TSW ANNOUNCES ITS 61st SEASON

Produced by
Brian Heaton and Scott McWhirter

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

​

Performance Dates

One performance only

Sunday, Nov 17 at 3pm

​

DETAILS

This year we received 330 submissions from 227 authors from all across the country as well as several international submission. Thanks to everyone who submitted this year. We hope to see more from you all in the future both for Reader's Theatre and for our Festival of Originals.

​

Congratulations to our Audience favorite award winner M. Rowan Meyer for Cancelled.

Here are all the finalists for the 15th Annual Reader's Theatre Matinee:

​

The Library of Alexandria by Chuck Smith - Woodbridge, VA

Despite the 250 B.C. date, high school girls have the same problems as today: classes, dating, and the upcoming social event. Amera and Naira talk of these subjects and consider a trip after the school year.

​

Naira - Brit Garcia

Amera - Rebecca Torrellas

​

That's What it's All About by Missy Ann Wilmoth - Ashburn, VA

Albert is still stuck in a pit of depression after his wife’s passing two years prior. His best friend, Vernon, is trying to get him back into the swing of life. Will he be successful?

​

Albert -Carl Masterson

Veron - Robert Lowe

Molly - Laura Chapman

​

Have a Nice Day by Matthew Sheridan - New York, NY

A black man who is apparently delivering groceries has difficulty getting into a Manhattan apartment building.

​

Black Man - Osbie Shephard

White Man - Marcus Sabom

Old Woman - Lee Raymond

​

Estados Unidos Primero by Charles West - Madera, CA

An off-duty FBI agent enlightens a fellow citizen on a few important Amendments.

Cashier - Brit Garcia

Customer - Rebecca Torrellas

Angry Man - Dano Colon

Agent - Emily Zumstein

​

Seven Seconds Plus 45 Percent by Stephen Stewart - Sugar Land, TX

 Rick is an aging rocker. Maggie has her own funky fashion sense. Their first meeting. Awkward. Guarded. Finally. 

​

Rick - Sean Thompson

Maggie - Kathleen Baker

Waiter - Sri Vengalathur

​

Cancelled by M. Rowan Meyer - Woodside, NY

Preparations for a new baby come to a sudden and tragic halt, forcing Geoff and Dominic to ask what comes next. Or if there can even be a next.

​

Geoff - Eric Dunlap

Dominic - Joseph Moore

Bromantic Encounter by Matt Henderson - Irwin, PA

Tom and Charlie are just two masculine straight bachelors hanging, watching football, and ribbing each other about how “gay” they are. When their hot friend Brooke shows up, things get a little weird.

​

Tom - Lance Stodghill

Charlie - Jay Menchaca

Brooke - Sarah Jordan Stout

​

Everthing But Dead by Richard Lyons Conlon - Wheaton, IL

Not all loved ones are loved … Tom is in a persistent vegetative state after an auto accident. His mother wants to wait before removing life support, but his wife, Karissa, has other thoughts.

​

Eileen - Laura Chapman

Karissa - Adina Owen

Gina - Sarah Keller

Tom - Dano Colon

Candy Store by James McLindon - Northampton, MA

A woman is on the hunt for coffee and men. Not necessarily in that order.

​

Woman. - Sandra Ramsey

Barista 1 - Sri Vengalathur

Barista 2 - Marcus Sabom

The Other Side by Siegmund Fuchs - Washington, D.C. 

Sonderkommando were captured Jews forced to greet new arrivals at concentration camps. Victor meets hiscousin and shares a cigarette and food with her before he must carry out his new duties.

​

Victor - Austin Heps

Stella - Jenna Morris

​

And One More Thing by Lonnie McGuire - Racine, WI

An elderly woman contacts a friend for a meeting. Things get racy, then deadly serious, before a bittersweet conclusion.

​

Rose - Lee Raymond

Franklin - Robert Lowe

​

​

Submissions have closed for the 2019 Reader's Theatre. Thank you to all who have submitted scripts. Below are the guidelines for submitting. The 16th Annual Reader's Theatre will open for submissions in early September 2020.

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 TBA, 2020). 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

​

Questions? Contact co-producer Scott McWhirter