Civic’s Playwright’s Forum opens Friday

At this theater festival, the focus is on the written word.

The Spokane Civic Theatre’s 22nd annual Playwright’s Forum Festival, which opens Friday, is both a celebration of playwrights and a competition.

The Civic put out a call for one-act plays from all over the country and received more than 30 entries. A committee then distilled the list down to seven finalists.

All seven of those short plays will be presented in rotation over two nights for the next three weekends.

Rotation A, which will be presented Friday and June 16, 18 and 24, will consist of the following three plays:

•”Noir Light,” by Richard Martin Hirsch of Pacific Palisades, Calif.

•”Fertilizer,” by Philip Field of San Diego.

•”Members of the Club,” by Carl L. Williams of Houston.

Rotation B, which will be presented Saturday and June 17, 23 and 25, will consist of four plays:

•”Accused of Comedy,” by Carl L. Williams of Houston.

•”Can Can’t,” by Michael Burgan of Chicago.

•”My Trivial Life,” by Matthew Harget of Chattaroy.

•”Genesis,” by Thomas Pierce of Seattle.

Curtain times are 8 p.m. except for Thursday performances, which are at 7:30. Each play is between 15 and 30 minutes long.

A committee of judges will choose a winner on the final night of the festival. A $100 prize will be awarded. The audience also votes on an audience favorite.

The directors of the shows include Sandra Hosking, Reed McColm, Stuart McKenzie, Maynard Villers and Ann Whiteman.

All shows are in the Firth Chew Studio Theatre in the lower level of the Civic, 1020 N. Howard St., entrance off Dean Avenue.

Tickets are $7, general admission, for a single evening or $10 for both rotations. Call 325-2507.