Confetti Fest 2020

Confetti Stage is gearing up for its annual short play festival, Confetti Fest, and we are looking for directors to help us put a creative foot forward in this time of pandemic and isolation. Although we are uncertain of what the future will bring, we are committed to bringing the 16th incarnation of Confetti Fest to life as a filmed performance, to be posted online. The idea is to begin auditions and rehearsals online via Zoom, and then later move the casts into a physical space where the performance will eventually be filmed. Each short play will be filmed separately to limit the risk of large groups spreading COVID, and the recording will take place in mid to late November, to be edited and released in early December. The Albany Masonic Hall, 67 Corning Place, Albany NY 12207 has been reserved for 2 weeks of filming, although once directors have been selected, we will all meet to discuss location, performance, and rehearsal options. This discussion will involve the possibility of filming in locations outside of the Masonic Hall. In this case, the director would be responsible for ensuring the safety of the cast and crew. A videographer will be made available by Confetti Stage.

If you are willing, we would love to have you look at this year’s selection of plays and decide if you have an interest in directing. Please contact confettistageinc@gmail.com to receive all five play scripts.

If you would like to be considered for a Confetti Fest XVI directing assignment, please contact confettistageinc@gmail.com with responses to the following questions:

1. Which particular play(s) are you most interested in directing? Are you willing to direct any other(s)?

2. [Optional] You may provide a brief pitch on how you plan to stage your preferred script. Do not feel limited to Confetti Stage’s traditional stage at the Masonic Hall. If there is another location that you have access to or can obtain permission to use, you may include that as well.

3. Do you have directing experience? Please list prior experience or attach a resume.

4. Do you have dance choreography experience?

5. Do you have any experience with video production? Please list or provide a resume.

6. Are you willing to serve as a stage manager, assistant director, lighting operator or sound operator for Confetti Fest if you are not chosen to direct? Please indicate your particular interest and experience.

7. What is your physical location?

Confetti Fest 2020 Short Plays

The Choice by Adele Costa

Tucked away in a small village at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, there is a famed witch who will hear your troubles and charge you no silver for their remedy. But what is sought must be paid for, one way or another.

Note: This play requires a director with experience in dance choreography or a willingness to work with a choreographer. Any director must also be prepared to research North African Berber culture and respectfully convey LGBTQ+ themes.

Great Humanity by Matt Reichel

In the distant future, after humanity’s collapse, a scavenger named Cola comes across an abandoned science lab underground. There, she accidentally awakens another woman frozen in time, Samantha Knight. Though Cola was raised to revere her predecessors, her interactions with Samantha reveal that the people she once admired were deeply flawed. With her worldview crushed, Cola loses her sense of purpose. An artificial intelligence, Peggy, convinces Cola that the best thing you can do is to try and enjoy the ride while you can. The three decide to go back above ground and make the most of what’s left.

Merry Chrismukkah to All by Daniel Smirlock

While sitting at a table in Starbucks, a man named Adam is approached by a Hasidic Jew with religious recruitment in mind. The play is Adam’s monologue in response, encompassing his mixed Jewish/Catholic background, his early experience with both religions, his first Christmas in the mostly-Jewish neighborhood he grew up in, and his own views about God.

Not Even One by Lydia Nightingale

A birthday party can be a bit rough for a recovering alcoholic. Such is it for Marcy, who finds herself squaring off against a half-full glass of her favorite beer left lonely on a nearby table.

Painting Moonlight by Laura Darling

At a small cafe sit a woman waiting for a date and an artist working on a painting. They both feel as if something in their life is not complete. As the moonlight settles on the scene, they both realize that maybe that is OK.