Almost Perfect by Abbey Khan
Directed by Eddie Page

Two very different couples come to realize that some marriages aren't as perfect as they appear to be and what works for one couple just may not work for the other. It may not be perfect, but maybe it's almost perfect?

CAST
Rachael Hubbard as Mrs. Childless
Charlene Sloan as Mrs. Facade
Peter Orvetti as Mr. Childless
Richard Isaacs as Mr. Facade
~
Stage Manager: Eddie Page

Paradise by Trish Cole
Directed by Alse Young

A Raging Hags Production

During "the talk", a mother and daughter try to navigate the rules of being female --- as Adam and Eve meet and innocently set into motion the subjugation of women, while an assimilated American Jew recalls the event that caused her maternal generational trauma.

CAST
Allison McGolrick as Girl
Valarie Spainhower Green as Mrs
Lewis Beckley as Adam
Mallory Green as Eve
Gloria Ranta as Bubbe
~
Stage Manager: Alse Young

Two Women on a Precipice by Karin Fazio Littlefield
Directed by Roark Littlefield

Two women stand at the edge of a precipice preparing to leap into the void. They procrastinate and debate everything from hobbies to God. The play beckons the absurd and the banter between the women recalls Beckett in its moving back and forth between existential themes and the banality of cell phones and sandwiches.

CAST
Katarina Vizina as Woman 1
Candace Reid as Woman 2
Bryan Enk as Man
Roark Littlefield as Delivery Man
~
Stage Manager: Elijah Klein

An Abortive Catastrophe by J. O. Chrystal
Directed by Stacey Park

The exciting, first-ever presentation of a long-lost, never-before-seen treasure: a one-act play by the greatest writer of all time (William Shakespeare)! Join St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Professor of Theatre (Prof. George Barbage-Woodbead) for this dizzying and groundbreaking hybrid of comedy, drama, and history.

CAST
Michael Sokoloff as Professor George Barbage Woodbead
Sabrina Martin as Emily/Amy
Sean Scriber as Lamar/Shythellow
Kehle Hatch as Abby/Queen Elizabeth
~
Stage Manager: Kyle Medlock
Light Operator: Kyle Medlock
Set Construction: Chris Maulden

The Letter E Leaves the Alphabet by Martha Lane
Directed by Robert K. Rausch

Sponsored by the Charles County Arts Alliance, in co-operation with Life Journeys Writers Guild and Old Waldorf School Foundation.

The Letter E runs away from home because he is not the first letter in the alphabet, even though he is the most used. E has “one whole night and one whole day” to change his mind and return to the alphabet. If he does not make his decision in time, “every E in every word will fly away like a bird.”

CAST
Martha Lane as Narrator
Diane Rausch as Mother
Robert Wenzinger as Father
Rick Wathen as Letter Maker
Trevor Griffioen as Letter E
Thirzah Griffioen as Letter A
Emma Ansel as Letter B
Caitlyn Lynch as Letter C
Gershawn Mason as Letter D
~
Production Assistants: Kavante Reeves, Anthony Graves
Stage Manager: Cornelis Griffioen
Projectionist: Ron Brown
Program/Power Point: Judy Crawford

Golden Land by John A. Adams
Directed by Alexander Harrington

Freddy, a ruthlessly ambitious innkeeper, and Emma, a former seamstress turned writer, have a disturbing encounter on the front stoop of a tenement in New York City's lower east side, circa 1904. Their heated exchange leads to an attempted seduction and ends at the barrel of a German Luger with a shocking revelation.

CAST
Casey Killoran as Emma
Jacob Sharf as Freddy
~
Stage Manager: Alexis L. Nalbandian

Making Tracks by Kim Moore Bessler
Directed by Mike Gahan

In 1863 Southern Maryland, two stationmasters for the Underground Railroad must decide if the tracks run both ways.

CAST
Lynne O'Meara as Josie
Sheila Hyman as Ada
Doug Graupman as Gerald
~
Stage Manager: Erica Konklowski
Costumes: Heather LaBelle
Lights: Leslie Wanko
Properties: Kim Bessler
Sound: Jason Konklowski
Set Design: John Merritt

Norma's Scent by Yair Packer
Directed by Jonathan Berry

The loved ones we’ve lost linger on with us. Their scent fills our memories and our lives. Norma has recently passed and her husband is mourning her loss. Through a neighbor's intervention, Mr. Kindrick realizes his late wife had more surprises up her sleeve than he knew.

CAST
Stephen Fogle as Alan Kindrick
Pamela Berry as Mary Shindler
~
Stage Manager: Meg Pugh

An Abortive Catastrophe by J. O. Chrystal
Directed by Stacey Park

The exciting, first-ever presentation of a long-lost, never-before-seen treasure: a one-act play by the greatest writer of all time (William Shakespeare)! Join St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Professor of Theatre (Prof. George Barbage-Woodbead) for this dizzying and groundbreaking hybrid of comedy, drama, and history.

CAST
Michael Sokoloff as Professor George Barbage Woodbead
Sabrina Martin as Emily/Amy
Sean Scriber as Lamar/Shythellow
Kehle Hatch as Abby/Queen Elizabeth
~
Stage Manager: Kyle Medlock
Light Operator: Kyle Medlock
Set Construction: Chris Maulden

Golden Land by John A. Adams
Directed by Alexander Harrington

Freddy, a ruthlessly ambitious innkeeper, and Emma, a former seamstress turned writer, have a disturbing encounter on the front stoop of a tenement in New York City's lower east side, circa 1904. Their heated exchange leads to an attempted seduction and ends at the barrel of a German Luger with a shocking revelation.

CAST
Casey Killoran as Emma
Jacob Sharf as Freddy
~
Stage Manager: Alexis L. Nalbandian

~

PRODUCER/ADJUDICATION CHAIR

Lisa Gregory, M.S., Ph.D.
Lisa Gregory is an environmental consultant with Assisted Management Solutions, Inc. and has been involved with theatre on both sides of the curtain for over 25 years. She has acted, directed, produced, managed, or designed lights/sound/set for over 40 plays. Dr. Gregory is an alumna of St. Mary’s College of Maryland and played the role of Kate in The Pirates of Penzance in this very theatre. After obtaining her degrees in Zoology at the University of Florida, she returned to Southern Maryland in 2002 where she volunteered with the TheatriText club at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM, Leonardtown campus). In 2006, she was asked to direct The Newtowne Player’s (NTP) production of Side by Side by Sondheim, and has since won numerous NTP awards for best light design, set design, director, or play (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Godspell, The Dining Room, Picnic). She was the Technical Director for NTP’s state submission of Trish Cole’s Butterfly in 2010, which received the prestigious Ed-Ro-Char Award for Technical Excellence. In the past seven years, she has focused on original works written by local artists and was the Founder, Artistic Director, and Producer of Southern Maryland Originals, a production of the Performance Arts Club at CSM. Dr. Gregory is the Founder of Watermelon Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the performing arts and to providing a nurturing and educational environment for original works. She is humbled and delighted to have such prestigious adjudicators at her side this year. She thanks St. Mary's College of MD for hosting the festival once again and all her wonderful playwrights and volunteers - without you there would be no festival!

ADJUDICATORS

Brent Englar
Brent Englar is a playwright from Baltimore, where he works as an editor for an educational content developer. His plays have been produced throughout the United States, including in Baltimore, New York, Chicago, Denver, and Washington, D.C. Since 2014, Mr. Englar has been the Baltimore Regional Representative for the Dramatists Guild of America. He also directed the Mobtown Playwrights Group, an offshoot of Baltimore’s Mobtown Players; each MPG season consisted of public readings of three new plays by local writers, culminating in a full production of one of the selected plays. At Mobtown, Brent directed numerous readings and several world premieres. To learn more about Mr. Englar's work, please visit www.brentenglar.com.

Mark Rhoda, Ph.D.
Mark Rhoda began his studies at Middlebury College, VT, followed by the American Conservatory Theater Summer Training Congress, CA, and finally completed his undergraduate thesis at Stanford University. Over his career, Dr. Rhoda taught at UC, Berkeley, the University of Denver, and UMBC and somewhere in there managed to complete a Ph.D. He is now a visiting associate professor of theater, film, and media studies at SMCM, where he teaches courses in theater (Dramatic Literature, Performance, Performance Studies) and in film (Introduction to Film and Media Studies, Film History, World Cinema, Horror Film, Silent Film, Independent Studies) and also directs stage productions (Striptease / Catastrophe, Slasher, a horrifying comedy, The Bald Soprano, The Serpent, The Physicists, Happy End). He has mentored St. Mary’s Projects on Third World cinemas, internet-based slash cultures, U.S. film noir, ethnographic filmmaking, performance, and directing. Dr. Rhoda co-founded SMCM’s annual Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies colloquium—and co-curates the annual TFMS film series, which brings top-notch filmmakers to campus to screen their work, visit with film production and film studies classes, and to meet informally with students.

FESTIVAL COORDINATOR

Lois Stephenson
Lois Stephenson is a writer and director in the local scene. Her local acting credits include Ruby (Trish Cole’s Butterfly), Rosemary (Picnic), an Grandma in her play Losing It!, which she also directed. She wrote and directed Back to Kathmandu for WOAF and directed DaSilva's Middle Ground for the Maryland One Act Festival. Ms. Stephenson was a writing tutor at California State University, San Bernardino, and here at CSM where she also taught English. At Riverside Civic Light Opera, she was in the choir of Jesus Christ Super Star, played Wife in The King and I, Sister Berta in Sound of Music, comic neighbor in The Man Who Came to Dinner, and several parts in El Grande de Coca Cola. Earlier acting credits include Sally Bowls in Cabaret, Dirty Work at the Crossroads, Finnian’s Rainbow, Music Man, and Bye-Bye Birdie. She also choreographed Damn Yankees and Applause, Applause. She recently played a small role in an original short film, In Passing, by Caron Alexandra Williams that will debut in May at a film festival in New York. Ms Stephenson and her family have been Southern Maryland residents since 1992.

2017

~ 2017 ~
AWARDS

Outstanding Script: Paradise
Runner-Up: wŏm'ən: revised

Outstanding Production/Direction: Golden Land
Runner-Up: Two Women on a Precipice

Audience Choice: Two Women on a Precipice
Runner-Up: Lucky Star

Outstanding Ensemble: Two Women on a Precipice
Runner-Up: Lucky Star

Outstanding Performances:
Lorenzo Henriquez (Some Soil for the Soul)
Sheila Hyman (Making Tracks)
Casey Killoran (Golden Land)
Jeanne Louise (Lucky Star)
Jacob Sharf (Golden Land)
Charlene Sloan (Almost Perfect)

Tech Wreck: An Abortive Catastrophe
Runner-Up: Making Tracks

Outstanding Community Contribution: Martha Lane (The Letter E Leaves the Alphabet)

Great Job Everyone!
~

Congratulations FINALISTS!

Listed in order or performance:

Almost Perfect
Some Soil for the Soul
Two Women on a Precipice
INTERMISSION
Lucky Star (Wild Card)
wŏm'ən: revised
Golden Land

It is strongly encouraged that all participants sit in the audience to watch your competition.

Non-finalists must clear the theater of your props at 1 pm. Almost Perfect may put their props in the box at 1:45 pm. Finals begin at 2 pm followed by a dinner while the judges determine winners. Ticket holders will determine the Audience Choice Award.

Lucky Star by Gia Myers
Directed by J. R. Cook

Despite encounters with cruel and irresponsible people, the dogs at the Kind Hearts Humane Society learn from the elder resident dog, Lucky, to have hope and open their hearts to love again.

CAST
Jeanne Louise as Lucky
Vicki Powalisz as Casey/Precious
Josh Fuller as Charlie
Hilton Harrod Jr. as Buddy
Alyshia Bradley as Mimi
Christopher Lange as Henry
~
Stage Manager: J. R. Cook

Some Soil for the Soul by Dominique C. Butler
Directed by Dominique C. Butler

KG prefers living a joyful life over wealth and riches. However, his drug addiction is hindering him from finding true joy. Lucille is a wealthy businesswoman but lacks true happiness. KG encounters Lucille on her way to work everyday. Their small conversations awaken hidden truths and remind KG and Lucille about the love they once had for one another.

CAST
Lorenzo Henriquez as KG
Raechelle Floyd as Lucille
~
Stage Manager: Kayla McDaniel
Lights: Lady Tatum

A Carbuncle in the Abyss by R. DaSilva
Directed by Robert K. Rausch

A swashbuckling story removes its clothes in front of a live audience.

CAST
Curt Dodges as Don Corso
George Johnson as Porche
Justin Bose as Pollinaris
~
Production Assistants: Kavante Reeves, Anthony Graves
Stage Manager: Robert Rausch

Fable Group by Andrew Martineau
Directed by Emma Ansell

A batch of fairy tale characters meets regularly in a group therapy session. A new member, Jack, joins the group and creates consternation for the other members, including Hansel, Gretel, Snow, and Pinocchio.

CAST
Sean Smith as Hansel
Sabrina Martin as Gretel
Kacie Danek as Snow
Gershawn Mason as Pinocchio
Dakota Baldwin as Jack
Kehle Hatch as Camille
~
Stage Manager: Emma Ansell