MANCHESTER PLAYWRIGHT FESTIVAL
Friday, July 17, 2026
7:00 PM
Tickets Starting at $8*
*Prices may change. Grab yours early for the best price!
Discounts for Seniors, Students, Military, Groups
The Manchester Playwright Festival returns!
Featuring eleven (brand new!) short plays, staged and performed live for the very first time. One unforgettable evening showcasing local playwrights and artists live on stage at Cheney Hall. Shining a spotlight on new voices, fresh perspectives, and quality stories, homegrown in CT.
The Manchester Playwright Festival is LTM's celebration of new work, built entirely around local Connecticut voices. Every play in the lineup is brand new, submitted directly by the playwright and staged live for the very first time. The result is a night of theater you can't see anywhere else, built from the ground up by writers, directors, and actors from right here in CT.
This year's festival features 11 short plays in a single evening, running roughly two hours with one intermission. Expect a wide range of tone and style from play to play, each running about 10 to 15 minutes. It's a fast-paced, genre-hopping night: if one play isn't your speed, the next one is only minutes away.
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CAN'T STAND THE HEAT
by J Mason BeiterThe season finale of TV's hottest cooking competition. Sudden-death elimination. Four contestants. Who survives the kitchen?
J Mason Beiter is a local playwright and photographer whose credits include Pet Peeves, The Odd I See (LTM Evenings@7), and The Mythology Project IV. His play Lazarus appeared in last year's Playwright Festival.
A BOX OF TEDDY
by Alexavier DariusFive friends. One box of ashes. A black comedy-drama about grief, secrets, and what we owe the people we've lost.
Alexavier Darius is a 23-year-old playwright. He wrote and directed The Tinman of Tomorrow and the Human Heart with his UConn drama club, and wrote and directed Psychic of the Night for LTM's 2025 Playwright Festival.
MODERN FICTION
by Kate GillAfter hours in the library, the characters step off the page. Jo March goes looking for Sam Spade, and a genre-bending adventure follows.
Kate Gill's plays have been produced Off-Off Broadway and across CT, NJ, RI, NC, and VA. Her newest work, Americaring, premieres at NYC's Midtown International Festival this June and at New Haven's Bregamos Theater in July. She's a member of the Dramatists Guild and founder of the Playwrights Circle on the Shoreline.
PAC-MAN: A COLONIZER STORY
by Claudia IsabelEver wonder what the ghosts are really thinking between rounds? This comedy answers the question, and not in the way you'd expect.
Claudia Isabel is a Connecticut-based playwright with a BA in Theatre and Creative Writing from Seton Hall University. Her plays have premiered across CT at LTM, Hole in the Wall, and Windham Theatre Guild. When she's not writing, she teaches theatre and voice lessons and explores every library in the state.
SURPRISE
by Scott Stephen KeglerA birthday party. A surprise. And absolutely nothing goes according to plan.
Scott Stephen Kegler is a comedian, event entertainer, and published playwright whose work has been produced across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York City. Known for absurd, high-energy comedy with emotional payoff, he has also led a commedia dell'arte troupe for over 15 years, performing classic masked characters.
GIRL DINNER
by Shane William KeglerDEVIL IN THE DETAILS
by David MacharelliPurgatory has a hiring process. A satirical office comedy where the afterlife runs on interviews, test subjects, and paperwork.
David is an actor and scenic artist based in Waterbury. He's appeared on LTM's stage in Pride & Prejudice and Lifespan of a Fact, and designed sets for Plaza Suite and Once on This Island. His one-act "On Slashing" was featured in the 2025 LTM Playwright Festival.
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE
by Jordan A. MillerShakespeare gets a late-night visit from Christopher Marlowe, who arrives with an audacious offer: fake his own death. A witty, high-stakes take on ambition and identity in Elizabethan England.
Jordan A. Miller is an actor and playwright from northeast Connecticut whose work blends humor with emotional depth. A background in public speaking and psychology shapes his storytelling, which often explores connection and resilience through a mix of drama and comedy.
LOOKING BACK
by Ava MolnarA modern myth for two: what if Orpheus and Eurydice's story hadn't ended in tragedy?
Ava R. Molnar is an artist and educator who leads the Integrated Arts and Management pathway at Arts at the Capitol Theatre Magnet High School. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Clark University and an MFA from Goddard College, and currently serves as Vice President of the Windham Theatre Guild.
SPORTS BALL
by Ken SchroederBig game. Bigger clichés. This send-up of every 1980s sports movie you've ever seen turns the genre's most beloved tropes inside out.
Ken fancies himself a proper gentleman, and will happily smack the churlishness from anyone who says otherwise.
LOVE AND OTHER NEGOTIATIONS
by William WiltsieMarriage counseling gets complicated when love turns into a negotiation table. A sharp, three-hander comedy-drama.
William is currently performing in the courtroom drama The Jury Experience at Hartford's Webster Theatre, alongside credits in multiple short films and plays. Love and Other Negotiations marks his move into writing original work.
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Enjoy a unique theater experience with Table Seating!
Located at the front of the theater, our Table Seating offers a comfortable and social setting. Choose from intimate four-person tables or larger gatherings at 6- or 8-person tables (limited availability). Bring your favorite food to enjoy before and during the performance, but please leave your beverages at home. For table seating, we'll provide a complimentary soda or water.
