With three productions in three weekends, the Second Annual Actors in Action Festival offers three very diverse plays in the kind of theater not often seen in the Lehigh Valley produced under the aegis of the Allentown Public Theatre (APT).

First up is one-man show of a tabloid journalist's tell-all, then a play about four corporate types trapped in that peculiar corporate hell of sensitivity training, and finally a free-form action and dialogue exploration of body image. The festival is June 13 - 30, Antonio Salemme Foundation gallery, 542 W. Hamilton St., Suite 203, Allentown.

The tabloid journalist is "The Atheist," June 13 - 15, written by Irish-born playwright Ronan Noone and directed by Joshua Neth, artistic director for APT and the improv comedy troupe, The Associated Mess. Neth says that the role of journalist, short on scruples and big on sensational headlines as a way to power and fame, "explores whether being self-servicing gets you what you really want."

"Sensitivity Training," June 21 - 23, is a new one-act play by Easton playwright Jennifer Santos. She channels Jean-Paul Sartre's play, "No Exit," which explores the themes she is interested in. "I'm interested in how people carry themselves. How they present themselves to other people. The masks they wear.

"Everyone has their own problems and is me-centric and I want to force my characters to see where other people are coming from."

In spite of the heavy themes, Santos insists this is a comedy. "It's easier to take your medicine with a little sugar," she says. "I try to make people laugh when giving them the news."

Santos wrote the very popular "Dinner with Marney" which debuted last year and was encouraged to write "Sensitivity Training" when her friends told her write down her wonderful ideas for characters. In addition to writing, Santos is interested in acting, costume design, and comedy. She will be available after the performances of "Sensitivity Training" to talk to the audience.

"The Un-Named Body Project," directed by Felix Mayes, June 28-30, explores body image and eating disorders through movement and dialogue. The piece, directed by Neth, is a product of the APT's workshop collaboration with actors, writers, clinicians and therapists "to find an artistic way," Neth says, "to address these issues that affect so many of us."