The weather was perfect for an outdoor performance at LCC’s outdoor amphitheater behind Dart Auditorium. My only complaint was the sun’s temporary glare off the back stage-right truck-sign-thing that distracted during part of this fun “variety pack” of performances. There’s no intermission, so get there early to buy snacks which contribute to the LCC Scholarship Fund. 

This is an assortment of six student-written scripts — the result of classes taught by Andy Callas and Blake Bowen. Most were funny, a couple more thought-provoking. Like the Ixion short-show collections, this format helps us appreciate what can be done with minimal set and overlapping actors.

Hidden Riches, Hidden Lies by Amelia West, directed by Iris Raine, was whodunit-ish with mysterious clues regarding the will and estate of the wealthy and multiply-married Uncle Lloyd, featuring Lukas Nowak, Jen Shaw, Scott Pohl, Keats Waters and Gordon Clark.

The Egg by Ignatius Arleth, directed by Samantha Hall-Leonhardt, was a mind-bending take on the process of reincarnation. Both Vahlarée Kakela and Caleb Tracy were compellingly contrasting characters.

The Right Way by Lelana Mireles, directed by Makayla and Kallie Marrison is a director-proclaimed “cute love story” featuring Dylan Johnson and Ashley Morris. 

Gone West by Daisy McGuire, directed by Doak Bloss, was the most intriguing of the scripts. It depicts the reunion of mother and son after he has been “sent away” to a wilderness retreat. Both Keats Waters and Caleb Tracy lead us through a surprising double perspective in this portrait of a complicated relationship.

Hot Sauce in Da Fridge by Chandler Donelson, directed by Molly Sullivan, is silly romp through the kitchen of four friends (Vahlarée Kakela, Denisse Huguez, Lukas Nowak and Dylan Johnson) cooperating(?) in a burrito recipe with a questionable ingredient.

Delivery Dilemmas by Kyle Fowler, directed by Steve Lee, is the “epic journey” (relatively speaking) of this collection, following a ridiculous chain of pizza delivery encounters that can’t get any worse until…?! Brandon Dinh gets a lot of running in between five deliveries to assorted weirdos played by Mikaila Orlowski, Lillian Nash and Michelle Hill.

This buffet of theatre snacks continues at 7pm through Sunday, July 28. (Moves into Dart Auditorium in case of rain.)

When I heard Williamston Theatre’s summer show Predictor was based on the real-life struggles of Margaret Crane (Meg) unheralded inventor of the first home pregnancy test, I was a little worried it would be a depressing screed against the unfairness of it all… but no, it’s an entertaining, fascinating, funny, nostalgic, surreal portrayal of this woman’s struggle to be taken seriously in a male-dominated work force. 

Jennifer Blackmer’s clever script employed six “chorus” actors (Mona Eldahshoury, Kamera Miller Crane, Chris Purchis, Tobin Hissong, Ryan Patrick Welsh and James Kohl) to portray a myriad of players in an almost “Laugh-In” style assortment of scenes — complete with some sliding-window comments that were alternately hilarious and provocative.

Set in “1967 -71-ish” — the same era when I first entered the work force — it felt nostalgic and relatable: Women’s Lib tempered by Mom’s admonitions to act like a lady and not be too pushy. The politics and religion of the era seemed to conspire to limit women. Wonderful, retro projections by Jeromy Hopgood established the various locations, all “inside Meg’s brain.” 

Caitlin Cavannaugh was excellent as Meg, balancing bravery and fear as she followed her muse to invent the home pregnancy test and maneuver it through the machinations of Organon Pharmaceuticals.
Ryan Patrick Welsh was particularly infuriating as her condescending boss — and impressive in how completely he transformed into his other characters and left that awful guy behind. All of the Chorus members were distinct and entertaining in their many personas, under the direction of Billica Charnel Hines.

So if you’re looking for a fast-paced comedy with a dash of women’s lib history, don’t miss Predictor, continuing through August 4. Tickets at https://www.williamstontheatre.org