Olympic Theatre Art’s upcoming New Works Showcase, a production of eight short, never-seen-before plays from local playwrights, is an opportunity for everyone to get involved, notes director William Stone.

The showcase runs Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 17-20, on the OTA stage, 414 N. Sequim Ave.

The plays will be presented in groups of four, with an intermission between and running a little under two hours, according to OTA executive director David Herbelin.

“All the directors, writers, and performers are committed to creating a fun original evening unlike anything you’ll find in a standard play,” he said.

“The genres and themes range from deep thoughtful drama, to fun slapstick comedy. Each script was carefully crafted and lovingly produced.”

Event times are 7 p.m. Nov. 17-19 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 20.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Tara Dupont, Cort Mao, Jenny Brown and Mario Arruda rehearse the comedy “Karate Cooking” for Olympic Theatre Art’s upcoming New Works Showcase. The play was written by Ryan Macedo and directed by Taylor Dowley.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students — and pay-what-you-will for the final dress rehearsal on Nov. 17 — and are available online at olympictheatrearts.org or by calling the box office (360-683-7326) from 1-4 p.m., through Friday.

Stone reiterated what many of the directors and playwrights said, that the opportunity was not only for playwrights, but also for inexperienced directors, actors and crew to try new roles in a low-pressure environment. Many of the people involved have branched out from their comfort zones.

Director Bailey Loveless said that the sets are, “basically black box theater; they’re very simple blocks made into different shapes to depict different places. We also use hand props.”

Loveless said, “We have a really good variety of pieces that people can enjoy.

Said Loveless, “If there is a common theme [among the plays], it would be human relationships … even in the silly ones, there’s an element of that. They’re all very focused on human connections and our responsibilities towards each other.”

Playwright Sarah Brabant said, “This is an phenomenal thing that OTA is doing for the community! This is not something that I would have sought out for myself to do and it has been so rewarding. I plan to submit more plays in the future.

”I’d tell anyone thinking about submitting to just do it. Sit down and write a terrible first draft and worry about the rest later.”

About the plays

Experienced playwright Rebecca Redshaw’s “A Decision Forever,” starring Kevin Breckenridge, Julie Borden, Donovan Rynearson and Cort Mao, will be Loveless’ directorial debut.

Redshaw, who was involved with OTA before moving to Mount Vernon, wrote about the play: “Two strangers meet years after life altering tragedies. It’s been more than two decades since the attack on the Twin Towers and more than fifty years since the attack in Munich. Martin has lived for years with a decision he made at the Olympic Village. He searches and finds Florence in the hopes that he can in some small way lessen the pain he knows she’s lived with since 9/11.”

Redshaw said that it’s very important for local playwrights to participate in local theatre.

“Theatres like OTA offer the perfect place to hone one’s craft,” she said.

Loveless, who has been involved in theater for 25 years, said, “I’ve lived here a year and a half and the theater community has been really welcoming. They do a really good job of making space for newcomers, both to the area and to the art itself.

Stone had the opportunity to direct two plays, one by an experienced playwright and one by a novice.

Starring Jenny Brown and Ken Burland, the comedy “The Miracle Shirker” was written by first-time writer, actor Joel Hoffman.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Cort Mao rehearses his role as an inexperienced hibachi chef for the comedy “Karate Cooking” — written by Ryan Macedo and directed by Taylor Dowley — as part of Olympic Theatre Art’s upcoming New Works Showcase.

It centers on the relationship between a movie producer and an actress as they try to market a script asking the question, “What would happen if Helen Keller lived in today’s world and was offered surgery to restore her sight or hearing?”

“It’s funny and it’s heartfelt,” said Stone.

Hoffman said that he is grateful for the help Stone and Herbelin gave him with his script, and that after this experience he will “give it another shot. ”

Stone also directs professional playwright John P. Bray’s drama “A Johnnie Walker Blue Christmas,” starring Graham Knott, Mario Arruda and saxophone player Alicia Barevich.

“I’m a big fan of getting music involved,” Stone said. “A live sax brings a different dynamic to it.”

Bray said, “It’s loosely based on a few different autobiographical episodes, but mostly a lonely Christmas Eve when I walked from my little apartment to a liquor store, and was invited to partake of some Johnnie Walker Blue (which is ridiculously expensive) by the proprietor.”

Said Stone, “It’s a poignant piece about two former high school friends who reconnect by chance at a northeastern type of liquor store. The character played by Knott has held onto this grudge for several years; Arruda shows up in the store and they have a chance to work that out. Because it’s Christmas eve they have a chance to reconcile and realize there are things that are more important than some old grudge.

The romantic comedy, “Last Train to Paris,” written and directed by John Painter, stars Matt Forrest, Nikki Mischke, Tara Dupont and William Stone.

Said Painter, “Minutes from hopping on a train that will take him to his dream job, a determined young man meets three strangers who may change his life forever… a lighthearted look at the twists and turns of fate and our ability to recognize the possibilities that life offers us.”

Painter said, “I was lucky enough to have my plays selected for both the first and second New Works Showcase contests.”

“This year I asked if I could direct and the OTA said, ‘yes.’ That’s what the OTA is all about, a willingness to provide creative opportunities for aspiring writers and directors in the community.

Sarah Tucker, author of “That Time of the Eon,” said she will be thrilled to see director Matt Forrest’s interpretation of her play, starring Deanna Eickhoff, Katie Singletary, Julie Borden, Kevin Breckenridge, Tara Dupont, Ken Burland and Nicole Mischke.

Tucker wrote: “This play revolves around the Goddess Hera. It is a play full of betrayal and its results while singing the praises of just having a good time. Gods and Goddesses of ancient Greece were not meant to be perfect, they were amplifications of humanity. Much like a rock star.”

Tucker said, “I was just finishing up my stint as Volunteer Coordinator at Olympic Theatre Arts a little over a year ago when the first round of New Works was picked and I’ve witnessed the level of professionalism from creative people at every step of the process. It was exciting to see how many plays were submitted although only a few could be produced.”

Writer Marlene Shinn Lewis’ “Lost and Found,” adapted from her anthologized short story, is directed by Herbelin and Olivia Shea.

“‘Lost and Found’ is a fun romantic comedy based on the investigation of a lost cell phone and how its whereabouts tell a lot about the person who owns it. It stars long-time OTA actress Sarah Shea and, new to the peninsula but making a big impact, Matt Forrest,” said Herbelin.

Lewis said that she wrote her script first as a dialogue-only story, at the urging of a friend.

Lewis’ advice for next year’s playwrights, “Keep it short! OTA is looking for ten-minute New Works. Remember the difference between your reading and viewing audiences. Viewers don’t have the same amount of time as readers to ponder the story line.”

Lewis said, “I’m delighted with the two actors chosen for the play; they are just as I’d pictured when writing it. Couldn’t ask for a nicer gathering of theater folks!”

Third generation Sequim resident Sara K. Brabant, who said she hasn’t written anything since high school, rose to OTA’s challenge with “I Hate You Bob Ross,” starring Sarah Shea, Anthony Richards and Katie Singletary, brought to life by new director Taylor Dowley.

Brabant said, “The play features the main character in a sanitarium of sorts as they try to work through their many relatable emotional and mental issues. Everyone’s favorite afro-ed painter appears and offers his patented brand of advice and encouragement. The idea for the play came from my own love of Bob Ross and the cathartic need to work through issues of my own.”

Dowley said, “It highlights mental health with a very gentle approach that shows the battles that some, if not many, of us have with ourselves.”

Brabant said, “Taylor has been amazing in her communication of her vision for the play while making sure it still aligns with the picture I have in my head for what it will be.”

Also directed by Dowley, “Karate Cooking,” written by Ryan Macedo, stars Jenny Brown, Tara Dupont, Mario Arruda, Cort Mao and Kevin Breckenridge.

“This play is a rollercoaster of a hibachi dinner for two patrons and a hibachi chef fresh out of culinary school,” Dowley said. “It will have you laughing and wondering why at the same time.”

“I am really proud of all the work everyone has put in in such a short time frame, the magic of theatre really is the community,” she said.