In one short play, the stigma about going to therapy somehow morphs into a fun new kink for a long-married couple. In another, a pair of alums are smoking a joint on the steps outside of a reunion party that they can’t seem to bear to enter, trading agreeably world-weary lines like, “At this rate, I deserve a Ph.D. in assimilation with a minor in ‘one of the good ones.’”
A third short script in Bindlestiff Studio’s “Stories High XXIV” envisions what Filipino wedding traditions might look like centuries in the future on Mars.
Now in its 24th year, the page-to-stage short play showcase equips emerging artists with a crucial incubator and launching pad. It’s one of the signature annual programs of the Filipino American performing arts company that, in contrast to many more moneyed Bay Area theaters, regularly features work by young local artists of color.
This year’s playwrights include Mariel Bartolome, Edu Ibazeta, Benita Benavides, Joan Legaspi, the mononymous Patria and Amy L. Palaban.
