther Drive, Dallas, TX. Check www.bathhousecultural.com/fit2003.html for information.
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