TSW ANNOUNCES ITS 61st SEASON

Produced by
Brian Heaton and Scott McWhirter

Short original plays performed as readers theatre.
(Not covered by Season Tickets) 

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Performance Dates

One performance only

Sunday, Nov 17 at 3pm

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DETAILS

Submissions have closed for the 2019 Reader's Theatre. Thank you to all who have submitted scripts. The selected scripts will be announced soon.

General guidelines are listed below and are subject to change.

Approximately 8-12 selected plays will be read and voted on by the attending audience. One $100 prize will be awarded to the play voted on as audience favorite.

General guidelines

• Limit of two entries per playwright of an original work that has not been published or produced.

• Monologues and one person plays are not accepted.

• All genres are accepted (light comedies, heavy dramas, thrillers, mystery, sci-fi, satire) with no regard to language or subject matter.

• All plays should be 5 to 10 minutes long, no exceptions. (If using standard play format a good gauge is 4-11 pages, excluding title page).

• Plays should be conducive to Reader's Theatre with simple stage directions and a story expressed through dialogue, not action.

Submission guidelines

• Scripts are accepted via mail only (no email, no PDFs) and must be postmarked by (October 21, 2019). Scripts are not returned.

• Scripts should have a title page that includes the play title and playwright's contact information, as well as a list of characters and a brief synopsis of the play. Script pages should be numbered.

• ALL scripts should be stapled in the upper left-hand corner.

• There is NO ENTRY FEE.

Playwrights selected will be informed prior to the event.

Mail entries to:

Theatre Southwest
8944-A Clarkcrest
Houston, TX 77063
Attn: TSW-RTM

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Questions? Contact co-producer Scott McWhirter

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Here are the plays that were selected for 2018:

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A Better Place by Eric Thomas – Florence, KY

A person is heartbroken after a breakup with a romantic partner, and hires a ride share service to help them get over it. Surprisingly, the driver has several routes that might help.

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Driver - Lisa Scofield 

Rider - Bob Maddox

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Private Conversations by Laura Romero – Katy, TX

A husband and wife must try to confront an ugly truth about what their son may have done to a fellow classmate. 

Husband - Brian Heaton

Wife - Kelly Walker

Cameron - Matt Prideaux

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The Doctor is IN by William Sikorski – Birchwood Village, MN

A young couple gets more than they expected at a psychiatric help booth at the State Fair.

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Amy - Brit Garcia

Blake - Austin Heps

Dana - Renata Smith

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When I Get to Heaven by Peter Stavros – Louisville, KY

A simple home improvement project can lead to a test of faith and reveal deeper concerns, as two old friends discover waiting for church service to start.

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Lou - Sam Sigman

Gus - Robert Lowe

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Backing Out by Tom Misuraca – Tarzana, CA

As Dad has difficulty pulling out of his sister-in-law's driveway, he complains how she likes to rub her affluence in their faces. Mom and daughter remind Dad that they have much more than she does, and actually enjoy being stuck in a car together.

Dad - Sean Thompson

Mom - Karla Brandau

Daughter - Lauren Becerra-Gongora

The Book Teacher by Jeff Strausser – Houston, TX

Beth Cooper's life has hit bottom. Janice Turner, an imperious mother of one of Beth's students, barges in on Beth's misery demanding Beth change her son's freshman lit grade. Both women are on the brink of failure and about to give up ...

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Beth - Annie Wild

Janice -Laura Coale

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Frameworks by Mike McGeever – Bloomingdale, IL

Marie, a graduate student in physics waiting for a train, encounters a teacher who suggests a route that will change her life forever. 

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Marie -Annie Wild

Gabe - John Patterson

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Fifty-Nine Inches by Max King Cap – Los Angeles, CA

In a jail cell in Canada, Cap, a Black American, awaits the gallows for deserting the army. The conversation he has with his jailer reveals how we often live within the grey areas of life.

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Cap - Sam Flash

Jailer - John Patterson

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Helpline by Chris Karmiol – Studio City, CA

A man on the edge calls a helpline as a his resort in this dark comedy, but what kind of helpline is this anyway?

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Operator -Rhianna Gallow

Sam - Scott McWhirter

Coworker -Brit Garcia

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The Lucky Piece by Marjorie Bicknell – Camp Hill, PA

A family heirloom is a constant reminder that a young woman is not the son her father wanted. 

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Sam - Renata Smith

Jess - Emily Zumstein

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13th Annual Reader's Theatre (2017) selections:

Alas, Poor Yorick

By David Holloway

Houston, TX

He thrust his sword in the arras thinking he was killing Claudius. Turns out it was only Polonius. Now Hamlet finds himself on trial for murder. Will Horatio build a strong enough defense? Or will Laertes’ prosecution prevail in this parody of the classic?

Ava Connects

By Robin Doupe

Sayville, NY

In an effort to help her overcome depression, Brittany leads her skeptical friend, Ava, to an eccentric Medium.

Buried

By Audrey Webb

Pflugerville, TX

A dying girl coaches her brother toward acceptance of the finality of her diagnosis.

Doughnut Shop Dates

By Jeffrey Strausser

Houston, TX

What if you could cheat on your spouse with a person you have always been attracted to and you knew with absolute certainty you wouldn’t get caught. Would you do it?

Employee of the Month

By Rachel Bublitz

Salt Lake City, UT

Taylor is shadowing her mother Jordan at work for a school project. Jordan is minutes away from having her portrait taken for employee of the month. When the boss checks on the progress of the photos, Taylor witnesses a reality for women in the workplace.

Hitch

By James McLindon

Northampton, MA

A man learns that the young hitchhiker he has picked up is not what she seemed.

Manifestation Destiny

By Thomas J. Misuraca

Tarzana, CA

The morning after Graham buried his husband, Nathan, he appears to wake him up. Though Nathan is obviously only a figment of Graham’s imagination, the figure helps him visualize a future on his own.

Party Lines

By Brent Englar

Baltimore, MD

While phone banking, a Democrat mistakenly calls a Republican … and then stays on the line to try to win a convert to liberalism. Turns out, the two already know each other, and their mutual dislike has nothing to do with party affiliation.

Perfect Love vs. Real Life

By Missy Ann Wilmoth

Ashburn, VA

Clarissa must find herself on this journey through life. Should she play it safe or take the more exciting path? (We can’t give any more detail without ruining the surprise!)

The Fugitive

By Ken Levine

Los Angeles, CA

Tom and Valerie are watching a vintage television series and re-examining their place in the world. Is 60 the new 40 … or 80? Ultimately, they learn to appreciate the time they have left and make the most of it.