April 8 - May 3, 2025
Collection of Short Plays
Shows: Tuesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm
An evening of eclectic short plays, each a unique journey with a diverse collection of voices and stories; playwrights from all parts of the spectrum, and a wide range of styles and genres – an intriguing mix of characters who are in conflict with larger forces —from a catering job for a engagement party with a missing bride, a chance meeting on the Golden Gate bridge, two audience members that insist on World Premieres, a fiancé is put to the test when she meets her possible inlaws, two FBI agents interrogate a newscaster when a newsroom is hijacked, and one surprise ending. Always a season favorite show at the Red Barn.
Cast: Erin McKenna, Cassidy Timms, Nina Pilar, Mathias Maloff, Zach Franchini
Directors: Mimi McDonald, Gary McDonald, Jack McDonald, Amber McDonald Good
Cast of Short Attention Span Theatre: “Alternative Facts”
RED BARN SHINES WITH “SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE”
There’s an old saying in theater: “When you find a gem, let it shine.”
Key West’s Red Barn Theatre found such a gem over a decade ago, and they’ve been letting it shine in most of their seasons since. It’s called “Short Attention Span Theatre”, and it’s proven to be one of the most popular shows the theater offers each year. This season will be no different.
It’s a simple concept – pick a mixed slate of funny, powerful, poignant, or simply off-the-wall short plays and populate them with some of the area’s top comedic talent, then string them together for an evening of stellar fun. Each year, the Red Barn’s resident family – the McDonalds – find six or seven wonderful new plays and pull them together under a title that relates to them all. This year’s theme: “Alternative Facts”, which anyone will agree, certainly is relevant to the times.
“One of the things I love most about Short Attention Span Theatre (SAST),” said the Red Barn’s Managing Director Mimi McDonald, “is that it gives us the opportunity to explore a number of different voices and new playwrights in one show. And it seems to many of us that the human condition is evolving right now, and these playwrights are noticing that and commenting on what’s happening in a very comedic way. And we have such great comedic actors all doing a variety of very funny characters in this one.”
This year’s rendition of SAST will star Erin McKenna, Mathias Maloff, Cassidy Timms, Nina Pilar, and Zach Franchini. They appear in various combinations during the evening of eclectic plays that focus on characters who are in conflict with larger forces – from a catering job for an engagement party with a missing bride; a chance meeting on the Golden Gate Bridge; two audience members who insist on world premieres; a fiancé is put to the test when she meets her possible in-laws; and two FBI agents who interrogate a newscaster when a newsroom is hijacked.
“It’s a fast, fun evening,” said McDonald, “but there’s a message or two in there as well.”
As they do every year, the entire McDonald family shepherds this show to the stage, with each of them directing, building sets, handling the tech, and more. Along with Mimi are her husband Gary, and their two (now adult) children, Amber and Jack.
“We’ve been a theater family for more than 45 years,” Mimi said. “It’s in our blood, and we have such a great time working together on this show. It’s always a big hit.” Or to put it another way – it’s a gem.
Tickets for “Short Attention Span Theatre: Alternative Facts” are available at KeysTix.com, redbarntheatre.com, or by calling the box office at 305-296-9911. Note that all curtain times are 7:30 pm.