FYI, this event has passed. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate our anniversary with us! Want to get involved with WTF in 2023? Go to our home page and scroll down to “Survey.” Can’t wait to see what this year holds!
Welcome to our third annual one-minute play festival!
Orlando Fringe ArtSpace, February 8th, 7:00pm
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About the competition:
Ten 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:
We are a collective of Orlando-based theatre artists dedicated to celebrating and uplifting emerging, untapped, and historically excluded voices. We challenge our community through provocative, authentic pieces, examining our culture and revealing the grace of humanity.
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Show Team:
Producers - Liz Bernstein, Bethany Dickens Assaf, & Kate O’Claire
Host - Katie Thayer
Marketing - Jodi Antenor & Ghina Fawaz
Stage Manager - Meghan Pratt
Program
Welcome and Introductions
Readings of 2021 and 2022 Winners (“Hybrid Variety” by Liz Coley and “Cupcake” by Ava Love Hanna)
Competition Details and playwrights: READY SET GO!
2022 Throwback Performance: excerpt from Romeo and Her Sister by Jillian Blevins
Drinking Game
2022 Throwback Performance: “The Hallmark of a Good Relationship” by Nancy Rose Ostinato
Intermission/Live Music - Liam Richardson
One-Minute Script Readings!
Voting Period/Live Music - Liam Richardson
Winner Announcement
Final Toast and Curtain Call!
Meet the competition Playwrights!
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Nico Allen is an Orlando Local who has been performing in theatre for over a decade. They have always had a love for writing and for the past 5 years, have been creating theatre works that have been performed at the Orlando Shakes as well as theaters across New York and California. They are super excited to work with WTF and is thankful for all they have done.
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What is there to say about Billie Jane Aubertin that the internet hasn’t already? “Genius”, “visionary”, and “the next big thing” are all things that have been written about her by herself in the notes app of her phone, but who knows, maybe someday someone else will think so too!
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Andy Haynes is an award winning and published playwright currently living in Winter Garden.
Andy has participated for many years in Orlando’s Play In A Day festival receiving top honors on several occasions. With a passion for themed entertainment, his writing can also be found in several local theme parks and he currently serves on the board of directors for Slice Creative Network, an association of themed entertainment freelancers. Andy also adjudicates for local thespian competitions, judging playwriting and screenwriting for junior and senior thespians at both district and state levels.
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Clark Levi is a creator and producer for theatre, film and online content based in Orlando. Most recently, he co-produced/managed the revival of Leviticus (11th Hour/Lightup Shoebox), Dickens by Candelight (RSC/Three Hats), and the film The Woman in the Room (Phantom Funhouse). He is the Development Assistant for Orlando Fringe, a resident artist with Beth Marshall Presents, a leader of the weekly “play date” at Renaissance Theatre Company, and produces art under his company name, “Lightup Shoebox”.
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Megan Markham is a playwright, poet, and actor. They have written and performed full-length immersive theater, short plays, and everything in between. She is the artistic director @phoenixtearspr
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Kimberly Murray Patel is a local costumer, playwright, and actor. She works with different companies in different capacities all over Central Florida, but is happiest when she gets to spend her time with the Whiskey Theater Factory.
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Jason Porrata is the current Upper School Theatre Teacher at The First Academy. He also serves as a Director, Stage Manager, and Teaching Artist for Central Florida Community Arts and Whiskey Theatre Factory. Recent credits include: The Meeting of the Muses: A Night of Short Plays by Nancy Rose Ostinato, How We Got On, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Disney's Frozen Jr. Jason also made his WTF acting debut this past fall in The Meeting of the Muses. In addition to his onstage and backstage interests, Jason himself is a playwright and he's excited to be a part of his second 1-Minute Play Competition. Jason is a proud alum of the School of Theatre at Florida State University. He'd like to thank his wife Leah for her genuine love and support, Whiskey Theatre Factory for this opportunity, and his son Mars for being a constant reminder of God's love for fun and silliness.
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Irene L. Pynn’s plays include Suture Bowl, Enter, Pursued by a Whale, How to Field Dress an Android, and several others. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild. Irene holds an MFA in writing from Seton Hill University and a PhD in Texts and Technology from the University of Central Florida.
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Max 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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Joshua Caleb Thomas is a queer and award-winning producer, director, and writer. Their production company, Phantom Funhouse, produces genre-driven stories with socially-conscious themes for the stage and screen.
2022 Throwback Performance Playwrights:
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Jillian Blevins is a Massachusetts-based playwright, actor, director, and dramaturge. Her short play 'Tipping' was produced for Providence's Bar Plays series, and 'Wake' for Elemental Theatre's 3.a.go.go. In 2020/21, she conceived and produced, 'Digital Dionysia', a six-week online new works festival of 24 original plays by playwrights from all over the country and the world, which featured her plays 'Izzy at Zoom Therapy' and 'Be The Bacchae'.
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NANCY ROSE OSTINATO is honored and thrilled to become an Artistic Associate with Whiskey Theatre Factory. Nancy first got involved with WTF by participating in their One-Minute Virtual Play Competition and was later commissioned to write a monologue, Join the Club, for WTF’s “Broad Strokes: An evening of monologues and plays exploring what it means to be a woman in America". She has been a Central Florida playwright for four years, a delightful surprise and unexpected passion discovered when she took a short playwriting class on a whim. She was even more surprised when the first two short plays she wrote were both selected in an international competition, one as a semi-finalist and the other as a finalist published in the anthology STAGE IT! 2: Thirty 10-Minute Plays. Other notable productions include plays produced by the Snowdance Comedy Festival, Gi60 Houston, Playwrights’ Round Table, the Breakthrough Theatre Company, Valencia College, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Seaside Players, Femuscripts, Fantasy Theatre Factory (Miami), and The Fragmented Festival (a virtual theatre festival). Nancy is published in several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Be You: 101 Stories of Affirmation, Determination and Female Empowerment (2021), which tells the story of her play Leave a Message in a new piece entitled “Still Leaving a Message”. Nancy holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, had a career in mental health, and will always be, first and foremost, the mother of Michael and Morgan.
Meet the Actors
Liz Bernstein (she/her/hers) (Reading of Past Winners) is a training facilitator and career coach located in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In pursuit of these loves, Liz studied theatre arts, creative writing, and psychology at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL. She has always loved thinking deeply about what makes us human and finding ways to help people reach their ultimate goals. While attending the University of Central Florida for a master's degree in Mental Health Counseling, Liz continued performing with the collegiate a cappella group, Gemini Blvd. Since then, she has had the pleasure to perform with Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Whiskey Theatre Factory, the Fragmented Festival, and Central Florida Community Arts, for staged readings and play workshops.
Krystal Glover (One-Minute Plays; Romeo and Her Sister) is an actress and director from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Currently residing Orlando, Fl, she spends much of her time sharpening her craft by training with The Portland Shakespeare Theater, Artists Rep Theatre, and Truthful Acting Studios. Her most recent theater credits include Collective Rage: A Tale in Five Bettie’s, The Dog, and Macbeth. When not on stage she enjoys spending as much time in nature as she can and playing with her adorable furbaby, Kingley.
Jose “Joe” Llorens (One-Minute Plays, Reading of Past Winners) is honored to be an Artistic Associate of Whiskey Theatre Factory. He's an actor, improviser, producer, and creator of Let's Get Real comedy. He earned a BFA in Theatre from Florida International University where he discovered and developed his passion for creating authentic, engaging, impactful moments on stage. He hopes to help WTF achieve its goals of uplifting new voices, bringing life to new works, and creating new opportunities for people to communicate through their souls. He is a married father of three amazing children and he draws inspiration from them on a daily basis. Try Hard. Be Kind.
Brandon Mikel (One-Minute Plays) is an Asian-American actor based out of Orlando, FL. Mikel was originally from Colorado Springs, CO but made a move to the Southeast to attend the University of Central Florida. His interest in acting began after seeing Henry Golding's performances in Jon M. Chu's "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018) and Guy Ritchie's "The Gentlemen" (2019). Some of Mikel's favorite actors include Colin Farrell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Ryan Gosling.
A born and raised Puerto Rican native, Manuel Solis-Bauza (“The Hallmark of a Good Relationship”) is a graduate from the Rollins College class of 2020 having acquired a BA in Theatre Studies and Communication Theory. Seen on the Rollins stage as Shu Fu in Good Person of Setzuan and Solomon in Speech and Debate, Manuel has recently performed in a variety of virtual shows and pre-recorded performances such as 12 Incompetent Jurors with Breakthrough Theatre, Playwrights Round Table's Science Fiction Shorts series, and most recently as Nick from The Wingman, a play written by Gretchen Suarez-Peña and produced by New Generation Theatrical. When he's not on stage, Manuel can be found working as a public relations specialist with Curley & Pynn, the strategic public relations firm. Manuel is proud of his heritage, culture, and most importantly his family who's been incredibly supportive of his career and passions. ¡Pa'lante!"
Kate O’Claire (she/her/hers) (Romeo and Her Sister) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics.
Charis Watler (Romeo and Her Sister, “The Hallmark of a Good Relationship”) is an Orlando based director, actor, and stage manager. She has directed for the Lowndes Shakespeare Center, Orlando Fringe, DigiFringe, Playwright's Round Table, and WTF. She also fills many roles with Central Florida Community Arts Youth, including teaching artist, stage manager, and assistant director. She is passionate about producing new plays, and uplifting minority voices. Charis feels so blessed to be creating live theatre in such a supportive environment and cannot wait to see what her future with WTF holds.
Temidayo Thompson (One-Minute Plays) is a Nigerian-American actress based out of Orlando, Florida. She discovered her passion for acting at an early age and landed her first musical theatre production role at the age of five. Thompson has been performing ever since and is looking forward to pursuing a career in film and television
Map of Indigenous Lands - click here to learn more!
Glitter Photo by Katie Harp on Unsplash
Live music performed by Liam Richardson
Thank you to Orlando Fringe ArtSpace for making this event possible!
