CHAIN WINTER ONE-ACT FESTIVAL

Chain Theatre
312 West 36th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
www.chaintheatre.org
February 5th – March 1st

CHAIN WINTER ONE-ACT FESTIVAL is a carefully curated “mix-tape” of programming bringing together drama, comedy, and everything in between, welcoming Broadway actors, beloved television performers, and emerging voices to the same stage. The 2026 Winter Festival will feature more than 90 new plays and hundreds of artists, creating a vibrant playground for creativity that celebrates storytelling in all its forms. For a full list of events, dates, and times, click here: https://www.chaintheatre.org/winter-oneact-fest-2026

PROGRAM # 13

A Very Merry Breakdown
Written by Kelly F. Burr
Starring
NATHAN CLIFT and AMELIA CHAOUAT
Directed by Michael Bradley

What if every day was Christmas? Dinah is determined to find out by watching 25 days (so far) of Hallmark Christmas movies. Rightly so, her friend Michael has come to rescue her. Who will win the battle of realities?

Beltway 8
Written by Joshua Taylor Piper
Starring
MIRANDA DeARMAS and KEENAN PASQUA
Directed by Mary Morgan Collier

Caleb wants to fly. We are not talking about getting a pilot’s license. Flying in his dreams may end up being enough, and he may be getting a little help from substance abuse. Can the love of his girlfriend/friend save him?

Cecile
Written and directed by Emile Aslan Lacheny
Starring
STAR BORDENAVE, LINDA BLACKSTOCK, MADELINE PARKS, and KAI YAMAMOTO

Reality interweaves with fantasy and dementia. How much of Cecile’s revelations are real and how can we distinguish between what is and what isn’t? Get ready for some twists when her niece brings her friends into the nebulous world of Cecile’s mind.

Getting To Go
Written by Jenifer Margaret Kelly
Starring
SAMMY SMEDLEY and BRIAN REILLY
Directed by David Adam Gill

Kudos to Marci who has spent much time recovering and improving herself. Ex-and-still-sometimes-lover Craig is finding it difficult to let go of his old image of the troubled woman. You get to decide whose reality prevails.

The combining of these four one-act plays was quite clever. All deal with a break from reality where each person creates their own truth. In alignment with today’s existence, circumstances have become too difficult to handle. Dinah is tired of the chaos and escapes into Christmas. Caleb prefers dreams. Cecile involuntarily floats from real to imagined, and Marci is returning from the world she devised to survive. True, things are bleak but there are signs of hope – the friendship of Michael as he joins Dinah on the sofa, the love of Abigail who tries to ground Caleb, Cecile who finds her happy place somewhere in her memories, and Marci who relinquishes her dependence on Craig so that she can flourish.

THE CHAIN WINTER ONE-ACT FESTIVAL is a marvelous opportunity to see a variety of plays and a bunch of talented actors all in one sitting. Check out the full schedule.

- Laurie Lawson -