Connie Schindewolf’s A Bottle of Vodka, a play about two alcoholics “thrown into a room in heaven or hell with two chairs and a bottle of vodka,” received the Best Play award at Theatre Odyssey’s Ninth Annual Ten-Minute Play Festival. Jenny Aldrich Walker and Don Walker starred in the play, with Preston Boyd’s direction. The festival concluded before a sell-out performance on May 4, 2014 at the Jane B. Cook Theatre at FSU/Asolo Center for the Performing Arts in Sarasota. Sylvia Reed’s Smart Bra was runner-up, and Ron Pantello’s Visiting Grandpa, was the Audience Favorite. The adjudicators for the festival were Ann Morrison, Jimmy Clarke, and Jay Handelman.
Schindewolf’s work has been present in Theatre Odyssey’s festivals since 2007, when her play Tide Line of July 15th was produced. The Silence won the 2010 festival Best Play award, and in 2013 her plays, They’re Gonna Kill Gertie and Leaving Nic were, respectively, runner-up and the audience favorite.
Dan Higgs, President of the Board of Directors, said following the festival that the company’s move into the Jane B. Cook Theatre for this year’s festival, “was successful in every respect, and we are grateful to the FSU/Asolo administration for allowing us to use this special space.” He added that total ticket sales established a new record for festival attendance.
President Higgs also announced Theatre Odyssey’s participation in The Giving Challenge that begins Tuesday, May 6 at Noon and urged community donor support for the company, which operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Additional information about The Giving Challenge is available here.
The playwright, cast, and director of A Bottle of Vodka–from left to right, author Connie Schindewolf, actors Don and Jenny Walker, and director Preston Boyd | Photo credit: Cliff Roles
