Brisk Festival Edition III

Reviewed by Martín Hernández
Morgan Wixson Theatre
Through Sept. 9

This international theatre festival has winnowed hundreds of submissions down to 52 entries, all ten-minute one-act plays, 31 in English and 21 in Spanish. Audience members and a jury of industry professionals vote on the best plays, with awards and a cash prize presented to the finalist during the closing weekend.  While the festival normally offers an English program followed by a Spanish one — each consisting of six to eight plays — the night I attended both were in English. The shows I saw may not be the ones you do, but check the fest’s website for more info.

 The Orange program offered mostly underwhelming offerings, but a few shined through. Emily Brauer Rogers’ quirky “Edge,” directed by Nora Isabel Cross, has two women (Remy O’Brien and Marilyn Sanabria) get their car stuck on a cliff as their Thelma and Louise-style suicide attempt goes awry. Given a second chance, they debate the rationale of continuing with their mission, each giving odd but cogent reasons on both sides. “Joy Ride,” by Christine Foster and directed by Todd Felderstein, portrays a sensible daughter (Sandra Valladares) and her estranged New Age mother (Pamela Heffler) as they  disburse the ashes of the family patriarch in an unconventional manner. Despite their conflicting philosophies and connections to the significant — and deceased — man in the life, they come to a comic détente thanks to the actors’ commitment to the play’s absurdity.

The Yellow program had a much more polished feel, both in performance, staging, and writing. Writer/director Ben Kawaller’s “The Artists” pits an up-and-coming painter against a bartender who left art school in an enlightening back and forth on the vagaries of their careers. Josh Breslow and Julian Abelskamp have an engaging chemistry as they portray potential rivals who find shocking common ground.  “Every Child Left Behind” is Dennis Danziger’s lambasting of the George W. Bush-era educational reform, as a teacher (Sara Laskey) tries to corral her students (Anye Young, Louie Cruz, and Francisco Zurcher) for another mandatory test. Director John Ciccolini’s comic timing is bolstered by a very talented cast that embody the angst of current teenagers and their teachers as they maneuver the minefield that that passes for modern education.

The best of the bunch is Patrick Gabridge’s  “Santa Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” directed by Kenneth Castillo, in which a middle-aged couple (Edward Padilla and Karla Ojeda) are conflicted over telling their son (Giovanni Bejarano) the truth about Old Saint Nick. He is definitely at the age for such a revelation, Mom feels the trauma would be too much their son, but Dad feels so strongly about abandoning the subterfuge that the disclosure goes viral, hilariously exposing secrets better left under wraps.

While local theatre can be notorious for late starts, a 35- minute delay of the 6:15 p.m. curtain time was a bit much, even by L.A. standards. Also, you may want to call ahead to see if the “delectable food options” touted in the press release will be there to savor since they were not the night I attended — there are sumptuous tacos across the street, just in case. Bon apetit.

Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; Sat.-Sun., English, 6:15 p.m.; Spanish, 8:30 p.m.; through Sept. 9. https://tickets.briskfestival.com/ (Running time: approximately one hour to one hour and a half hours depending on program.)