is an impressive undertaking in which nine pieces of visual art by local artists inspire nine pieces of theatrical art by local playwrights. The evening’s highlights include: Sharon Yablon’s “Look Up,” about a family — lost in an illusion of itself — buying a house in a gated community from a quirky realtor (a captivating performance by Tina Preston); Rachel Jendrzejewski’s “Kiss to the Bluejays,” which depicts four disparate people desperately clinging to hope; Coleman Hough’s strangely compelling “Dressed for Dinner,” a kind of latter-day Waiting for Godot; and Heidi Darchuk’s “(K)nots,” a wonderland of tattoos come to life, featuring the standout Caroline Duncan as a peculiar pirate. However noble this experiment may be, the effort suffers from the translucence of its conceit: The short plays are often strangled by the self-consciousness from reflecting the nine pieces of art. And, being such a bold commitment to showcase an array of artists, perhaps the show could have benefited from a unified curatorial voice shaping the overall effect. But enough sparks of inspiration keep A Thousand Words continually engaging.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Starts: June 13. Continues through June 29, 2008

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