Even though the weather has left something to be desired, Memorial Day kicked off the summer season with a bang, and Gidget and I took off running. In the last few days alone, we’ve been to the world premiere of a new play in Lake Huntington, NY, and the highly anticipated Too Short to Suck (TSTS) Film Festival in Parksville, NY, where the red carpet sparkled with luminaries strutting their stuff prior to the cool-looking Memmy Awards being handed out. 

The world premiere of River Rep Theatre's AI-inspired dark comedy "Tomorrow Today" is at best a cautionary tale.

Contributed photo

The play, titled “Tomorrow Today,” is billed as “an AI-inspired dark comedy” and is based on the writings of award-winning screenwriter Paul Peditto. Adapted for the stage and directed by Christopher Peditto, co-artistic director of the River Rep Theatre company, “Tomorrow Today” is at best a cautionary tale, and at its worst, the foreshadowing of what could be our undoing as a species—my words, not the playwright’s.

Before heading out to the show, I looked up the meaning of “dark comedy,” which by definition “makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly matters that are considered serious or painful to discuss, aiming to provoke discomfort, sobering thoughts and amusement for the audience.”

Boasting an ensemble cast of 14 talented actors, many playing multiple roles, the story of the characters inhabiting the world of “today” as a vision of “tomorrow” is swiftly unfolding before our eyes and was all that a dark comedy suggests. While there were certainly laughs sprinkled throughout the one-act, a foreboding air of dread occupied my psyche, causing me to squirm. 

With the expanding role of artificial intelligence (AI) insidiously becoming part of daily life, can the Pedittos (both Christopher and Paul) vision of a futuristic dystopian society be that far off the mark? It’s not just about how artists and writers (uh oh) might soon be replaced by soulless computer programs, but that AI is capable of destroying the very fabric of humanity, leading us down a garden path bound to be strewn with death and decay. 

Am I exaggerating or rushing to judgment? I don’t think so. Does the moral of a story teetering on the brink of disaster leave room to put the brakes on it today, or is it already too late? 

This latest River Rep production holds to the company’s ideal, which is to “present adventurous professional theatre [featuring] contemporary playwrights, new plays and innovative interpretations of classics.” Up next for this intrepid troupe is a revisit of their highly acclaimed production of “The Neverending Story,” which drew packed houses last season, prompting the company to offer four encore performances of the fantasy classic performed live on stage beginning June 13. 

I checked to see what I had to say about the show last yesterday (I mean last year) before touting  it today in order for you to see it tomorrow—and apparently I called it “an extremely ambitious magical treat not to be missed,” so in case you did then… now’s your chance.

While on the topic of “yesterday,” my mind wandered a bit as Gidget and I got all gussied up (I was happily asked to present the “Best Costume/Makeup” winner) for the TSTS Film Festival and awards show. I recalled the antiques and vintage treasures that I picked up over the years at a place called Memories, and was saddened to see it go the way of all things many years ago—and then gladdened to learn that as of 2021, it has risen from the ashes, and is now dubbed New Memories. 

Having been transformed, the old antiques emporium is experiencing a true renaissance, and has become what  the Times Union called “a vibrant community art space and live music venue” and “a gathering space for Catskills creatives built out of the shell of memories” and boy-howdy if that ain’t the truth.

While peripherally aware of the variety of programming being offered at New Memories, and the film festival (“where big ideas meet short runtimes”) itself, I had never attended until now, and frankly, was blown away. 

“Expect an exciting array of films across genres” the website promised. “Narrative, experimental, animation, documentary, comedy, horror and hybrids.” I don’t know who wrote that description, nor how many people team up to create what was absolutely a memorable evening, but they definitely (IMHO) know what they’re doing. 

95.9 VOS FM's Eddie Wilson and wife Dr. Nancyann Condro were dressed in their best for the third annual Too Short to Suck (TSTS) Film Festival held at New Memories in Parksville, NY last Saturday.

RR photo by Jonathan Charles Fox

From the red carpet experience to the cocktail hour teeming with excitement, to the screening of films (all of which must meet the guidelines of being no more than two minutes in length), TSTS was a triumph. Packed to the rafters with “Catskills Creatives,” the place was thrumming with excitement and the evening had a professional sheen that rivals any Hollywood event of its kind, without the smarmy overtones. In other words, I had a ball.

The TSTS Film Festival red carpet sparkled with luminaries like Ramona Jan, left, and Kazzrie Jaxen, whose short film "Time to Sew with Emily Dickenson" was nominated for a Memmy Award at last weekend's amazing event, produced at New Memories in Parksville, NY.

RR photo by Jonathan Charles Fox

I don’t know that I had any expectations per se, but if I did, they were unmatched by what can only be described as a fantastical event, one which I don’t ever want to miss again. The vast majority of films were insanely well produced on what must have been a shoestring budget, and the presentation of same was flawlessly executed. 

The not-so-small army of folks who tirelessly work behind the scenes to bring TSTS to life should be commended, lauded, and applauded, as by all appearances, the evening went off without a hitch—at least to the untrained (I mean mine) eye. The films were everything the festival organizers promised, especially the ones that I didn’t necessarily gravitate to. Why?  Because they were literally “too short to suck.”

 Just as I was whispering in my dog’s floppy ear that “this is not for me” (gore, horror or just too darn loud) it was over before I could actually dislike it. The sheer volume of submissions was impressive, but truth be told, I found the screening of the same to be a touch too long. Irony at its best, to be sure. 

I rarely gush, but the TSTS film festival made me an instant convert, transporting me from yesterday to today, and gave me yet another opportunity to wear my sparkly, sequined (and very manly) tuxedo jacket, which drew raves from the crowd. “Impressed” doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt leaving Parksville last Saturday night with new memories replacing the old, while looking ahead to what these folks might have up their respective sleeves for tomorrow. 

Make no mistake—the slew of people behind the River Rep Theatre and those driving the bus at New Memories have one very important thing in common. They know what they’re doing… and I’m here for it.

Presenting a Memmy Award at the TSTS Film Festival gave me yet another opportunity to wear my sparkly, sequined (and very manly) tuxedo jacket, which drew raves from the crowd.

Contributed photo

For more information, visit www.riverrep.org and www.tstsfilmfest.com.

Ask the Google: What the heck does “boy howdy” mean?

A: It is an English idiom that is an expression of strong agreement or emphasis, used to mean “Wow.”