Quincy Community Theatre announces lineup of five plays for June 28 playwriting festival

QUINCY — The Quincy Community Theatre Playwriting Festival will be held June 28 in the Barbara Rowell Auditorium in partnership with the Midsummer Arts Faire. The winning five plays were chosen by QCT’s festival reading committee, who read and evaluated more than 140 short plays submitted from around the world.

In a press release, education director Brendan Shea said, “We were humbled by the volume and breadth of submissions to our inaugural festival. I’m happy to say that the five plays we determined represent contemporary playwriting at its finest include several Quincy playwrights. I look forward to seeing this work in the hand of our talented local directors and performers.”

A call for directors is open for volunteers interested in leading one of the five staged readings. Visit 1qct.org/qct-playwriting-festival to apply. All directors must be available to attend a directing workshop on Wednesday, May 14, at QCT.

QCT is seeking actors for each reading. All performers, regardless of experience, are welcome to register for a “Meet the Directors” event on May 27-28 at QCT. Actors will have an opportunity to connect with the festival team and read excerpts from the play in a casual, low-stakes environment. Selected performers must be available for two rehearsals in June, plus a technical run-through on performance day.

The festival lineup:

• The Summit by Dan Conboy — In a corner bar, in a tiny village in northeast Missouri, three men meet to discuss the suffering of the people on Earth. A debate of biblical proportions with epic worldly consequences. True identities are revealed and the fate of mankind hangs in the balance.
• Valley Lane by Alec Eaton — After Will pulls Thomas out of a fight, the two strangers settle into a booth at a little diner in Valley Lane. Regret, longing and repressed memories are on the menu.
• Locker Room Talk by John Holleman — On the verge of a breakdown, a new teacher seeks solace in an empty locker room. There, he meets a man who knows that sometimes it’s not just the students who need a little coaching.
• The Bench by Romney Humphrey — Two social isolates unexpectedly discover that a specific bench in the park has great importance to each of them. The problem? Both require full occupation of that bench on a specific day and time. This specific day and time. And no one is budging.
• Dispatches from a Mars Widow by Nicole Dieker Finley — When a new life awaits all those brave enough to pack up and ship off to be a part of the first Mars colony, many take the plunge and kiss their old lives goodbye. But what becomes of everything, and everyone, they leave behind?

Direct all inquiries about the playwriting festival to Shea at brendan.shea@1qct.org.