We Are Family

by Karen Williams

theater

Today, the nuclear family isn't necessarily the norm. Family members may have mixed backgrounds, religions or races. The absence of a parent or two could thrust a grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling into a nurturing role. And same-sex marriages and parenting, well, who would even flinch at the idea anymore?

To close their 30th year in the biz, People's Light will feature a festival of short plays and solo works capturing the theme of family and how it fits in modern life (including The Cuban Swimmer, pictured). The works are scheduled in conjunction with Katie Forgette's The O'Conner Girls, an Irish-Catholic family drama, onstage since June 15.

Broken into three parts, the festival begins each night with "Curtain Warmers: Just the Two of Us," four two-person one-act plays. Next, the audience can choose to see O'Conner Girls or "The Main Event: A Festival of Short Plays," a smattering of shorts that parallels the sense of modern family patchwork. Finally, the evening closes with a one-act nightcap, featuring two different performances on alternate evenings (keep an eye out for James Still's premiere of Iron Kisses, a story of a brother's same-sex marriage and a sister's divorce and how the two come to understand their parents).

Together for 30 years, does People's Light fit a definition of a modern family? "We chose to produce a festival like this because we have an ensemble of artists to work with," says festival coordinator Shannon O'Donnell. "In a sense, we've created a family of writers. We try to have long-lasting relationships with our writers and actors — like a family has long-term relationships."

30 Fest, through July 24, Main Event $26-$42, "Curtain Warmer" and "Late Night A & B" are $8 each or a three-ticket pack for $15, People's Light & Theatre Co., 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 610-644-3500.