Arts Enter welcomes short plays along with fresh and seasoned directors and actors of all ages. The One Act Play tradition has for years been a favorite part of Arts Enter's tradition.  The idea of seeing a variety of different styles of theatre stage productions is a fascinating form of entertainment. Bringing together 4 or 5 short stories, consecutively, is quite exciting for the actors, directors and the audience.

 This years’ One Act Plays are scheduled from April 5 - 7 and will open with  A Marriage Proposal  directed by Renata Sheppard. Sometimes translated as simply The Proposal , this one-act farce by Anton Chekhov written in 1888-1889 and first performed in 1890,  is a fast-paced play of dialogue-based action and situational humor. A young man, Lomov, comes to propose to his neighbor Natalya but they keep on fighting over various topics. Through this play, Chekhov exposes the "fakeness" of the world and tries to show how superficial modern people are. Rather than emotionally bonding in relationships, people instead connect with wealth and money. 

 One of the next three very short plays is The Stoplight by Raleigh Marcell, directed by high school senior, Lucy Watkins, who has been active in the theatre since she was very young. In The Stoplight  four young people are driving to Grandma's for the holidays along a deserted stretch of highway with an “obeys  all the laws" at the wheel. They come to a stoplight in the middle of nowhere as it changes from green to red. They stop… and wait…. and wait.  The light doesn't change back. They know it's working. Do they run the light or wait even longer? Suddenly citizenship intersects with folly! This gentle comedy is sure to make the audience laugh. 

 Following is The Inside Department of the Exterior by Philip Hall and directed by Tony Robinson.  A man goes to his local Zoning Office with the simple request of wanting to install a new mailbox. But with all the forms, questions and bureaucratic red tape, this "simple request" is about to get a whole lot more complicated. 

 Tony and Karla Robinson will complete the first half of the One Act Plays with a charming very short musical Bittersweet Lullaby. Two struggling songwriters live in the same apartment, decades apart. In one magical night, their voices connect through time and they begin a collaboration that leaves them forever changed. The book is by Will Locker with Music & Lyrics by Dylan Glatthorn, Tony Robinson will star in and direct this production. Karla, his wife, will direct the music.

 After intermission an all-female cast will present the second part of the evening’s entertainment.  A World Without Men is a fantastical comedy in one act written by Philip Johnson and directed by Clelia C Sheppard. Miss Wisper, a reporter on the Daily Wire, goes to sleep in the house of a great lady scientist, Mme Pavel. The latter performs an experiment by which the world is suddenly rid of all men! The audience then witnesses the reactions of one male, who is reported to be living, upon four other women. Needless to say, there is a hilarious ending which  will definitely be a humorous ending to the One Act Plays. 

Chesapeake Properties is the presenting sponsor. April 5 and 6 at 7:30 and Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. visit www.artsentercapecharles.org or call 757 331- 4327

Arts Enter is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with over two decades of service to the Cape Charles and lower Northampton County community on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Virginia. Our mission is to provide fine and performing arts education and programming to our community.

Arts Enter began as a dream, when Clelia Sheppard and a small group of art enthusiasts formed the non-profit. Under the direction of London-born actress and playwright, Sheila Mullin Cardano, Arts Enters' theatre season flourished with memorable productions such as Magia and Piece of Eden. The Historic Palace Theatre, located in the heart of our coastal, victorian railroad town and in a state of disrepair, was purchased by the non-profit in 1998 and the arduous task of restoration began. The Stage Door Gallery opened in 2007, the only art gallery in Cape Charles at the time.  In 2016, the space was converted to Lemon Tree Gallery and Studio and continues to showcase local, national and international art.

​With an ever-expanding classroom, Arts Enter partnered with local public schools thanks to the 21st Century and No Child Left Behind grants; later programs developed at the Cape Charles Christian School. Local students came by the busloads for private, day-time performances as much anticipated field trips, nurturing new artists and art appreciators. 

​A pivotal moment in Arts Enter history was the prestigious Our Town grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, from which emerged the Harbor for the Arts Festival and Experimental Film Virginia. Arts Enter works closely with Experimental Film Virginia.