New Works Playwright Competition 2019
New Works Playwright Competition
March 1 and 2, 2019 | 8 pm
Which of the five finalists of OCTA’s New Works Playwright Competition will get a full length workshop for their script? You’ll see short teasers of each script, then vote for the winner. Make your voice count and support the local playwriting community at the same time!
WHAT
The New Works Playwright Competition is a unique opportunity for local playwrights to get their names out in the community and have a chance to workshop their production on the OCTA stage.
WHY
OCTA continues to seek ways to provide aspiring artists opportunities to grow. We feel our unique space and collaborative spirit can provide a safe environment for aspiring playwrights to be heard.
WHO
This year’s five finalists are:
Rattler
Written by Lindsay Adams
Directed by Susan Proctor
*Content advisory/Trigger warning: This teaser will include dialogue describing an incident of sexual violence.
After Jen’s son Wyatt is accused of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend at a party, she is introduced to a support group for women whose relations have been accused of rape. With their encouragement, she decides she will stop at nothing to get to the truth of the matter and to get Wyatt’s charges dropped.
Cast
Jen – Kelsea Victoria McLean
Wyatt – Joshua Reany
Melanie – Sarah Elise Menez
Angie – Breahna Lynn Bulloch
Stage Directions – Grace Chang
The Giver – A Musical
Written by Nathan Christensen
Directed by Jenn Ward
Music Directed by Kelsie Clark-Massey
The Giver (adapted from the novel by Lois Lowry) is set in a world with no pain, sorrow, or conflict, but also without weather, color, or deep emotion of any kind. The story follows Jonas, a 12-year-old boy who is given the assignment of holding the collective memory of what life was like before Sameness, so that he can guide the community’s leaders with his wisdom. He is trained by the previous holder of that assignment—a mysterious man Jonas comes to call the Giver. As Jonas comes to understand both pain and love, the idea of supporting Sameness becomes increasingly intolerable, and he and the Giver decide the time has come to change everything.
Cast
Jonas – Nicholas Perry
Fiona – Ella McClung
Asher – Paul Brennan III
Mother – Alice Scott
Father – Jon Rizzo
Lily – Emma Scott
Speaker, Community Member – Angie Goldberg
Chief Elder, Community member – Kelly Cady
Community Member – Ashley Doulos
Community Member – Christa James
Community Member – Claire McClung
Community Member – Jauwan Stinson
Community Member – Rebekah Youmans
The Lucky Ones
Written by Amanda Davison
Directed by Jo Bledsoe Collins
Justine has not had an easy life by most people’s standards. A low-income single mother, she had her daughter at sixteen and has struggled to make a life for herself ever since. When she is presented with the opportunity to steal a winning Missouri Lotto ticket from a sick friend, Justine chooses to do so. Be it dealing with the fallout from her troubled relationship with her boyfriend, a recovering opioid addict, or risking losing the respect of her daughter, Justine finds that her even her newfound wealth may not buy her the solace she seeks.
Cast
Justine – Meghann Deveroux
Brennan – Terraye Watson
Stage Directions – Charlotte Gilman
[Un]Earthed
Written by Lavinia Roberts
Directed by Rachel Reese
Some are considered lucky when they find themselves in a refugee camp after the destruction. But in the struggle to build a new life, Myra and her father have to find a way to pick up where they left off on Earth. How will they thrive when all they’ve known is lost in order to begin again? Find out what happens when everything becomes [Un]Earthed.
Cast
Father – Spencer Thompson
Myra – Camille Breckenridge
Stage Directions – Rachel Reese
Daylight Video
Written by Derek Trautwein
Directed by Taylor Hudson
The Daylight Video store is closing its doors for good. With less than a week before shut down it’s up to the rag tag bunch of lazy losers and the erratically lost Mr. Olson to save the store. Eventually our unwilling heroes are faced with the task of deciding if it’s worth fighting over. Through the lens of their situation they understand what’s really important and what part the store plays in their lives. Daylight Video chronicles the life and thrills of the perfect hunt in pursuit of a happy ending.
Cast
Ned – Geoffrey Pottoroff
Randy – Tyecorey Davison
Mr. Olson – Justin Howe
Customer – Diana Guadalupe
Stage Directions – Ben Whitcomb
MORE INFO
CLICK HERE to learn more about tall he playwrights, directors, and cast members involved.
PLAN YOUR VISIT TO OCTA
Tickets may be purchased with credit card, check, or cash. Free parking is available in the OCTA lot and on the street. Concessions are available for cash or credit donation and may be taken into the theater.