Mildred’s Umbrella Theatre Company and Wordsmyth Theatre proudly present Museum of Dysfunction VIII: A SHOWCASE OF SHORTS. Now in its eighth year, this annual short play festival features new pieces by playwrights from across the nation and produced by the professional actors and designers in the Mildred’s Umbrella Company. With over 200 submissions this year, only the top nineteen will be produced over two consecutive weekends. The first group of nine plays will run June 23-25 and the second group of ten will run June 30-July 2.
“We love bringing new voices to Houston,” says MU Artistic Director Jennifer Decker, “and each year we get to pack in a bunch of them into two weekends. It’s a little chaotic and crazy, but it’s fun in the end.” The plays touch on several topics but all stay within the Mildred’s Umbrella aesthetic of quirky, dark, and edgy. Each play runs under fifteen minutes and features a minimal set, cast, and technical requirements to highlight the scripts’ strengths.
Featured amongst the playwrights are several local faces, including Emily Neves, Helen Stewart, B N Reichenberger, Warren Holleman, and Hannah Wolfe, a student the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Other playwrights whose work was selected are: Shannon Murdoch, Olivia Dawson, Connie Schindewolf, LH Grant, Jack Gilhooley, James McClindon, Alyson Mead, Jason Rainey, Arthur M. Jolly, Tom Coash, Philip Kaplan, Carl Williams, and Suzanne Bailie. The plays will be directed by MU company members Bree Bridger, Rod Todd, Ron Reeder, Jennifer Decker, and Lisa Villegas, with local artists Ananka Kohnitz, Adriana Dominguez, and Peter Ton rounding out the directors’ roster.