Carrollwood Cultural Center To Spotlight Short Plays

TAMPA, FL – When Aaron Washington and Keith Eisenstadt decided to start their own production company, they knew they wanted to focus on local playwrights.

Less than a year later, Washington and Eisenstadt Present will host its first-ever “An Evening of Short Plays Showcasing Local Talent” on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17 at 8 p.m. in The Studio @ The Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road.

“We hope to entertain and delight our audiences while showcasing the amazing talents that are right here in our area,” said Washington, who is also the events coordinator for the Carrollwood Cultural Center.

The presentation will feature eight 10-minute plays all from playwrights who live in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Dunedin. Fellow theater colleague James Rayfield spearheaded acquiring the playwrights for this event, Washington said.

Other than the length of the stories, the plays are not bound to a theme.

“There’s such a range of genres for the plays that we did not focus on a theme outside of them being short plays,” Washington said. “We have comedy, romance, dark comedy, drama and a mini-opera.”

Auditions for the plays are scheduled for Saturday, May 6 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Carrollwood Cultural center. The team of directors are looking for actors ages 12 and older, who are asked to prepare a monologue of the actor’s choice. Those looking to audition for the operetta are asked to prepare 32 bars of a lyrical piece.

Admission to “An Evening of Short Plays” is $20 and includes the eight plays, and a talk back session at the end of the evening with the playwrights, directors and actors. Washington and Eisenstadt Present will donate a portion to each ticket sold through to support literature and the arts in local classrooms DonorsChoose.org.

Washington said they are hoping “An Evening of Short Plays” will gain steam with the community and it can become a yearly event promoting local playwrights.

“We would love to hear from playwrights and read their scripts for our weekend next year and we hope that we can soon incorporate workshops during the day with the performances in the evening,” he said. “The potential for this initiative has us very excited.”

For tickets, call the Carrollwood Cultural Center Box Office at (813) 922-8167. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/WashingtonEisenstadt.

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