Brief, not briefs

Festival of original one-acts has a Sapphic slant

It's not a fashion statement; Lesbian Shorts is a festival of original one-act plays with a Sapphic slant. A production of the Bloody Unicorn Theatre Company, in conjunction with Old Pueblo Playwrights, the festival runs Nov. 5-7 at the Cabaret Theater, upstairs at the Temple of Music and Art.

A lesbian relationship lies at the heart of each of the little comedies and dramas.

Adrienne Perry, a member of Old Pueblo Playwrights, contributes Toys, which is billed as "a comedy about misunderstanding, sexual frustration and experimentation in bed." It stars Martie Van Der Voort and Allison Rose.

Ry Herman, the festival's artistic director and another Old Pueblo Playwrights member, is responsible for Vamp. She describes the play as "a vinyl-clad supernatural romantic comedy containing more than you thought you wanted to know about monsters, meteors and imaginary friends." Allison Rose and Dana Cianciotto are featured in this piece.

Sarah Pariseau, a Rhode Island teenager, is the author of Matchbox Songs and Gypsy Hymns, which is off to a good start with its title. The play concerns a pair of Rolling Stones-besotted teenagers (played by Teresa Simone and Rachel Langman) who begin to wonder if there's a new way to give each other satisfaction.

Although Perry and Herman, as organizers of the event, had the inside track on getting their work produced, Pariseau's play was selected by the festival board from hundreds of others under consideration.

As if all this weren't enough, the intervals between the plays will feature entertainment by the dancers of Midriff Crisis, Tucson's leading and perhaps only tribal bellydance troupe.

If this venture goes over well, says Herman, the festival could become an annual event. Old Pueblo Playwrights already produces the annual Play-in-a-Day competition and a staged reading series.

Lesbian Shorts will drop into the Cabaret Theater in the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5 and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 6-7. Tickets cost $13 and can be reserved by calling 990-3628 or e-mailing kyraroc@yahoo.com.