The third annual Pittsburgh Pride Theater Festival is a mixed bag. Produced by Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, it stages eight plays in two alternating programs, all by playwrights with local ties and featuring gay and lesbian characters.

Justin Lawrence, right, seduces hit man A.J. Tindall and the audience in "Is That a Gun in Your Pocket" at the Pittsburgh Pride Festival. Click photo for larger image. Pittsburgh Pride Festival Where: Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Jackman Building, 542 Penn Ave. When: Program A, Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 4 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m.; Program B, Thurs. 8 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. Tickets: $10-$15; 412-288-0358.

Generally, it's a lot of fun. Most of the plays are light, and the atmosphere, for both artists and audience members, is welcoming. But for a festival that purportedly spotlights GLBT themes, the plays are pretty, well, straight. You'd think there might be a few theatrical conventions challenged, but there aren't, and bisexual and transsexual/gender characters are conspicuously absent.

To grow, the festival may have to expand its writer base or forego its commitment to eight plays. Consistent quality is the only thing that will build an audience. Program A is the stronger, Program B more uneven.

Program A

Michael Schwartz, "Getting Better/Couldn't Get Much Worse"

Two white men, having recently become foster parents of a troubled teenage African-American boy, make a video telling other foster parents, especially gays, what to expect. Charlie Murphy and Scott Miller are charming, likeable and skillful in their maneuvering between playing for the camera and playing to each other.

At only 10 minutes, it's light and funny, although it never really goes anywhere. Schwartz's characters are forgettable, other than to wonder why these two men are adopting in the first place and to ponder glossed-over issues of gender and racial politics.

Bridget Harris, "The Burning Half"

Harris provides a coming-out story with no surprises. One short scene tumbles after another, revealing a married mother of two girls embarking on her new and improved lesbian "lifestyle." Some scenes are tediously repetitive, with Melissa (Lauren Michelle Masi) having the same fight over and over with her new love, Terri (Alyssa Herron).

When Melissa finally confronts her husband (James Schoberg), Harris draws him as a cheater who turns abusive at his wife's revelation. How much more interesting if the characters were more complex. Although "The Burning Half" certainly never burns, it's amusing at times, and the very young cast acquits itself with focused and precise performances.

Scott Sickles, "Manly Men Doing Manly Things"

Les and Doug originally split because Doug, a famous race car driver, hid his gay lover; realizing the error of his ways, he returns. Sickles' interest is in whether Les will take him back. As part of a larger play, the answer might have more meaning. Sickles writes good dialogue, but ultimately I didn't care about either one of them.

The play is a bit hampered by its young cast. While Ryan M. McKelvey and Charlie Murphy put forth a strong effort, they're indisputably miscast.

F.J. Hartland, "Postcards From a Dead Dog"

A mother and son communicate largely through postcards they send each other, purported to be from the family's dead dog. The premise is funny, and Hartland skillfully reveals family dynamics and emotions by intermixing postcard readings and dialogue.

The same play was produced at last season's Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Here, with Joseph McGranaghan and Arlene Merryman, there's more bite and less connection, and while the humor seems sharper, the ultimate peace attained seems less certain.

Program B

Gayle Pazerski, "In Common"

Janey shows up in a podiatrist's office, suffering from painful corns. Forget that she comes in wearing high heels, or you'll never get through the rest of it. The receptionist just happens to be the man who stole her fiance. She has a brief nervous breakdown (maybe it's the corns), frightening a Mrs. Vanderschmidt, the festival's only drag performance -- although it's not clear why. The dialogue is clunky and the story flimsy, but Ryan M. McKelvey, Annie Claffey and Justin Lawrence get laughs wherever they can.

John Reoli, "Rain"

Director Daniel Kirk's deadly pacing and John Reoli's inane script give this one no chance. But maybe by the second week the actors, especially Jim Altes, will be more secure in their lines .

Three sons gather with their father in a remote cabin for a fishing vacation. They bicker constantly. It ends with the father explaining why they're all such losers. (One's gay, one's divorced multiple times, one's working class -- criminal, huh?) They all sheepishly agree dad's right, and that's the very unsatisfying end.

Allison J, "Reunion"

Gretchen and Lauren are having a baby together, but their regular doula can't make it. A sub, who just happens to be Lauren's ex, shows up. Allison J never gives us much information about this past relationship, and it's always a mistake to ask an actor to pretend to be in labor, but what does work is the way Jessica Kennedy's quirky, quick-witted doula and Rebekah Hukill (Lauren) interact. There's a wistfulness about their scenes that rings true, and Kennedy has an incredible presence.

Carol Mullen, "Is That a Gun in Your Pocket"

This is a saucy, winning, tongue-in-cheek number in which a down-and-out inventor has to convince a loan shark's hitman to spare his life. The flirtation with death and with each other is hysterical, and the noir aesthetic is perfect. Mullen's dialogue is bitingly clever, and there's a clear payoff in the end. A.J. Tindal is a great straight man (so to speak) to Justin Lawrence's glam sexuality that seduces the audience, too. It's the one transgender whisper in the festival, and it sizzles.