The New Brew Theatre Festival Continues to Evolve Theater

On Friday, May 8, I ventured into Salem to catch the Witch City Community Theatre’s New Brew Theatre Festival in the cellar of the Salem Hotel. Three original plays, “Walk with Me in Dreams,” “Closet Door,” and “Baker’s Island,” were performed for excited audiences, highlighting the creation of new stories in theater.

The night started with “Walk With Me in Dreams,” a play written by Patrick Cornacchio. It’s about chance encounters between two lucid dreamers. The play starred Xan Salamon (Charlie) and Shannon Keelan (Wren). Dreams are very interesting, and sometimes they’re telling you a message. How do dreams impact your life?

Directed by Duncan Kennedy, the play was well-acted. The character interactions were intriguing, particularly their conversations. In just 10 minutes, I wanted the story to keep going. As soon as the play finished, conversations sparked about the play’s themes.

Have you ever thought about what happened to the monster lurking in your closet when you were a kid? Jason Byron’s “Closet Door” was an eerie and well-acted play about an aunt and her nephew figuring out what’s behind a closet door. If you think that horror is only in movies, think again. I felt goosebumps during this show from the noises and incredible acting.

The play has exceptional acting from Cade Devlin (William), Krista Tzannos-Byron (Amelia), and Dylan Amerena (Robert).

Devlin’s role had one unique feature: he plays his character, William, from when he was a little boy into adulthood. It was impressive how Devlin switched between an innocent childlike persona and a grown man who has been fighting with his dilemmas for years. No matter what age your character is, child or old, you always need to test your abilities.

Krista Tzannos-Byron was startling as Aunt Amelia. Her voice was cryptic and brought a chilling calmness that built tension whenever she appeared onstage.

One of the most effective aspects of Elektra T. Newman’s direction was its atmosphere. The sound design and pacing worked together brilliantly to create suspense. I will never forget the moment when audiences gasped when the closet door was thrown open. That’s the kind of reaction that is so important in theater. It means audiences are listening.

The last play of the evening was “Baker’s Island,” a chilling and atmospheric original play by Maeve Moriarty. Set on the isolated Baker’s Island lighthouse near Salem, the story follows Natalie Twist as she accepts a mysterious lighthouse keeper position. She uncovers secrets hidden within the island’s past.

The cast works beautifully together. Fiona Quinn-Tierney played Twist with a vulnerable intensity. Katie Ringwood stars as both Natalie’s roommate, Margot, and narrates the tale. There were strong supporting roles, including Jonathan Cwioke as Sandy Fields, Tristan Reynolds (Bobby Diprima), and Ami Albernaz in dueling roles as a nurse and Sarah Clarke.

Branigan Lei guides her character, Josephine Clarke, with slow, enigmatic movements while walking around the stage holding a candle.

Director Augie Vesely deserves enormous praise for crafting a tense supernatural atmosphere from Moriarty’s script. I felt goosebumps. The production transitions are fluid and cinematic, feeling like something out of a movie, and yet it’s a live play. Again, the audience reaction was memorable at the revelation of the final line.

It was exciting to experience the debut of three new plays onstage. Although different, the plays had similar themes about dreams, mystical elements, and fantasy. New works like these are essential for theater. Not only with new creative opportunities, but also to bring audiences into new worlds and connect with stories. It’s also a reminder that theater continues to evolve.

Well done to the Witch City Community Theatre on its first show. I look forward to attending more events.