10 x 10 at Barrington Stage
Brightening Winter Gloom
By: Charles Giuliano - Feb 16, 2026
Do You Hear an Echo?
By Cynthia Faith Arsenault
Directed by Alan Paul
Personal technology enhances our lives — unless and until it doesn’t!
Love Shovel
By John C. Davenport
Directed by Matthew Penn
A shovel proves useful in digging up romance, and that’s not all…
Top Shelf Tolstoy
By Maximillian Gill
Directed by Moira D. Sullivan
A new arrival in a small town finds her quest to check out a copy of a Tolstoy novel thwarted when she discovers that the library has resorted to drastic means to raise funds.
A Modest Proposal II
By David MacGregor
Directed by Moira D. Sullivan
Two State Senators come up with an innovative, “out of the box” solution to addressing unwanted pregnancies in a state that has outlawed abortion.
Tannenbaum
By James McLindon
Directed by Matthew Penn
In a tree lot on Christmas Eve, the owner and his employee learn who they can trust… and who they can’t.
Best By Date
By Scott Mullen
Directed by Matthew Penn
Date night goes awry when a man learns how short life can be.
The Rebound Quiz
By Byron Nilsson
Directed by Matthew Penn
Marty loves old movies, so when he’s confronted, in the coffee shop he frequents, with two failing relationships, he brings a romantic approach to solving these problems.
Cricket
By Erin Osgood
Directed by Alan Paul
Minutes before a funeral and still in her bathrobe, Elsie follows a mysterious chirping sound…
Waking Greek
By Jessica Provenz
Directed by Alan Paul
Phil and Mary wake to find themselves alone on a stage, in what they hope is a delightful french farce but turns out to be anything but…
Missed Disconnections
By Samara Siskind
Directed by Moira D. Sullivan
In the age of swiping left or right, three hopeless romantics defy the odds by looking for love the good old-fashioned way… on Craigslist.
Cast: Maya Jackson, Raya Malcolm, Matt Neely, Avery Whitted, Peggy Pharr Wilson, Robert Zukerman
Barrington Stage Company
St. Germain Theatre at Sydelle and Lee Blatt Arts Center
36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, MA
15th Season
Creative design, Peggy Walsh; Lighting, Amina Alexander; Sound, Nathan Leigh; Stage Manager, Renee Lutz
February 12 to March 15
Now in its 15th year we much anticipated Barrington Stage’s 10 x 10 New Play Festival. Mostly the 100 minute of vignettes in two acts can be somewhat hit and miss. In the latter instance the next one will be along for another ten minutes.
On a relatively balmy Valentine’s Weekend, be still dear heart, this year’s iteration was magnificently flawless. Against daunting odds each of the brief segments hit the mark. It was all just terrific fun.
In such an abundance of riches it’s difficult to relate the highlights. The elevated level of excellence prevailed from start to finish.
There are challenging limits to creating and performing in this short form. You have to hit the mark and land a concept, develop character, tell a compelling story, all with an absurdly difficult economy of means.
That starts with artistic director, Alan Paul, selecting ten well crafted scripts. There are playwrights who excel in this format. The next challenge is casting diverse actors who can assume and execute their characters in a flash. It’s fun to observe how these gifted players morph from one persona to another through the course of the performance. There are some generics; the old man, the older woman, the young couples and a perky, pretty ingénue.
Where to begin with such an abundance of riches. Peggy Phar Wilson is always game to take on this annual challenge at which she truly excels. She is aptly paired with the older gentleman Robert Zuckerman appearing in his eighth production of 10 x 10. Maya Jackson evoked remarkable versatility. In his 13th appearance Matt Neely brings gravitas and levity to his presence as a heavy. Avery Whitted is a newbie as a young man tossed by romance. Raya Malcolm in her second season is pretty, perky and truly delightful.
Taking its title from Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal II, landed a hilarious political punch. A state that has banned abortion now has a dominantly female legislature. Two women deliver the harrowing solution to unwanted pregnancy. A program of state mandated vasectomies. The plan has the catchy phrase “Clip and Chips.” Every man who undertakes the procedure, willing or not, gets a complimentary bag of chips. Ouch.
For laughs we loved Do You Hear an Echo. The husband, Matt Neely, loves gadgets. The latest is Echo who answers questions, solves problems and stores memory for two years. This spins wildly out of control.
To offset budget declines the library gets rid of classic books, only stocks best sellers, and sets up a bar. A young woman looking for Tolstoy ends up getting ripped on cocktails.
There was an all in finale a satirical take on Medea, Waking Greek. It was a bit over the top but oh well.