TEN MINUTES: The three characters are representations of the same man at ages eighteen, forty-five and ninety. The middle-aged man and the young man are traveling through a barren, desolate space. They fold clothes and place them into suitcases for their next journey. But arguments arise about leadership and bad life choices. The elderly man arrives and takes charge, granting the forgiveness to the other two and all the choices they made that inflicted suffering on themselves.

TEN MINUTES: Eddie is having a difficult day. Neither sublime affirmations from https://www.louisehay.com nor the perfect lemon sponge cake with raspberry filling can help. Sure he's getting married to the man he loves -- a Baptist, bisexual, vegetarian accordion player -- but he realizes that he himself isn't interesting or layered enough to make the marriage last 'til death do they part.

TEN MINUTES: There are a lot of reasons Terry will eat a family-size package of chocolate sandwich cookies tonight. Some are reasons the audience wants to hear, some aren't: bland, apologetic, comic, derisive, and defiant. Do you want milk with that?

TEN MINUTES: College-aged students Paul and Con notice one another for the first time. The pulse quickens, breathing turns shallow, gazes linger, but neither can bring himself to say anything to the other.

SEVEN MINUTES: Jaded, conniving, bored spectators have little interest in discussing art prior to the unveiling of a new work. When they see the new piece, however, they are stunned by the beauty before them.

ONE MINUTE: 9-year-old Dylan receives a lesson in becoming a man from his older brother Connor.

ONE MINUTE: August is almost over, which prompts Tim to ask Win a question.

TEN MINUTES: Third-grade student Inez Cupcakes is good at math. She is especially good at multiplying numbers in her head very quickly, to the amusement of her friends and delight of her teacher. But Inez's friends talk with her only about math, she may become the teacher's pet, and a jealous student asks her to answer incorrectly once in a while. Inez has math problems, and not the fun kind she likes to solve; but with gentle coaxing from her teacher Miss Ella Louella Santa Rose Plum, Inez knows the best answer to all of them.

FULL LENGTH: The highlight of forty-year-old Benny V.'s day is eating his microwaved dinner and falling asleep at 8 p.m. in his apartment decorated with old college dormitory furniture. Then a mysterious invitation leads Benny V. on a journey that connects him with new people, places, and experiences. "The Subtle, Sublime Transformation of Benny V." looks at how we engage the world and how going outside our comfort zone affects our lives.

ONE MINUTE: Helen and Margaret, two married women, find solace in their brief amount of time they spend together. They disagree on wanting more from one another.

ONE MINUTE: An over-opinionated, loud, bossy person cannot stand that three people are quietly minding their own business, enjoying their leisure time in a way that makes them happy. So, the antagonist takes action.

TEN MINUTES: Hollis prepares herself with lists of facts so she can succeed in her mission.

TEN MINUTES. Claudette is upset and tries to soothe herself by making instant vanilla pudding and binge eating. Her sister Marianne, however, ruins everything.

FIVE MINUTES: Dick Overtron, a married man, just wants to have sex with another guy. So he appears as a contestant on the hottest show in the world, The Down-Low Dating Show, in hopes of finding the sort of hot, masculine buddy he wants and deserves while his wife travels on a tour bus. It's a shame things go wrong.

FIVE MINUTES: An ever-growing chorus of diverse voices speaks against the rise of hatred, bias and inequality due to religious and ethnic or racial differences. More of the disenfranchised seek to share their story, seek to be understood by white, Christian Americans, which could lead to uncomfortable conversations and soul searching. What can white Americans do as internal strife grows?

The perfect remedy: a 2-CD compilation called "White Noise," which plays over the complexity of today's world with soothing, easy-to-appreciate babble of little consequence. Available at several convenient locations, including most broadcast and print media.

ONE MINUTE: A violinist loses everything, except he hasn't.

ONE MINUTE: Third-Year Scholar Novotny and Distinguished Professor Andraslev survey a park covered with several growths of lichen. The future plans for the area depend on what the pair learn about the past while in the present.

Playwright Emily McClain needs to tell you something. She yearns to speak the truth. She is ready to talk about the reality of things.

TEN MINUTES: A playwright plagued by the vocal few receives an affirmation about what theatrical plays can be, and how they can reach people thanks to the support and artistry of Matthew Weaver of Spokane, Washington.

ONE MINUTE: Simone wonders what all the fuss is about while her husband runs around naked off the Extraterrestrial Highway in Nevada's High Basin Desert just after 6 in the morning. Gale then points out the obvious.

ONE MINUTE. Hugh has a strong relationship with God. But when loud voices suggest that God doesn't love him, Hugh questions everything.

Perhaps for the first time, HERO must make a major decision that permanently affects where life will lead. Many OPTIONS beckon, not all of them good, but the choices must be made, the journey continued.

"The Paths" is an experimental, near-silent, multi-scene, movement-dominated play about choices made, paths chosen and disregarded, and the first and final moments that bookend life.