Mark-Brian Sonna will be undergoing an ambitious theater project in, oh, about five hours. Tonight begins the first of a week’s worth of new plays and staged readings for the inaugural 7 Plays in 7 Days festival. Each weeknight at 8, MBS Productions will put on a new show or reading, but if school nights are too tough to make it, all the new shows will play throughout Saturday and Sunday.

All productions will be at the Stone Cottage Theatre, 15650 Addison Road, Addison.

Here is the official word from MBS:

7 World premieres will be presented from Monday, Sept. 19 through Sunday Sept. 25.  Every night, Monday– Sunday at 8 p.m., a new play will be presented.  On Saturday and Sunday, throughout the day the plays will be presented on a rotation basis should audience members wish to see several of the plays within one day.

The plays will be either fully mounted productions, or fully rehearsed staged readings.

Tickets for the event will be $14 per performance or $50 fora festival pass which will give you full access to all the plays.  To purchase tickets or a festival pass go to www.MBSProductions.net.

MBS Productions 2010/11 or 2011/12 Season Pass holders can use their punch card to attend any of the performances or if they may simply present the card and purchase the tickets at half off!

Below is the full schedule.

The Invisible men of Tennessee Williams
By Nick Mann, Directed by Becki McDonald

The play will premiere Sept. 19 at 8 p.m., with an additional performance Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.
Could you imagine Cat on a Hot Tin Roof without the mention of Skipper?  He completely affected who both Brick and Maggie become, and thus the entire play.  Or have you ever wondered about Blanche’s husband, Allan, in A Streetcar Named Desire?  Did he possibly start her on the downward spiral that would later become her life?  And what about Sebastian in Suddenly Last Summer?  It’s practically his play, and yet he never makes an appearance.  In The Invisible Men of Tennessee Williams we examine the lives of three invisible characters from the works of Tennessee Williams, and get a glimpse as to who they were and how they came to their unfortunate end.

Promise You’ll Never Forget Me
By Shelley Kaehr, Directed by Shelley Kaehr

The play will premiere Sept. 20 at 8 9 p.m., with an additional performance Sept. 24 at 11 a.m.
A young woman is invited to go hiking with an old flame, but already made other plans.  The following week, when she discovers the man was killed, she struggles with feelings of guilt and remorse and finally begins to let these go when his ghost appears in the window of her parent’s home.  What unfinished business does the spirit have with her and can she find peace?

The Frozen Twin
By Carol M. Rice, directed by Jon Christie.

The play will premiere Sept. 21 at 8 p.m., with an additional performance Sept. 25 at 2 p.m.
When Debbie’s mother dies, her world is turned upside down when she discovers she has a twin sister…who was never born, who has been a frozen embryo for more than 20 years. With the help of the in vitro doctor who helped her mother conceive, Debbie decides to try to give birth to her own sister so she can finally have a chance at life. Her boyfriend and family members are not supportive, and Debbie must decide if she is up to having and raising a child on her own.

One Night in the Garden
by Carol M. Rice, directed by Becki McDonald.

The play will premiere Sept. 22, 8 p.m., with an additional performance Sept. 25, 5 p.m.
In 1625, Anne of Austria, Queen of France and George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham were somehow left alone for a few minutes in a garden at Amiens. Suddenly Anne cried out and Buckingham disappeared as others came running. Scandal surrounds the incident, primarily because no one knows exactly what happened and Anne refused to speak of it.  It is generally presumed that the dashing Buckingham had taken a liberty and frightened the queen, causing her to summon her people. After the incident Buckingham, repeatedly declared his feelings toward Anne, and each instance of his highly inappropriate behavior caused the queen to become very emotional.  It was apparent to everyone who witnessed the two that there was an unusual bond between them, but because of who they were, their feelings could not be acted upon. This is what could have happened that night in the garden.

About Noah
By Paula Coco, Directed by Kevin Westbrook

The play will premiere Sept. 23, 8 p.m. with additional performances Sept. 24 at 5 p.m., and Sept. 25 at 11:00 a.m.
Noah Bailey is a free-wheeling child of the sixties, a young stud of the seventies, adrift in the materialistic eighties, who eventually finds himself in the nineties, only to question it all in the new millennium.  Spanning 45 years, About Noah navigates the ups and downs of careers, relationships and the mother of all over-bearing mothers. Based on the philosophical premise that who we are is to be found in how we are perceived by others and not in how we perceive ourselves, this laugh-out-loud comedy follows Noah’s story through the eyes of those he has affected, as well as those who have had an effect on him.  As the story unfolds, one feels as if they are in a time-travel machine that makes various stops throughout Noah’s life.  No matter if it is in good times or bad, you will find yourself cheering him on.  Noah’s journey will have you laughing at his foibles and holding your breath as he approaches life’s cross roads.   For a play that is long on laughs, make no mistake, this is a thinking person’s comedy.  It will leave you discussing and savoring long after you leave the theatre.

Fortune
By Bretton B. Holmes, directed by Charles Ballinger
The play will premiere Sept. 24 at 8 p.m.
Roger is the estranged father to Winston.  Due to the requirements in a will left by Roger’s ex-wife who was Winston’s mother they are required to spend 7 days locked up in a house in order to inherit the fortune. If either of them steps a foot outside the house, that person forfeits their part of the inheritance to the other. As cabin fever sets in and greed augments, family skeletons come tumbling out.  Will either man be able to put up with the other before the 7 days are up?  Will they survive?  This World Premiere black comedy explores the underside of familial bonds.  It is written by the same award winning playwright who penned Sex & War, and Homeland Insecurity, or how I learned to love the Patriot Act.

Hotel California
By Bretton B. Holmes, directed by Carol M. Rice

The play will premiere Sept. 25 at 8 p.m.
Two bumbling Middle East terrorists hole up in a Hotel next to Disneyland, California.  Their goal is to blow up the theme park.  The first one goes to do “recognizance” in the park to determine the best spot to plant a bomb to only discover that Disneyland is “The happiest place on earth.”  He returns to the room severely confused because the Mouse leader who he plans to assassinate via the blast seems to be everywhere! His partner in crime still wishes to go through with the plans.  Will Disneyland be blown up?  Will the one terrorist convince the other to visit the park and ride the rides?  Will they ever figure out who Mickey really is?  Check into Hotel California and find out for yourself!

Here’s the schedule day by day:

Monday 8 p.m.:  The Invisible men of Tennessee Williams

Tuesday 8 p.m.:  Promise you’ll never forget me.

Wednesday 8 p.m.:  The Frozen Twin

Thursday 8 p.m.: One Night In the Garden

Friday 8 p.m.: About Noah

Saturday 11 a.m.:  Promise you’ll never forget me.

Saturday 2 p.m.: The Invisible men of Tennessee Williams

Saturday 5 p.m.: About Noah

Saturday 8 p.m.:  Fortune

Sunday 11 a.m.: About Noah

Sunday 2 p.m.: The Frozen Twin

Sunday 5 p.m.: One Night In the Garden

Sunday 8 p.m.: Hotel California