Media Alert
Short+Sweet – the Biggest 10-Minute Play Festival in the World – Makes North American Debut in Hollywood September 8-25
Transcending National and Artistic Borders with Performers from U.S., Australia, Mexico,
India and the United Arab Emirates
WHAT: – Short+Sweet, the biggest little play festival in the world, is making its North American debut right here in Hollywood after establishing more than 50 short-form performing arts festivals in United Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Zimbabwe and beyond. Short+Sweet Hollywood features local and international talent, with writers, directors and actors from the U.S., Australia, Mexico, India, and the United Arab Emirates presenting more than 60 new, original plays, each 10 minutes or less, over three weeks of performances. Each week features a different program of ten taste tempting theatrical treats that are sure to thrill and amaze. Theatre audiences vote for their favorites and send them on to the Gala Finals awards competition. The festival includes plays of all genres to satisfy all manner of artistic tastes, from avant-garde comedy, to real-life drama to musical theatre. From a thought-provoking story about unrest in Los Angeles following the Rodney King beating verdicts, to a comedy about the connection between love and skywriting, to a world premiere opera, Short+Sweet Hollywood truly offers something for everyone AND serves it up with international flare!
WHO: -- More than sixty directors and 160 actors perform the works of 60 playwrights. Highlights include performers: Dwight Hicks, former Forty Niners defensive back-turned actor ((Armageddon, The Rock); Michelle Lukes (HBO’s Strike Back );Kelly Frye (Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders); and Monica Lee Gradischek (Grease, on Broadway).Directors include Emmy-Award winner Victoria Hochberg, and playwrights include Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award-winner Kitty Felde; composer/lyricist Enrique Acosta (Spider Baby the Musical); acclaimed playwright Susan Cinoman (New York’s Ensemble Studio Theatre, Naked Angels, Circle Repertory); and Best New Talent award-winner from this year’s Short+Sweet festival in Sydney, Australia, Dudley Levell.
WHEN: -- September 8-25, 2016. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., except for Sunday, Sept. 25, when performances will be at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. with the Gala Finals and reception at 7 p.m. Ten plays will be performed at each of the evening performances, and ten “wild cards” will be performed at each of the matinees, with a different program each week — Week 1 (Sept 8-11), Week 2 (Sept. 15-18) and Week 3 (Sept. 22-25) — for a total of 60 plays in 12 days.
WHERE: -- Stella Adler Theater, located at 6773 Hollywood Blvd., 2nd Floor in Hollywood.
TICKETS AND PARKING: -- Short+Sweet general admission to each of the performances is $25. Groups, seniors and students with valid ID can purchase tickets for $20. A festival pass is available for $100. Parking is $10 on Las Palmas Ave., south of Hollywood Blvd. The theater is also located just one block from the Metro Red Line Hollywood/Highland station. To purchase tickets: Visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2580409, call (800) 838-3006, or email Hollywood@shortandsweet.org.
BACKGROUND: -- Short+Sweet is a global theatre phenomenon that began in 2002 as a small festival of 10 short plays performed in Sydney, Australia. It has since grown to be an internationally recognized and respected theatre brand with festivals in India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Philippines and the Middle East. Now, Short+Sweet has embarked on a sweep across the United States, with the first festival opening here in Los Angeles. More than 50 global Short+Sweet festivals include a range of performing art forms, including theatre, musical theatre, cabaret, comedy and dance. Short+Sweet is an open platform and welcomes participants (and audiences) of any race, gender, religion, creed, color, sexual orientation, height, weight, handedness (you can even be ambidextrous we don’t care!)
Short+Sweet aims to build a more creative, cohesive world, 10 minutes at a time by increasing global theatre audiences that are internationally and intercultural aware. It is also a platform for writers, actors and other artists to build their global career opportunities, push their artistry to the next level and stretch their minds and imaginations. Short+Sweet is proof that global citizens do not need to depend upon their governments to bring us together. Through the arts and people-to-people artistic exchange, we can increase international/intercultural understanding and cooperation on our own terms.