Surprises and Twists (Highview Arts Center)

stagedoorlouisville
Mar 16
2 min read

Quick Quills Play Festival

Directed and Written by various local theater artists and playwrights

A review by Brian Kennedy

Eight plays in one place? Sure, especially when there were some very entertaining ones during The Quick Quills Festival at Highview Arts Center.

Several plays certainly made their cases for the best of the festival. Each one had some kind of unexpected twist, whether it was a new revelation, a new character, or in the case of the Robb Willoughby-penned The Bridge, an unexpected twist after a decision was made.

The Bridge, which Brooke Spatol directed, features three workers from a nearby place walking to a bridge, which could lead to freedom. Stuart (Kate Bariteau) is especially determined and showcases that desire well to the audience. Meanwhile, Madeline and Bilberry (Hannah Bishop and Brandon Saylor, respectively) hold their own through their own quirks and mannerisms. The chemistry between all three was easy to see, which helped make The Bridge one of the standout plays of the festival.

Chemistry also drove Entry Level, which Martin French wrote and Nix Tooey directed. Ann and Alice (Heidi Whitlow and Jordan Aikin, respectively) go from interviewer/interviewee to having disdain for each other to showing support to practically everything in between as they go for an entry level job with crap pay and benefits. Whitlow and Aikin took the audience on a roller coaster ride, and everyone was strapped in to the end.

Meanwhile, 5 Words, which Brandon Saylor wrote and Carrie Lynn Fowler directed, and Erm, Waiter!, which Zoe Peterson wrote and Kimby Taylor-Peterson directed, both had interesting premises and a twist at the end. However, both shows suffered from too slow pacing and not enough energy, making them nowhere as memorable.

Perhaps the most memorable play of the night was Hello, which Frank Farmer created and Kaitlin Fortwengler directed. An attempted Shakespearean play faced multiple cell phone interruptions, both onstage and off, leading to the play entertainingly going off the rails. Jeremy Garcia, as Jonathan and Dante Novario as Benny used various mannerisms and voice levels while going through multiple levels of disdain, annoyance, and wide-eyed realizations. Taylor-Peterson, as stage manager Lois, effectively displayed her own levels of tension, awkward moments, and disgust as she tried to keep the show going. Rachel Bischoff, as Dustin, held her own with additional mannerisms, disgust and confusion.

Between the eight plays of The Quick Quills Festival, there were plenty of wonderful things to see as well as a few surprises and twists. It’s definitely worth checking out.

The Quick Quills Festival

Highview Arts Center

March 13-22 2026

7406 Fegenbush Ln. Louisville, KY 40228

(502) 783-6609

https://highviewartscenter.com