return to the Update

Benefit Players Present “Eclectica:
Four Short Plays for the Fun of It” in October

Combining the comedy of manners, the clarity of an adrenaline-filled moment, the stream-of-consciousness logic of a dream state, and the wry retelling of an audition experience, the San Juan Benefit Players have concocted another night of great comedy in a program called “Eclectica: Four Short Plays for the Fun of It.” The Benefit Players Theater is just off Tucker Street at the corner of Guard Street in Friday Harbor.

There will be seven performances of the program, beginning Saturday, October 14, at 7:30 pm, and continuing on Fridays and Saturdays, October 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 7:30 pm, and Sundays, October 22 and 29, at 5:00 pm. Admission is by donation, and all donations are tax deductible. A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to offset extraordinary medical expenses for Marc Wynn.

In the first half of the evening will be the hilarious George S. Kaufman satire If Men Played Cards as Women Do, the quirky Mary Louise Wilson episode Lost (no resemblance to the TV show) and Christopher Durang’s wonderfully absurd play-within-a-play The Actor’s Nightmare. Rounding out the program will be Leslie Nipkow’s tour-de-force monologue play Guarding Erica.

The casts of each production feature Warren Baehr, George Iliff, Ed Strum and Ed Wilson in If Men Played Cards As Women Do, Roberta Leed and Yvonne Bjuis-Mancuso in Lost, Warren Baehr, Shannon Kelley, Douglas Schirmer, Maureen See and Jill Urbach in The Actor’s Nightmare, and RuthE. Wells in Guarding Erica. Stage direction is provided by Ed Strum, Douglas Schirmer (Lost) and Ed Wilson (Guarding Erica).

One word of caution for parents, and those of tender heart, one of the plays contains adult language. Parking in the area is limited, and patrons are advised to arrive early to secure their parking so that the show can start on time. Festival seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain.

San Juan Benefit Players was established to provide quality theater productions for the benefit of the community, and to assist the community in charitable and educational benefits. For more information, call 370-5560.