Whidbey Island Center for the Arts is hosting its first one-act play festival, a medley of short theatrical pieces which run the gamut from comedic to dramatic.

One Act Fest Northwest began Friday and will continue through April 19. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets cost $22 for adults, $18 for seniors, $15 for youth and $15 for matinees.

The festival’s featured play is Peter Shaffer’s “Black Comedy,” directed by Tristan A.B. Steel. According to a recent press release, “Black Comedy” is the “epitome of a British farce.”

The remaining four plays are “Baby Food” by David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Matthew Gregory; “The Universal Language” by David Ives, directed by Jennifer Bondelid; “Self-Adhesive” by Richard Evans, directed by Taylor Harrison. “Chemistry” by Katie Woodzick and Max Cole-Takanikos was read at the Friday, April 10 show only.

“Baby Food” was originally written as a part of ‘The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway’ and is a comedy about an off-kilter couple searching for godparents for their newborn child, according to the release.

In “The Universal Language,” a newspaper ad brings together Dawn, a young woman with a stutter, and Don, the creator and teacher of a wild and fictional language Unamunda.

“Self-Adhesive,” which takes place in a post office sorting room, will be making its world premiere.

Bondelid, director of “The Universal Language,” noted that the play explores the variety of ways in which individuals communicate nonverbally, and said it is also about the power of belief.

But most importantly, Bondelid said, the play evokes a sense of fun.

The same is true for the festival in general, Bondelid noted, adding that each of the plays contains its own unique flavor.

“They are just all so different from each other,” she said.

Tickets for One Act Fest Northwest can be purchased at the box office, online at https://tickets.wicaonline.com/public/ or by calling 800.638.7631.