Loose Canon

Written by Brian Reno & Gabriel Vega Weissman

Directed by Mary Gaetz

Presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York 

A fight breaks out over a Tickle Me Elmo. Friendship is threatened at an IKEA. Two struggling Amazon warehouse workers find redemption. This series of five short comedies satirizes American consumerism in the style of canonical playwrights--Euripides, Simon, Beckett, Moliere and Shakespeare. It’s a jaunty and hilarious stroll through the strip mall of theatre.

"...madcap hilarity...a fantastic example of the versatility within the historical canon." - Theasy.com

"Loose Canon bridges the knowledge of a theatre history class with the raucous fun of sketch comedy. Literate without being pretentious, funny without being dumb...a delightfully fun time." - NYTheatreNow.com

THE STORIES

THE ELMAE. A child receives the most desired birthday present of the year—a Tickle Me Elmo. Chaos and discord descend upon the party as the children vie for a chance to tickle the Elmo. (3 men, 3 women.)

THE PERSEVERATORS. A trip to IKEA tests the friendship of two young men, and a disagreement over interior design becomes a battle of wit in rhyming couplets. (2 men, 1 woman.)

PEANUTS & CRACKER JACK. A young couple attends a baseball game, where foul balls, a bombastic hot dog hawker, and overpriced Cracker Jack give their relationship the jolt it needs. (1 man, 2 women.)

UPRIGHT & LOCKED. Claustrophobia and confusion overcome a woman on an airplane. The mysterious voice making inflight announcements only exacerbates her confusion. (1 woman, 1 n/s)

THE MOST LAMENTABLE COMEDIE OF MOIRA AND ROSA. Two women are fired from their posts at an Amazon warehouse for stealing, but their criminal motives were honorable: to post honest online reviews. (1 man, 2 women.)

THE EL TAQUERIA. A failing family-owned Tex-Mex franchise in the Berkshires is facing foreclosure, but the three sisters in charge are oblivious. Their estranged brother returns to make them face facts. (2 men, 3 women.)