Albuquerque Journal

Theatre Walk Santa Fe features short plays in multiple venues

Theatre Walk Santa Fe features short plays in multiple venues

- BY ADRIAN GOMEZ JOURNAL ARTS EDITOR

Stroll into a venue and catch some live theater.

That’s the premise behind the third annual Theatre Walk Santa Fe.

From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, more than 20 theater companies will present short plays every half-hour at venues in the Rufina Arts District in Santa Fe.

The plays will run simultaneo­usly in multiple venues, which are all within a short walk of one another. Visitors will be able to go to at least 10 plays, and an all-day wristband for those over age 12 costs $5.

Santa Fe-based playwright Aaron Leventman will present his short play “Blanche in a Wheelchair” in the Teatro Paraguas rehearsal hall at

12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15.

Leventman owns Almost Adults Production­s, which he formed about four years ago. “I started with a program for one-act plays, and they were LGBTQ plays,” Leventman says. “They were about relationsh­ips and coming-ofage stories.”

Since then, Leventman has been writing plays, including “Blanche in a Wheelchair.”

The play follows a gay couple — two men in their 60s and 70s. One of them has developed an autoimmune disease and becomes temporaril­y paralyzed.

“His partner, Danny, decides to propose to him on their 24th anniversar­y,” he says. “They are going through this major health crisis, and Ted is a little resistant and chaos ensues.”

Leventman decided to write this play because in many plays in LGBTQ theater, there weren’t plays addressing issues for the elderly.

The characters weren’t always represente­d.

“I was interested in issues like disability and gay marriage,” he says. “I wanted to make it a comedy, though it was dealing with heavy issues.”

The play was selected to be part of the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, out of 900 submission­s.

“It was initially staged in Queens,” he says. “I always wanted to put it on in Santa

Fe. This will be the third performanc­e and the first time in New Mexico. I’m excited to get people seeing it.”

Leventman is excited to be part of the event because it is showcasing theater in Santa Fe.

“I’ve been living in Santa Fe for 15 years, and the quality in theater has grown so much,” he says. “It’s a great town for actors, producers and directors. There’s also a huge diversity in content.”

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 ?? COURTESY OF DUCHESS DALE ?? From left, Steve Berrier, John Reiser and Campbell Martin star in “Blanche in a Wheelchair.”
COURTESY OF DUCHESS DALE From left, Steve Berrier, John Reiser and Campbell Martin star in “Blanche in a Wheelchair.”
 ??  ?? Aaron Leventman
Aaron Leventman

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