About the Show

Continuing in the long tradition of Theatre@First’s summer short play festival, Festival@First 11 includes eight original short plays by local playwrights. Each piece explores a different myth or legend from the past, present, and future. From ancient prophecies to UFO sightings to the monsters that lurk in the dark, this diverse collection of plays combines for one truly mythical and legendary Festival.

Performances

Friday, August 18, 2023 at 8pm

Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 8pm

Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 4pm (matinee)

Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 8pm
For this performance masks will be required.

Friday, August 25, 2023 at 8pm

Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 4pm (matinee)

Location

Festival@First 11: Myths & Legends was presented at Unity Somerville, 6 William Street, Somerville.

The performance space is not wheelchair-accessible.

Parking on William St is by permit only. General parking is available on College Ave. Please read signs carefully to avoid ticketing.

Four Heavenly beings try to perfect their pitch, convincing God to include their planet, Earth, in the big plans.

Monsters are much less frightening when you realize they have rules: bogeymen hide under beds, kelpies stick to fords and streams, and Black Dogs can only kill you if you look behind. But where do those rules come from? And can they be broken, if you come at them the right way? 

Two best friends, Jack and Luis, look for UFOs at night in the summer and find something deeper in their friendship along the way.

The eagle charged with eating Prometheus’s liver each day is growing weary of the routine. But when Heracles shows up to free the titan, the two unlikely friends are forced to decide whether to take a risk on a new life or stick with what they know. 

One of Odysseus's sailors begins to have doubts about his place in the story. 

A musician comes across the Devil at a crossroads, but before they can strike a deal God appears to keep the Devil from falling off the wagon on their way to recovery from addicted gambling. 

A king attempts to leave his infant nephew to die of exposure on a hillside, but a passing shepherd is having none of it. A spoof on a trope common to a number of different mythologies. 

It is Rome in 120 A.D. Festus is quite excited when he learns that he has been cast in the role of Icarus in a performance at the Colosseum. However, his enthusiasm quickly wanes when stage workers Sabina and Brutus gradually fill him in as to what exactly the role requires.