The Stray Kats Theatre Company will present the 2nd Annual "Still Crazy After All These Years!" one-act play festival, June 8-10 at Edmond Town Hall. This year's event will consist of eight new one-act plays culled from more than 225 submissions, showing passionate, lively seniors whose lives have taken interesting new twists and turns.

Kate Katcher, artistic director of Stray Kats Theatre Company, said she has long been interested in finding and creating new work for older actors.

"We are living longer with greater quality of life than ever before," said Ms Katcher, who is also serving as the festival's playwright-producer. "We are vibrant, active, using our time to fulfill lifelong dreams, rekindle relationships, and make the most of the retirement we have earned. We are funny, curious, tender, and wise. We should be celebrated!"

The festival aims to do just that with eight new one-act plays written by a group of multi-award winning playwrights, including one by Ms Katcher.

"We're very excited with the high caliber of writing from playwrights around the country and the world!" said Ms Katcher. "The parameters for submitting to the festival were that the plays be fifteen minutes or less, not have been published, and that all the characters be over 55 years old."

Playwrights & Performers

The winning playwrights include Rona Altrows, from Canada; Bob Canning and Ken Levine, each from California; David MacGregor, from Missouri; Mark Saunders, from Oregon; Margie Semilof, of Massachusetts; and Judd Lear Silverman, from New York.

The eight short plays will be performed script-in-hand by a cast of professional actors appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association. This year's performers are Ms Katcher, Matt McQuail, and Don Striano, all of Newtown; Bob Ponturo and Nancy Ponturo of Redding; Tom Zingarelli of New Haven; Nadine Willig of Stratford; and Carole Schweid of Westport.

The plays are:A Memoir of Jackson by Rona Altrows, in which an octogenarian one-ups his creative writing teacher with a new slant on memoirs;

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*Shelley Berman's No Soap! by Bob Canning: a takeoff on Berman's classic standup comedy routine about hotels;

*Decisions, Decisions by Kate Katcher: a couple grapples with the not-so-important things in life;

*The Fugitive by Ken Levine: TV reruns spark a lively debate;

*Epiphany by David MacGregor: A couple reflects on their satisfaction with life;

*Two People by Mark Saunders: Together forever, literally;

*Updates by Judd Lear Silverman: Tender whimsy as high school sweethearts reunite; and

*Something Old, Something New by Margie Semilof: a wife surprises her husband with a new adventure.

Performances will be in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street, on Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9, at 7:30 pm; and Sunday, June 10, at 2 pm.

Tickets are $25, and reservations are strongly suggested. Tickets may be purchased online at straykatstheatrecompany.org, and in person at Queen Street Gifts and Treats, 5 Queen Street in Newtown.

Founded in 2006, Stray Kats is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit professional theater company with a mission of presenting contemporary classics, radio shows from the golden age of radio, and new works.

In addition to the public performances of the one-acts festival later this month, "we would love to bring these plays to senior centers and active, over 55 communities around the region," said Katcher. Interested parties should contact Ms Katcher at 203-514-2221.

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