EST held its first Marathon in 1977 and launched an industry-wide revival of the short play form and broke new ground by putting new and established writers together on one stage. This year’s 36th Marathon of One-Act Plays will be presented in three series.

To continually bring new and exciting plays to the forefront of a saturated market is no small feat, but the Ensemble Studio Theatre and the Radio Drama Network’s presentation of their 36th Marathon of One-Act Plays Series C manages to do just that. After being privy to their Series B line up, Series C did not disappoint. It’s a masterful playwright who can whisk you away, create an arc, and circle back to a satisfying conclusion all in one act, and each of the playwrights in this series manage to do just that. The evening began with “Female Beginner” by Edith Freni, directed by Jessica Holt. The 18-year-old daughter of a politician is to make a speech at a fundraising dinner, but her upper middle class lifestyle and her family’s local political dynasty cannot wash over her own questioning what is right and wrong on a larger global scale. Freni captures the daddy-daughter relationship with relatable honesty and the piece is well-staged by Holt. “Santa Doesn’t Come to the Holiday Inn,” written by Elyzabeth Wilder and directed by Julie Kramer, presents a unique situation – a divorced couple standing by their arrangement to always have Christmas together for the benefit of their six-y …Read more