New Village Arts Theatre concludes its 11th season, an “Ensemble Project” year, with the world premiere of Suzanne Bachner’s “Brilliant Mistake,” written specifically for this group of actors.

Bachner also directs this sprawling comedy, which plays through June 24 and gives 15 ensemble members (some not usually onstage) a chance to shine.

As playwright, Bachner’s approach was to interview each actor to learn a little personal and performance history; then to fashion character for each, and finally to concoct a story to connect them all.

You half expect Rosencrantz – or, more likely, Guildenstern – to break into a chorus of “Alfie,” unable as they are to figure out what it’s all about.

These poor minor courtiers to the Danish throne seem to have escaped “Hamlet” and are first seen on the road to – somewhere, or maybe nowhere, perhaps even nonexistence.

While waiting for fate to reveal itself, they test the law of probability by flipping coins, defying that law with 92 consecutive heads.

I don’t know whether the universe is as absurd as Samuel Beckett portrays it in “Waiting For Godot,” but Henry II’s 12th-century squabbles over succession as painted by playwright James Goldman come close to ludicrous.

North Coast Repertory Theatre celebrates its 30th anniversary with a fine production of “The Lion In Winter,” which was part of their first season. Andrew Barnicle, who formerly headed the theater at United States International University (and NCRT’s former associate artistic director), returns to direct.

How embarrassing would it be to spend a holiday season in yellow and green tights, a yellow turtleneck, hunter green velvet shorts and jacket, an absurd stocking cap and turned-up elvin shoes?

Writer David Sedaris, like many another starving actor and writer, found out when he spent a holiday season at Macy’s as one of Santa’s elves. The result was the hilarious “The Santaland Diaries,” first heard on NPR in 1992 with Sedaris himself telling the story.

The story, adapted for the stage in 1996 by Joe Mantello, quickly became a holiday staple around the country.