IHRAF 25: Short Performance Festival
Sunday December 14th @ 7 pm
I Am Ophelia
Solo Show
Shyla Idris
I Am Ophelia (Psychiatry, Shakespeare and an Actor's Journey), a solo play by Shyla Idris. Inspired by Shakespeare, this show combines classical and contemporary language to tell an autobiographical multi-character story of mental health and a life in the arts.
Content Advisory: Profanity, Mental Illness, Suicide, Immigration, Gun Violence, Trump, Musk, RFK
Live Birth in the Cactus Farm: Featuring Nicholas Cage
Short Play
Trans Agenda Presents
Feliz Felix - Director
Eka Savajol - Button
Aviva Pearl Ocean Creation - Writer, Tali
Live Birth in the Cactus Farm: Featuring Nicholas Cage follows a spiraling trans girl as she tries to find solace from her troubles by talking to a cactus that wants to consume her flesh so it can re-transform into renowned actor Nicholas Cage.
These Words
Dance/Spoken
Liv Butowsky and Laura Coe
How can we address issues of civil and human rights without the words to describe what we’re experiencing? In March 2025 the New York Times published “These Words Are Disappearing in the New Trump Administration,” a compiled list of 198 words the authors found the new administration had consistently deleted across government websites. In six months we’ve witnessed the dissolution of major laws protecting civil and human rights connected with many of the words that were erased. Our duet for dance and spoken word invites viewers to reflect on the relationship between language (loss) and power through current U.S. politics. Our piece is not primarily a protest, but rather a celebration of these words/people, their continuing diversity and self-expression, and the power of movement as a resource to continue speaking.
Saturday's Child
Short Play
Brynn Hambley - Playwright
Anne Karyna Bakan - Director
Kayla Kaszycki-Martin - Poster/Marketing Materials Designer
Sasha Aronson - Actor, ONE
Addy Jenkins - Actor, TWO
Molly Kate Babos - Actor, THREE
Three workers toil at pointless busywork under the threat of death-- until tragedy strikes, and they must decide if complacency is worth the cost of someone's life.
Content Advisory: Discussions of death, discussions of burn out, depictions/discussions of wrist injury
Love Life
Short Play
Gabriella Arianna - Producer/Playwright/Co-Director
Mattie Parker - Co-Director, Actor [Donatello]
Peyton Strong - Actor [Florence]
Chase Erwin - Actor [Max]
Rachel Muñoz - Actor [Bobby]
Sebastian Kim - Actor [Billy]
Michael Longo - Actor [Clifton]
Love Life is a comedy about Florence, a recently deceased New York socialite looking forward to reuniting with the love of her life. There’s only one problem: five men claim to be Florence’s soulmate, all of whom have been patiently waiting on the other side for her to join them for eternity. There’s Billy, Florence’s high school sweetheart who was drafted and killed in WWII; Donatello, Florence’s secret Italian lover; Maximilian, Florence’s first husband who died unexpectedly of a heart-attack; Bobby, Florence’s second husband killed by the mob; and Clifton, Florence's patient. As Florence and her lovers reminisce on the lusts of their past lives, the question becomes why God/the universe has allowed this fluke in the system—if there is to be only one true love?
Content Advisory: Depictions of death or terminal illness, physical violence or abuse, LGBTQ+ discrimination
Singing Through Space
Musical Comedy
Redshirts Musical Improv
Improvisers: Susan O'Doherty, Julia Lunetta, Melissa Parker Caron, Sarah Mucek, all she/her. Accompanist: Avery Bargar
Based on a suggestion from the audience, we create a musical comedy version of an imagined Star Trek episode. The entire performance, including the songs, is made up on the spot--never before seen and never to be seen again!