Two new one-act comedies, The Quality of Mercy and Quentin and Dahlia, share a double bill on the Beckmann Stage at American Theatre of Actors for five performances, November 11–15, 2026.
John DeBenedetto directs both plays and wrote the first of them. The Quality of Mercy is a comedy about two friends whose friendship is put under strain after one of them loses the pair a large sum of money as contestants on a TV game show. Kevin Chaikelson, Devon Lawler and Octavio Lahiri Vourvoulias make up the cast.
Quentin and Dahlia, by Roberta Pantal Rhodes, follows an affectionate older couple through a string of episodes from their life together. Richard Sexton and Sharon Sharhar play the couple.
Each play runs about 25 minutes, and the whole evening comes in at around an hour. Performances are at 8 p.m. from Wednesday, November 11, through Saturday, November 14, with a 3 p.m. final performance on Sunday, November 15.
The Beckmann Stage is part of American Theatre of Actors at 314 West 54th Street; the company has been making independent theater in Manhattan's theater district since 1976. Tickets are $20.75, including an estimated $2.75 in fees, and are sold through American Theatre of Actors.
