NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, March 6.
PORT TOWNSEND — Love, art, war and “Let’s Give the Dog Hands!”
Sounds like the PT PlayFest, a two-week trip into the world of live theater, be it full-on productions, staged readings or plays in progress with room for audience input.
The festival of no fewer than 45 performances, open rehearsals and workshops — including seven with free admission — starts its first weekend today at the Key City Playhouse, the cozy venue at 419 Washington St.
There, Key City Public Theatre, Port Townsend’s 57-year-old company, is welcoming playwrights from Jefferson County, Seattle, New York City and Los Angeles.
The festival, whose motto is “A Theater-Lover’s Feast: Connecting Artists & Audiences,” has a variety of prices.
The especially play-hungry can go for the $35 festival pass, which covers all performances today through next weekend, while playwrights can choose the $95 writers’ pass to all shows plus a playwriting intensive on the final day, March 15.
Single tickets are available to each event as well, with lots of information about PlayFest at www.KeyCityPublicTheatre.org and 360-385-5278.
D.D. Wigley of Port Townsend, the writer of “Let’s Give the Dog Hands!,” penned a playful bit of dialogue about the event:
“Yeah, it sounds like it might cost a lot. But you can buy a pass for the whole festival that is such a deal, seriously.
“And I haven’t even told you about the, like, 10 or so other events. Like the local TeenLab play, right? I love seeing what my younger theater friends are up to,” Wigley said, referring to the saga local teenagers have written and produced for PlayFest.
Their performance will arrive on the playhouse stage at 4 p.m. Saturday, with single tickets at $10.
One-act plays
Also this weekend: the premiere of three one-act plays from Port Townsend playwrights. Curtain time is 7:30 tonight, single tickets are $15 and the titles, presented together in one program, are:
■ “Oedipus at Delphi,” Doug Given’s comedic look at the young Oedipus.
■ “Let’s Give the Dog Hands!,” Wigley’s dark comedy about a “millennial dude.”
■ “Beautiful Ratty Blanket,” Deborah Daline’s tale of life changes, family relationships and letting go.
This trio of plays will take the stage again at 7:30 Saturday night and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, then return for performances next Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 12-14.
Sunday program
Yet another set of stories comes Sunday evening with a program called First Reads. Admission is free, and these are the works:
■ “Optimism, Or,” a play about love and courage by AP Andrews of New York City.
■ “skinny crazy small,” about a girl struggling with anorexia, by Sylvie Mae Baldwin of Seattle.
■ “Neel Beaux,” the story of two women artists from different eras, by visiting PlayFest playwright Doris Baizley of Los Angeles.
Playwriting workshops
Next weekend, Baizley will give two playwriting workshops: a free three-hour class for all levels Saturday, March 14, and a $75 intensive class Sunday, March 15, for playwrights already working on projects.
Also from March 12-15, theater lovers will be able to catch another full slate of PlayFest performances, rehearsals, readings and discussions.
Theater-goers have abundant chances to talk about what they’re seeing, Wigley added.
“I might just need your smarts in ‘the house’ and would totally welcome your comments in the Q-and-A,” she said.
“We do those after every performance so the playwrights and those in the audience, too, can learn as much as possible about their work.
“What you say might really help me further my play on its way.”
You just might “be all proud,” Wigley added, “of your local homies like me.”
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
