Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee’s only women-founded and women-run company, ends what must have been an exceptionally difficult season (as it was for all theater companies nationwide) with its annual 10-minute play festival, called “Br!nk Br!efs.” The current production incorporates some of the “best” short plays from past seasons, interspersed with some new ones. All of the plays presented here were written by women playwrights living in the Midwest.
For the first time, Br!efs is being offered to in-person audiences and to digital viewers. The live performances (with audience groups distantly spaced throughout the seats), continues through June 20. Online viewing is available through June 30. Those who plan to see the show in-person should note that mask wearing is required everywhere inside the theater.
The five offerings selected for this year’s production includes both comedies and dramas, and some that are a bit of both. The plays – which are performed without an intermission – take only 75 minutes or so to watch.
The production features five actors, all of whom appear in more than one play. The actors perform admirably in their diverse roles. Part of the fun of a festival such as this as one is able to see an actor inhabit vastly different characters. (More on the actors later.)
It should be noted that all of the plays are performed as complete stage productions. Although none requires astonishing visual effects, they all benefit from the minimal scenery (Tony Lyons), stellar lighting (Sarah Hamilton), an extraordinary number of sound cues (Neil Brookshire), and costumes that range from every day wear to cleverly designed clothes for a collection of barnyard animals (Jazmin Medina).
This is the first Renaissance Theaterworks production in its new home, owned by Next Act Theater. The space will allow more seating capacity. It’s also newer, and so will offer more flexibility in terms of seating and staging. Audiences should enjoy the switch, especially since the new space offers more parking for those arriving by car.
Although this review’s space limitations do not allow for a complete run-down of all five plays, this reviewer is reluctantly forced to choose the best of the best. Interestingly, both of the top plays were performed in former Br!nk festivals. Two Truths and a Lie, written by Emily Elliott, was first seen in 2019, and Dog Heroes, by Lillian Schley, is from the 2017 festival. There is little in common between these plays other than they seem to be the most coherent in getting the playwright’s message across.
In Two Truths, a young man (Adam Qutaishat) is annoyed by his two, equally young female roommates (Cereyna Bougouneau, Ashley Rodriguez). As the play continues, one finds out that the two women are actually specters from the man’s guilty conscience. Horrifyingly, the man confesses that he forced himself sexually on these women, one at a party and the other on a first date. Qutaishat tries to excuse his behavior by repeating some lame, oft-heard excuses. Although the women eventually disappear, it’s clear that their images will continue to haunt him. The effect is chilling and dramatic. Elliott Puckette directs.
In Dog Heroes, written by Lillian Schley, two housebound mutts are “talking” about a recent event that gave one of them celebrity status. Coco (Cereyna Bougouneau) has just saved a litter of puppies from a burning house across the street. He is so appreciative of all the attention he received that he hasn’t quite come down from Cloud 9. The family’s other dog, Bandit (Ashley Rodriguez), is disdainful of Coco’s eagerness to return to the spotlight. When Coco talks about getting back on the TV news, Bandit replies, “TV is only for purse dogs!” Schley’s humorous play is about the price of fame, and the extent to which one will go to maintain it. The actors play their “dog roles” with aplomb, in a play directed by Mallory Metoxen.
Another play, Smart Girls by Amanda Schumacher, is perhaps the most relevant to our pandemic-afflicted world. With so many people locked down at home in 2020, it’s easy to see that electronic voice assistants could become more than a source of information. In this clever play, Siri (Libby Amato), Alexa (Cereyna Bougouneau) and Cortana (Ashley Rodriguez) all occupy the same “call center.” It’s fun to imagine these familiar “voices” expressing their real feelings about the humans who ask them questions. These include a “moron” who can’t seem to follow Siri’s driving instructions, and two young girls who ask Alexa to play the song, “Let It Go” from “Frozen” more than 100 times a day. The play’s premise is cute and current, but the endless griping between Siri and Alexa could have been developed into something far more interesting than what actually happens. This world premiere is directed by Elliott Puckette.
