As the final week of Key City Public Theatre’s 24th annual PlayFest approaches, the breadth of subject matter and sheer quality of its four one-act productions and two one-act staged readings speaks highly of the talented playwrights and actors who live in our midst.

The highlights of the one-act productions (repeating Friday, March 13, at 4 p.m. and Sunday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m.) are D.D. Wigley’s “First Mountain” and Angela Gyurko’s “Adults.”

The former deals with repressed trauma, epic denial and festering hurt between an estranged but struggling father and his equally distant son, while the latter projects emotion all over the place as two very young adults act with a maturity that leaves one of the parents looking like a lost child flailing its arms wildly in its crib.

Given that the entirety of “First Mountain” takes place in and right outside a car during a single long road trip, director Brendan Chambers adds variety by having the two men (the convincing Aiden Hill as young Jack and the extremely intense David Wayne Johnson as his opaque middle-aged father John) move between three seating positions. While the change is somewhat effective—in a full production, rear projections of the landscape might work better—the pace with which Chambers allows emotions to slowly surface as John begins to acknowledge the many reasons for his son’s emotional separation provides movement aplenty.

Wigley’s play packs almost as much of a wallop as Gyurko’s “Adults,” whose likelihood of reaching bigger stages is beyond question.

Sixteen-year old Amelia (the touching Miranda McClave) and her towering, McDonald’s-employed boyfriend Malcolm (Orion Pendley) are equally moving and charming as they devise ways to cope with what may be the biggest challenge of their lives.

While in “First Mountain,” the mother’s presence is felt rather than seen, in “Adults,” mother Alice (Karen Anderson) slowly emerges from her emotional cocoon as she copes with her repressive and overbearing husband Franklin (Tom Challinor).

The conflict between younger and older sets the stage for a drama in which an emotional anchor surfaces in the bond between Malcolm and his loving mother Julia (Bonnie Obremski). Throughout this deeply moving play, which left audience members cheering, the skill with which McClave and Pendley glow as they radiate emotion well beyond the metaphorical footlights displays major career potential. Equal kudos to director Genevieve E. Barlow for empowering the gifts of actors and playwright alike to shine.

Enough humor predominates in the laugh-aloud absurdities of Leonard D. Goodisman’s “Geointerfering Inc. Bored’s Eye View” and Doug Given’s slyly sedate “Tea” to triumph over their improbabilities. CEO Challinor once again whips up a storm—no hearing aids necessary—in the former as Barlow has a ball pulling out the directorial stops, and both Erin Lamb and Sharon Wenzler (Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Smith) mix understated characterization with seductive silliness as Chambers pays a watchful eye to pacing. It makes for a great evening.

What’s most potent about the two one-act staged readings (repeating Friday the 13th at 2:30 p.m. in Pope Marine and Sunday the 15th at 2 p.m. in the same location) is that their poignancy (Wynne Stevens’ “Timeless”) and absurdity (Jim Gormly’s “Oh My! God?”) triumph over the absurdities of their plots.

Directors Chambers and Barlow deserve as much credit as the actors for pulling off a successful evening. Special praise to David Schroeder (John Doe and God), Tomoki Sage (Jason and Adam), and Maggie Jo Bulkley (June and Evie) for their quick character transitions; to Obremski for almost pulling off a hilarious Brooklyn accent (dahlink, we should talk sometime) while smiling sufficiently to qualify for the Miss America pageant; to McClave (nurse Emilee) for the depth of her compassion; and to Sharon Wenzler (older June) and Schroeder for touching the heart.

Sadly, COVID-19 concerns impacted attendance. It’s a shame, for two reasons: the 11-step Clorox disinfecting wipe protocol the theater has instituted before and between every showing lessens risk, and the quality of the material and performances maximizes enjoyment. Everyone must decide for themselves what is right for them, of course. I, for one, left richer for the joy that PlayFest 24’s six productions brought.