If you have never been to the North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe, you are in for a pleasant surprise and a unique experience. The stated mission of this theatre is to open the experience of participating in the creation of theatrical performances to as many people as possible, whether they are experienced or not.

In support of this goal, for the past six years they have hosted the Playwright Festival, open to all submissions. This year they received 200 from around the country and the world. The individuals who would be directing the shows were the people who chose which plays to produce, and the result is four weekends of shows, seven plays per weekend, during the month of October. The closing weekend (Oct. 23, 24, 25) brought us seven new productions. All of the plays were supported with sound and lights provided by Jeff Bushnell (a founding producer, along with his wife Summer Golden, who together are GB Productions). They provided music for each play that set the tone or theme of the piece. All the plays were one acts of approximately 10 minute duration, with some minor variation.

... Rounding out the evening, Linda Hester and Erik Cram charmingly portray the leads in a piece titled The Care and Feeding of Wild Birds, written by Lojo Simon of La Jolla, Ca. The action takes place on the roof of Grandma's (Hester) apartment, where Grandson (Cram) comes daily to check on her and offer assistance, outings, and solicitation. The rapport between the two is palpable and sincere. Hester is absolutely luminous as an old woman who cares for a nest of pigeon chicks. She looks after them, feeds them, and sets them free to be what Nature intended, providing her loving grandson with a lesson in letting go. A terrific piece! It was a lovely closing to this year's festival, and left us counting down the days to next year's offerings.

This was a delightful evening, full of many good performances by actors, directors, writers, and support staff. North Park Vaudeville is a theatre company unlike any I have ever seen, and I liked it very much. The inclusion and acceptance is inspiring, and the company is opening doors to some talented people who might have a difficult time gaining experience and exposure elsewhere. It is a very worthy enterprise and, for my money, a successful one. I plan to return to North Park Vaudeville and encourage anyone who has never been there to go and soak up the atmosphere of creativity and caring.