Cyndi Fisher of Seaside, left, appears in a mother-daughter kitchen scene with Sara Spangler in “’dentity Crisis.” The one-act play by Christopher Durang is directed by Ryan Hull.

Cyndi Fisher was seeking a challenge.

The Seaside woman’s acting talents have been evident on the North Coast these past few years.

But the latest production being staged at the Ten Fifteen Theater in Astoria appealed in a different way.

Theater leaders had selected three directors, Ryan Hull, Karen Bain and Deborah Jensen, to collaborate on an evening of three one-act plays. The concept was to cast an ensemble of eight actors who would perform in two or three of them. The move was driven, in part, because space backstage at the downtown storefront theater is rather limited.

“One of the reasons I auditioned was because I was very excited about doing that,” Fisher said. “In some plays you have an actor play more than one part. This is a more intense version of something like that.”

Experienced

Fisher, who works in the hospitality industry in South County, is no stranger to the stages in Astoria and Cannon Beach.

She appeared in the “Scrooge the Musical” at the Coaster in 2022 then played one of two competing musical divas in “Suite Surrender” a year later. That show was directed by John Hoff of Cannon Beach, who appears in all three of the one-acts.

Last year, she played one of the sisters in the mathematical drama “Proof” at the Coaster, then appeared in “The Woman in Black,” a ghost story at the Ten Fifteen last September. Both shows were directed by Mick Alderman. Jaime Britton, another one-act performer, also appeared in “The Woman in Black.”

Two rolesFisher was cast in two of the “One-Act Wonders.”

In “’dentity Crisis” she plays a character who encounters oddities with her family as she recovers from a nervous breakdown. Her cheerful mother and odd brother add to the mayhem, with the brother and a psychiatrist appearing in other guises.

Hull, the director, said Fisher is “amazing” to work with. “She comes to each rehearsal with her pockets filled with ideas to try each day,” he said. “She has prepared and thought about the circumstances of her character — where the journey needs to start and eventually end up. On top of that, she is quick to try just about anything I’ve thrown at her.”

In “Conflict,” Fisher is the narrator who has to make sense of the action for the audience while other characters, including two played by Hoff and Britton, are behaving very strangely.

“Cyndi is an incredibly versatile actor and an asset to any show she is in,” said Jensen, who is directing her first show at the Ten Fifteen. “She is a true professional and a joy to be around.”

‘Difficult people’

Fisher said the joy of portraying different characters is enhanced by the clever scripts. “It feels like it comes naturally from the text that you have,” she said. “They are different characters and difficult people, so you are relying on the written context from the playwright. It helps you go from one to another.”

For the record, the third show in the Astoria production is “Out at Sea,” a dark comedy about three men trapped on a life raft.

The production runs through Feb. 8 at the theater at 1015 Commercial St., in Astoria. Tickets can be purchased online at https://thetenfifteentheater.com.