"Eight short plays, one low price," mentions ETC Founding Producing Partner Garry Lee Posey, "is our selling point for our Short Attention Span Theatre Short Play Festival."  The ten minute play festival is a growing art form taking the world of theatre by storm.  "There is something very exciteing, challenging and unique in taking dramatic structure and condensing what would normally happen in 90-120 pages down to ten or fewer pages.  The actors enjoy the challenge as well," mentions Producing Partner John Thomas Cecil.

This year's festival, which runs for three weeknds starting June 4th and ending June 20th, features eight playwrights.  Two playwrights are local Chattanoogans, the other six range from Indaina, California, New York City, Washington D.C., and Australia.  "We had over 100 submissions this year, last year we were calling in favors to have enough scripts," mentions Posey who is one of the two local playwrights represented.  Seven actors perform the more than 24 different characters.  Four of the eight plays have been performed prior and four of them are world premier productions.  The premier's include Garry Lee Posey's "Finding Father," Sherry Landrum's "Tantrum," Jason Araron Goldberg's "Love in the Time of Bailout" and Nancy Gall-Clayton's "Cosmo."  The other four scripts include Martin Blank's "Driving Green," J. Stephen Brantley's "Shiny Pair of Complications," Doug Brook's "The Case of the Cereal Killer" and Alex Broun's "A Difficult Birth."  The theme for this year's festival is dysfunctional family and is explored through comedy, tragedy and everything in between.

Ensemble members Timothy James and Casey Keelen each direct four of the eight plays.  The production is stage managed by Ellen Poole and features Brenda Scwhab, Jeff Parker, Marianna Allen, Jimmy Sowell, Cody Keown, Randal Pennington and Ginnybeth Gadd.  Performances are Fridays June 4th, 11th and 18th at 7:30; Saturday June 5th, 12th, 19th at 2:00pm and Sundays June 6th, 13th, 20th at 3:00pm.  Prices are $10 adults and $8 for students.

Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga is housed at the St Andrews Center (1918 Union Avenue) in Historic Highland Park; season tickets are available for $100.00 and entitle the bearer to see every show as many times as they’d like.  More information about the season, programming, and opportunities can be found by visiting them on the web at www.ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com, emailing them at ensemble.theatre.chattanooga@gmail.com or calling them at 423-987-5141.