Welcome to Whiskey Theatre Factory’s fifth annual one-minute play festival!
Imagine Performing Arts, March 15th, 7:30pm
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About the competition:
Twelve outstanding local playwrights will receive a secret prompt during a live show. They will have ten minutes to write a completely new, original, one-minute play! These are then performed for the audience and you will have a chance to VOTE on the winner!
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About whiskey theatre factory:
The mission of The Whiskey Theatre Factory is to develop local and emerging playwrights in Central Florida and build a community of artists who are passionate about new work. We achieve this through playwriting Salons, development programs, working productions, and events like the 1 Minute Festival!
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Show Team:
Host - Aimee LeCours
Playwright Host - Bethany Dickens Assaf
Stage Manager - Emerson Short
Actors - Marisa Davis, Sandi Linn, Clark Levi, and Yinelly Marie Pastrana
Graphics and Marketing - Valeria Hernandez
Event Support - Liz Bernstein, Ruby Dickerson, Lisa Hardt, Sara Jacobson, Meghan Pratt, Max Pinsky, Charis Watler, and Arius West
Program
Welcome and Introductions
Reading of last year’s winner “A Troll Booth,” by Andy Haynes
Competition Details and playwrights: READY SET GO!
Meet the actors!
Drinking Game
Intermission
One-Minute Script Readings!
Voting Period
Winner Announcement for competition and raffle
Final Toast and goodnight!
Meet this season’s sponsors!
Private Reserve Sponsor
Top-Shelf Sponsors
Signature Sponsors
Meet this evening’s host!
Aimee LeCours is a Florida based stand-up comedian, improvisor, mom, and licensed mental health counselor. She won 2nd place in the 2024, 1 Minute Playwriting Competition. She produces and hosts Psych! A Diagnostic Stand-Up Comedy Show, which sold out and won Patron's Pick at Orlando Fringe's 2024 FestN4. You may have seen her at the Orlando Improv, Don't Tell Orlando, and on the Second City stage and The Den Theatre in Chicago. She was recently a semi-finalist in the Florida's Funniest Comedian Competition. Socials:https://linktr.ee/aimeelecours.
Meet the competition Playwrights!
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is an Orlando-based writer, editor, and educator whose artistic focus is on creating and supporting female-centered projects. She's a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida where she researched English literature with a focus on historical criticism. As a playwright, she's worked with local theatre companies such as the Playwrights' Round Table, Breakthrough Theatre Company, and Valencia Black Box. A participant in Whiskey Theatre Factory's monthly artist salons, she's proud to join them in the return of their 1-Minute Play Festival.
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is a local Orlando Playwright and Poet. Most recently, her play "The Devils Coda", a horror-drama about generational trauma, was produced as part of Breakthrough Theatre's New Play Festival. Her comedy, "When Death Enters Unannounced", was also produced by Playwrights Round Table as part of their Native Voices event, She also co-produces Play Date, where they create free community-based engagements for artists to come together to experiment and workshop their creative skills. When she's bored, she paints D&D minis and makes cute little clay things! :)
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is an Orlando-based writer, performer and dramaturg. His most recently produced play, MILK, premiered at the Renaissance Theatre Company in the spring of 2024, marking his professional debut as playwright. The play additionally went on to be a finalist in the Best of Orlando Theatre 2024 in the Orlando Sentinel. His next play, The Last Bear, will also premiere at the Renaissance in May for the 2025 Orlando Fringe Festival. Gian has previously performed in Whiskey Theatre Factory’s staged reading of Combined and currently serves as the dramaturg for their staged reading of Sunny. He writes poetry and submits to literary magazines in his spare time. Insta: giancarellano.
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Irene’s plays include Suture Bowl, Enter, Pursued by a Whale, The Train, How to Field Dress an Android, and several ten-minute shorts. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and her work has been produced throughout the United States and abroad. Irene holds an MFA in writing from Seton Hill University and a PhD in Texts and Technology from the University of Central Florida. Her other publications include short stories, short plays, interactive plays, alternate reality games, and more.
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is a writer and video producer with experience in theater, television, and commercial production. He was a key creative force behind a local sketch comedy TV show, where he wrote, acted, directed, shot, and edited. He also co-wrote and filmed a series of comedic NCAA Golf Tournament ads for the Golf Channel, blending humor with sports marketing. In 2019, he workshopped a co-written play at UC Davis, showcasing his talent for live storytelling. With a passion for engaging narratives across mediums, he continues to craft compelling stories for audiences.
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is a Pakistani, female-identifying theatre artist. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BA in Theatre Studies and a minor in music. Jena has worked as a stage manager, director, playwright, actor and other roles throughout her career. Since she graduated, she has interned at Orlando Shakes and Florida Studio Theatre and currently works with Jobsite Theater as a Producing Associate. Jena is also an affiliated artist of the National New Play Network and currently works full time with Orlando Shakes. In addition, she still writes plays when she can, and her works can be found on the NewPlayExchange.org. Recently she was seen in the Whiskey Theatre Factory production of Everyone’s Fine with Virginia Woolf (Honey) at Fringe ArtSpace and the PUFFS (Megan) at Theatre South Playhouse.
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is a Florida-based writer who became a teacher to guarantee an audience 5 days a week. His plays have been produced in Australia, Canada, China, England, Germany, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Thailand, and all 50 States.
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has been a frequent artist collaborator of Whiskey Theatre Factory since June 2022. His play La Medéa was produced by The Renaissance Theatre Company in January 2022, which has been listed in the Orlando Sentinel in several of its "Orlando's Best of 2022" theatre articles. His work focuses on intersections of multiculturalism, multilingualism, and revitalizing our classics for the audience of today.
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is a Central Florida playwright and is thrilled to be back once again with Whiskey Theatre Factory, who previously showcased six of her short plays in The Meeting of the Muses, A Night of Short Plays by Nancy Rose Ostinato. She has happily had 28 productions of 19 of her short plays across the U.S, including at the popular Snowdance Comedy Festival. The second one-act play she ever wrote was published as an international competition winner in a collection of the best short plays of the year. Also a nonfiction writer, Nancy has had several of her stories published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series of books. She is currently trying her hand at writing holiday romcom screenplays.
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(He/They) is a Jane-of-all, master of (n)one. Graham is a wanderer, a playwright, a yogi, a performer, a poet, a food-lover, a clown, a wine snob– Graham is a Gemini. Nope, let’s stick with writer. Graham’s plays have been produced off-Broadway, internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe, and toured nationally in the US. Graham’s poetry has been published. It was 10 years ago and they were anthologies of high school art but it still happened! Graham writes as a tool for community building, collective resistance, and, if you’re lucky, catharsis.
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graduated from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN with a double major in Acting & Directing, and a minor in Playwriting. Since moving to Orlando, Reese has become the ultimate Florida Man, wrestling alligators and working with venomous snakes on the side, but he is so excited to be playwriting tonight. Recent credits include Everyone’s Fine with Virginia Woolf (Whiskey Theatre Factory), Love & War (Orlando Fringe '23), and The Inheritance (Ensemble Company).
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has been founding, managing and advocating for the arts in Central Florida for more than four decades, but it was even longer ago that he took a play writing class and attempted to put a play on paper. He has acted in, directed and produced shows for SAK, Orlando Shakes, Orlando Family Stage (when it was the Civic Theatre), Mad Cow Theatre, the Garden Theatre, Winter Park Playhouse, Orlando Fringe Festival (which he helped start), Playwright’s Round Table and RS&C Productions. He produces a free weekly “Terry’s Update” with arts and cultural news and opportunities that goes to more than 10,000 subscribers. Interested people can get on the receiving list at www.ArtsInstigator.org.
Meet the Actors!
Clark Levi (any/all) is a creator and producer for theatre, film and online content based in Orlando, and a longtime Fringer as artist, intern and staff member. They create art and events under their company name, “Lightup Shoebox”, with a mission of encouraging people of all backgrounds to collaborate and discover through art. This includes the recent critically acclaimed “Silence”, the weekly open-to-all artistic club “Play Date” that roams Central Florida, as well as recent productions of the made-in-Central-Florida new shows TAWC-TTOTS, Ink Addicted, The Devil’s Coda, Leviticus and Carmilla: An American Gothic. They’re also the producer for the annual events Play-In-A-Day (formerly produced by Beth Marshall Presents) and Dickens by Candlelight with Three Hats Studios/RS&C. They’ve led workshops on devising, writing and collaborative creation with Orlando Fringe, Florida Theatre Conference, Central Florida Community Arts, Timucua Arts Foundation, Beth Marshall Presents and more. They love Whiskey Theatre Factory for its commitment to fostering new talent and great writers, and connecting artists of all kinds. @lightupshoebox on Facebook and Instagram!
Marisa Davis is excited to have the opportunity to participate in this 1-minute fest! While she loves the theatre, her busy life as a Human Capital Consultant, helping companies ensure their employees are ready for people, process, or system changes, does not always allow for involvement in a full production, so finding something like Whiskey Theatre Factory salons and fests is wonderful. To relax, besides pretending to be someone else, Marisa likes to “run”, do Pilates, read, binge TV, or relax with the Cupcake (a cat - the only sweet allowed in the house ;) )
Sandi Linn is thrilled to be acting with WTF again tonight after appearing in Bi Bi Bi, and A Sign That You Were Alive (both as Bethany’s mother!) She is also excited to be acting with her real son, Clark, for the first time. Sandi has loved performing in Play in a Day the past two years.
Her original one woman show, Bugged Lady, was chosen Best Site Specific Show at OrlandoFringe in 2022 as well as Best of the Fest list in 2022 and 2023. Last year at Fringe she starred with her husband Alan in his play, Clark Levi, Your Parents Are Not Brain Surgeons. Sandi is thrilled to bring her new play Bugged Lady 2: Venomous Revenge to Fringe this May, where she definitely does not play someone’s mother.
Yinelly Marie Pastrana graduated Summa Cum Laude in Theatre from Lamar University. With various productions under her belt as cast and crew, some of her past credits as a performer include The Addams Family, The Murray Method, Enthrallment, A Streetcar Named Desire, Southern Fried Murder, Silence, The Magic Castle Still Stands, and They/ Who. Her production credits include Lincolnesque, Uncle Vanya, Waiting for Godot, and Olympiaganza. Yinelly will be in the upcoming Cult Classic and Aquila Pole Dancing X Prometheus Bound in this year's upcoming Fringe Festival. She is very excited to be participating in this year's 1 minute play festival.
This show is only possible with the support of our generous donors!
$500
Lawrence Haber
Lawrence H. Haber, P.A.
$350
Joshua Cartee
$250
Anonymous
Bethany Dickens Assaf
Lisa Hardt
Douglas Muscott
Scott Sauls
$150
Anonymous
Max Pinsky
$100
Michael Cartee
The Headleys
$50
Jean Chorazyczewski
Kimberly Chorazyczewski
Roy Hamlin
Erika Lane
Jennie Lichtenauer
Ava Love Hanna
Jason and Leah Porrata
Jennifer Thibodeau
Stephen Woosley
$25
Liz Bernstein
Denise Bloomfield
Sara Breitfelder
Elizabeth Coley
Valerie Hendrickson
Jacqueline LeDoux
Beth Marshall
Emika Martin
Donna Murray
Katie Thayer
$10-$20
Arsen Atbashian
Kit Fuller
Melissa Fritzinger
Clark Levi
Sandi Linn
Julia Lozada
Samantha Oakey
Akash Patel
Kimberly Patel
Katherine Riley
Ilana Rothman
Manuel Solis-Bauza
Grace Zelek
Brandy Zapata
