Author Archives: Thom Haynes

Cary Playwrights’ Forum and Odyssey Stage’s 2020 NC 10by10. A ten minute play festival with new works by North Carolina Playwrights! This will be a completely virtual festival with rehearsals and performances taking place online via Zoom. The performances (recorded, not live) will be premiered online September 18th/19th & 25th/26th.

You can register to attend (the password code will be sent), see pictures and read bio info for the cast and crew, and learn more about the history and producers of the show here: http://nc10by10.org/

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THE AFFLICTION by Tim Wiest, directed by Art Jolin

• WILL: David McEwen
• HERMIA: Emily Chiola

THE BLUEBIRD by Eric Weil, directed by Thom Haynes

• NARRATOR POE: Bruce Rosenbloom
• CHARACTER POE: Cameron Skalski
• LENORE: Chelsey Winstead
• BLUEBIRD: Chelsey Winstead

IS THIS MY SUPPORT GROUP? by Bonnie Milne Gardner, directed by Jenn Bianchi

• CHARLIE: Aaron Cardwell
• Ms GOLD: Michelle Kaiser
• Mr GREY: Nic Frederick
• Ms GREEN: Sara Levy
• Mr BROWN: Michael Shannon
• Mr BLACK: Will Purpura

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS by Mike Brannon, directed by Noelle Azarelo

• MARVINA: Ashley Rebecca Jones
• AGATHA: Sarah Richardson
• BILL: Jordan Long
• SAM: Robert Richardson

MARCEL MARCEAU’S ACTING CLASS by Andy Rassler, directed by John Paul Middlesworth

• MARCEL MARCEAU: Conner Gregg
• MARIE ANTOINETTE: Tara Malaka
• QUASIMODO: Isaac Woolsey

NEW AGE FAREWELLS by Susan M. Steadman, directed by Bonnie Marie Williams

• REBECCA: Bonnie Webster
• DIDI: Dianna Conley
• ELIZABETH: Emily Yates
• ATTENDANT: Chelsey Winstead

RAIN LIKE TEARS by Elijah B. Moore, directed by Lucia Foster

• DRIVER: Christopher Bynum
• MARTIN: Shane de León

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW by Gabrielle Vizcaino, directed by Michael Parker

• ALEX: Teal Lepley
• SAM: Griffin James

TWIST AND DOUBT by Evan Daane, directed by Chloe Anderson

• HERO: Jenayeda Shephard
• VILLAIN: Rhonda Lemon
• HOSTAGE: Cameron Skalski
• ENSEMBLE: Christian O’Neal

UNWANTED POETS by Tom Buhrman, directed by Danielle Fenton

• MANAGER: Melanie Simmons
• PARENT FITZPATRICK: Lori Mahl
• LIZZIE FITZPATRICK: Claire Wayne
• HUGO: Mick Hilgers
• BISHOP: Cassie Ford
• EDGAR: Michael Shannon

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Congratulations to Amy da Luz, whose play Coming Back for Me was chosen by popular acclaim, and will be fully-produced and staged in 2021!

You can still watch the 5 videos at the CPF Facebook page; click on any play title below to view!

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• Coming Back for Me, written by Amy da Luz, directed by Chloe Anderson, with actors:
  • Dorothy – Laquana Henny
  • Shasta – Bonnie Williams
  • Matthew – Danny Mullins
  • SYNOPSIS: A cubicle-worker named Dorothy discovers her muse later in her life. She spends hours secretly building strangely-wonderful sculptures in her basement – hiding her art from her “otherwise-normal” family. Will Dorothy be able to accept her art if her family doesn’t?
  
  
• Reunion, written by Lynn Hall, directed by Jorie Slodki, with actors:
  • Merrett – Elaine Quagliata
  • Paddy – Ron Lopez
  • Sallie – Rita Hewell
  • Tease – Freyja Helmer-Sindemark
  • Tori – Emily Chiola
  • Will – Will Harris
  • Mike – Joel McLaughlin
  • SYNOPSIS: Tease is producing a newly-discovered play written by her husband, a local theater patriarch who recently passed away. She reunites her husband’s favorite performers to portray the characters – most with mixed emotions about the man’s legacy. As someone who seemed to be stuck under her husband’s shadow, what story does Tease intend to tell?
  
  
• Seven Bridges Road, written by Marilynn Barner Anselmi, directed by Rebecca Jackson-Artis, with actors:
  • Linda – Terri Banks
  • Jenna – Sarah Richardson
  • Mom 1 – Germona Sharp
  • Mom 2 – Edith Berry
  • Mom 3 – Laquana Henny
  • Mom 4 – Karen Sims
  • Sheriff – Gerald Rubin
  • SYNOPSIS: Based on true events, Linda’s daughter is one of nine unsolved cases that span several years involving missing African-American women in Rocky Point, North Carolina. When a white woman, Jenna’s mother, is murdered, the killer was apprehended in less-than-a-day. With a local government that is not interested in protecting all of its citizens, can a happenstantial meeting between Jenna and Linda make any difference?
  
  
• The Shackles of Liberty, written by Wim Coleman, directed by Noelle Azarelo, with actors:
  • Thomas Jefferson – Laura J Parker
  • Sally Hemings – Jamila Curry
  • Maria Cosway – Liz Webb
  • Patsy Jefferson – Teal Lepley
  • SYNOPSIS: Sally Hemings is living with her master (and lover) Thomas Jefferson in revolutionary France. Overhearing Jefferson discussing the “rights of men” leads Sally to examine her own relationship with Jefferson and her place in his world. Jefferson is eager to return to America, but Sally knows she has no future back there. Does she have the power to demand a future from him?
  
  
• White Dress – Red Bandana, written by Susan Steadman, directed by Michael Parker, with actors:
  • Pamela – Sarah Richardson
  • Will – Jason Christ
  • SYNOPSIS: Pamela and Will have always known each other. Since their first play date, it seems the two are destined to grow together forever. After all, in a boy-meets-girl story, the boy and girl should never grow apart. But are growing together and growing apart mutually-exclusive paths?

Project Chrysalis is an initiative to develop a new full-length (at least 60 minutes long) play from staged reading to full production! From the submitted plays, a small group of finalists will be showcased in a night of staged readings. Our audiences will then vote for the play they want to see produced in a future CPF stage production!

The producers introduced the completed videos LIVE on Facebook at the CPF page on May 5 at 7:30pm! At 8pm there was a live Watch Party for all the videos, allowing viewers to comments interactively with each others. You can watch the Watch Party later, pausing as you go, and still read others’ comments and make your own.

Links to the videos are also available on this web page (see titles below). The videos are available from the CPF YouTube channel individually and as a playlist.

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The final staged readings of 6 more plays from the Bar Plays 5.0 script selection process! A FREE event (no donations), with a chance to provide feedback to the writers.

Unfortunately we won’t be performing at Fortnight this time 🙁

“Case in Point“, by Keith A. Kenel, directed and narrated by Keith Kenel, actors Stephanie Turner, Kurt Benrud, Stephanie C. Simon, Joe Campo

“Help Me Get Over You“, by Rollin Jewett, directed and narrated by Germôna Sharp, actors Thom Haynes, Freyja Helmer-Sindemark

“Stewart Saves Ted and Mary a Phone Call“, by John Paul Middlesworth, directed and narrated by Thom Haynes, actors Benji Jones, John Middlesworth, Gerald Rubin, Ellie Torre

“The Tag“, by Eric Weil, directed and narrated by Kurt Benrud, actors Sarianna Gregg, Dee Penven-Crew, Scott Renz, Ken Walsh

“The Wingmen“, by Scott Renz, directed and narrated by Sean Brosnahan, actors Stephanie Turner, Benji Jones, Keith Kenel, David Klionsky

“Umbilical“, by Amy Lloyd, directed and narrated by Alice Osborn, actors Joanna La Forgia, Dylan Bailey, Amy Murphy

If you want to read any of the plays beforehand, or read them DURING the readings, or after (for a few days), you once could’ve accessed them here (that permission has been rescinded).

And here’s the Facebook event for 5.3.

See Bar Plays 5.0 for info on the Nov 2019 show, Bar Plays 5.1 for info on the Jan 2020 show, and Bar Plays 5.2 for info on the Mar 2020 show.

Producers: Thom Haynes & Kurt Benrud