Festival History

Photo from 'Six Voices' by Patricia Kessler (2007)

The Curtain Players Playwrights Festival was created during the 2002–2003 season by local playwrights within the CP family who each had scripts that were at a developmental point where an audience becomes essential.

Working with Michael Schacherbauer (Artistic Director, 1999–2007), the scribes gathered directors and actors and set to work bringing their words to the stage. In January of 2003, a time when the theater traditionally was dark, the first Playwrights Festival premiered.

The goal of the festival was to mount small, no-budget productions—focusing on the words—and seek feedback and discussion from an audience; feedback that the playwrights would use to better their works and ready them for larger, future productions.

The first festival was deemed a success and a 2nd Annual Festival was planned immediately. With each passing year, the festival grew and began to accept scripts from all across the United States. This annual event has become a local favorite as our audiences flock to the festival to engage the playwrights in thought-provoking dialogue about their works and the future of American theatre.

A Look Back at the Playwrights Festival Selections

2010 >
  • Rheumatoid Floyd by Jay Huling
  • Lot In Life by Doug Brook
  • Closure by James McLindon
  • The Ancient Mariner by J.C. Svec
2009 >
  • Alice in Gotham Land by Francis Gorman
  • Meeting God on a Tuesday Morning by Jeremy Sony
  • The First Time: A Series of Shorts by Jaclyn Villano
  • Honeymoon by Rob Taylor
  • American Royalty by Rob Taylor
  • Peaches en Regalia by Steve Lyons
2008 >
  • Separation Anxiety by Jeremy Sony
  • No Worse for the Wear by Jaclyn Villano
  • Tabloid Love by Kenneth Nichols
  • Chasing Ozymandias by Michael S. Parsons
2007
  • Six Voices by Pat Kessler
  • Land's End Café by Ann Marie Shea
  • The Five-Knob Radio by Milton Cohen
  • The Replacement by Jacob Appeal
  • The Cyrano Line by Claude Clayton Smith
2006
  • Genesis by Thomas Pierce
  • The Art of Building Bridges by Robert Weesner
  • When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom by Steven A. Shapiro
  • White Russian by Michael S. Parsons
  • Walter Men by P.S. Luhn
2005
  • The Importance of Being by Vicki Righettini
  • Library Aid by Mark Fusco
  • Dear Independence, Love Saigon by Deborah Sandoval
  • Do They Expedite There? by Jeremy Sony
  • Mayor Mac by Michael Burgan
  • Medea's Nurse by Alan Brody
2004
  • Timepiece by Martin Jones
  • (W)holes by Di Felice
  • The Cosmic Oy by Patty Liszkay
  • Drop 'til you Shop by Chris Shaw Swanson
  • Red Nose, Floppy Shoes by Jim Brosnahan
2003
  • Take Two by Michael S. Parsons
  • Temptation by Teri Kistler
  • The Loft by Jim Brosnahan

Separation Anxiety by Jeremy Sony (2008) was adapted by the playwright into a screenplay. It was produced as a feature-length independent film by Ohio-based Glass City Films and released in 2010.

White Russian by Michael S. Parsons (2006) was produced by Little Theatre Off Broadway in Grove City, OH, in June/July of 2006.

Do They Expedite There? by Jeremy Sony (2005) represented Curtain Players at State AACTFest 2005, earning Sony a Merit in Premiering an Original Work while actress Megan Evans took home a Merit in Acting for her role as Laura.

Red Nose, Floppy Shoes by Jim Brosnahan (2004) was picked for publication by Lazy Bee Scripts of Southampton, UK.

Take Two by Michael S. Parsons (2003) was comprised of two related one-act plays, The Brass Ring and Last Call. The Brass Ring represented Curtain Players at State AACTFest 2003, earning Charlie Sloin an Outstanding in Acting for his portrayal of Oscar E. Plishman; The Brass Ring and Last Call were then produced together as the full-length play, Take Two at Enjoy Theatre in the Autumn of 2004.

The Loft by Jim Brosnahan (2003) was produced at Enjoy Theatre in the Autumn of 2003 and later represented Enjoy at the 2004 Regional OCTAFest, garnering the following awards: Excellence in Acting for Amy - Mindy Loveless, Merit for Acting for Charlie - Charlie Sloin, Merit in Acting for Loft/Radio DJ - Emmanueal Buckley, and Excellence in Playwriting - Jim Brosnahan.

If you are a playwright of a previous festival premiere and your show has been produced or featured in a competition/showcase, please let us know!

For more info on the Playwrights Festival, email playfest@curtainplayers.org.