‘Encore Shorts’ brings one-acts to new stage

This weekend and next, Trumansburg’s Encore Players Community Theatre is bringing back “Encore Shorts,” a production filled with one-act plays that first started in 2018. This year, its return has been dubbed “The Bermuda Edition,” and cast and crew alike are excited to bring this fun and well-loved format to a new stage.

“Encore Shorts: The Bermuda Edition” plays over two weekends at the Encore Arena Theatre, located at 9706 Congress St. Ext. in Trumansburg. Evening performances are Sept. 23, 24 and 30 and Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m., and matinees are Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available online at encoreplayers.org or can be purchased at the door.

According to a recent press release, “The Bermuda Edition” will “showcase the talents and comedic stylings of 15 actors working with seven directors to present the work of seven playwrights.” The one-act plays are mostly lighthearted and comedy-focused and tackle themes of “responsibility, isolation, justice, relationships, self-esteem and more.”

Chris Manly, producer and stage manager for “The Bermuda Edition,” explained that the first iteration of “Encore Shorts” back in 2018 was very successful, showing Encore that there was potential in this new format.

While Encore members would’ve loved to bring the format back sooner, the pandemic made that difficult. But Manly said he and others are glad to finally be able to produce another one-act-filled production, especially since Encore’s new stage (see tinyurl.com/2njj2uop) allows for more opportunities than in 2018.

“One of the things we’re looking forward to this time is since we have our own space, and we’re less time limited, we’re doing the two-weekend run,” Manly said. “We only had one weekend last time. … It’s always a little hard when you put so much effort into production, and you do one weekend, and then you pack it all up. … Being able to do two weekends in a row means we get a little more reward for our efforts building it and putting it together, and people who are out of town the first weekend can actually see it the second weekend.”

“Encore Shorts: The Bermuda Edition” will be only the second production performed at Encore’s new location, and while the setting provides plenty of benefits, there are some ways it’s complicated Encore’s usual production process.

“It doesn’t have climate control, so it’s a seasonal space,” Manly said. “So, timing the productions is an interesting thing. I’m looking at the weather forecast and hoping the lows don’t dip too late because evening performances, it could get cold.”

In the early stages of production, another concern was cast and crew getting sick from COVID-19, Manly said.

“Early on, we had two people who tested positive in the cast, and so, there were people who needed to Zoom into rehearsals, which is less effective than being there in person,” he said. “Thankfully, thus far, as we get closer to curtain, we’ve all been healthy. So, that’s been good, but we’re ever mindful of that. And any kind of thing and every sniffle now, you wonder, ‘Oh, is this it? Is it just late season allergies? Or is this production about to go off the deep end?’”

Beyond the pandemic and stage challenges, Manly said the biggest complication ahead of the performances has been scheduling and coordinating between so many different cast and crew members.

“We have a very interlaced casting between the plays and negotiating who can be where, when, for which rehearsal,” Manly said. “And people have lives — we have several single parents in the cast. And they’re juggling family and play and work. And trying to accommodate that and still have rehearsals that are effective and things like that is definitely a challenge.”

As hectic as the rehearsals can get, Manly said there’s lots of great enthusiasm among the cast and crew.

“Everyone knows what we’re trying to produce and is contributing to it,” Manly said. “And so, it’s a very collaborative environment, which is nice. I think at a larger scale, it would get really, really challenging, but at this scale, we’re pulling it off so far.”

On top of keeping the scale manageable, Manly said that the one-act format has several other advantages, especially coming out of the pandemic.

“It’s a good format for a lot of people because the one-act play just requires less of the cast as far as literally the number of lines to memorize and things like that,” he said. “By including … people in more than one play, that kind of upped the stakes a little bit. But the idea is that it doesn’t require the level of commitment on everyone because it’s spread out a little more. The directors are each covering less material. The actors are covering a little less material than a full-length play.”

The pandemic has also impacted the show’s content. Manly said that the first iteration of “Encore Shorts” had a mix of comedic and serious one-acts, but “this time, we’ve been trying to keep it light because the pandemic has been hard on everyone, and it’s not a time to really go deep with it, we think.”

“They’re all mostly lighter, comedic shows,” Manly said. “There’s no great tragedy here. There’s a variety. Some of them are very clever and witty. Some of them are a little darker. Some of them will make you think a little bit. … They’re not slapstick; they’re not really big laugh-out-loud silliness. But I think it’s going to be an enjoyable mix of sort of lighter entertainment for the evening.”

Last week, Manly said that the cast and crew were in a stage where “we’re not just running lines, but we’re actually starting to make theater here.”

“Next week, we start rehearsing more dress rehearsal style,” he said. “We will have everyone there, and we’re going to put all the shows in order. And so, for the first time, we’ll actually see it as a coordinated production all together as opposed to these bits and pieces. I’m the one who’s been at a lot of rehearsals. I’ve seen all of the plays at this point, but nobody else has yet. And I haven’t seen them in order.”

Though the focus for now is all on “The Bermuda Edition” for Encore, Manly said the group has more on the horizon to look forward to.

“We are looking at doing a production in February, probably at the Trumansburg Conservatory,” he said. “It has heat, so, for [a] winter venue, it’s got different advantages over the arena, for sure. And then, … we’re got our eye on some possibilities for a more involved production, possibly a smaller musical even next spring.”

Manly said that “Encore made its mark doing the big musicals” like “Oliver,” “The Music Man” and “The Wizard of Oz,” so “it would be nice to get back into musicals again once we have the latitude to do so.”

For more information about Encore, like how to get involved in a production, visit its website at encoreplayers.org.

Trumansburg Connection appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.