MANCHESTER PLAYWRIGHT FESTIVAL
Friday, June 27
Encore | Saturday, June 28
7:00 PM — 9:00 PM
Cabaret Seating: $28 per person
General Section:
Center Section Aisle Seats: $26
Center Section: $22
Left or Right Sections Aisle Seats: $12
Left or Right Sections: $8
$2 Discount for Seniors, Students, or Military
Additional Discounts for Groups of 10 or More!
The Manchester Playwright Festival returns!
Featuring eight (brand new!) short plays, staged and performed live for the very first time. Two unforgettable evenings 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.
Help us support the next evolution of theater!
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Five Out Of Six
Playwright: Shane William KeglerThe ghost of a recently murdered man berates his killer while trying to remain calm in the afterlife.
Father, I’m not a Sinner
Playwright: Alyssa BorelliWhen 15-year-old Laurie sings a solo at her church’s Sunday mass, she is visited by her Devil and Angel. As they start to argue over Laurie’s past sins, Laurie is forced to rethink her relationship with her religion.
Lazarus
Playwright: J Mason BeiterEternal life. The idea that only exists in fiction but for now, believe in the impossible. What if our world was a blend of science and myth? Witness the trial of Dr Joyce Felix, her endeavors for a cure for death, and her own undoing.
E is for "Eh"
Playwright: Ken SchroederA modern-day time travel piece full of fantasy, whimsy, and Canadian slang
On Slashing
Playwright: David MacharelliA comedy riffing on the tropes of slasher films.
Nothing Happens in the End
Playwright: Scott Stephen KeglerA comedy: Two friends are reunited after one has died.
Psychic of the Night
Playwright: Alexavier DariusA young married couple faces judgment and disconnect due to the wife’s uncommon and secretive job. A short play about love, perseverance, and support
It’s Hook or Me This Time
Playwright: Nicholas GallucciFrom Mendips to Neverland follows a rough outline of the Beatles' history, with the exception that I present John as blurring the line between creativity and madness, characterized by an idée fixe or specific delusion that he is Peter Pan. I relied on my
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Alyssa Borelli
Alyssa is an aspiring playwright and writer from New Hartford, CT. Her previous works include Loving Leda, a one act performed at the Slemons Productions Short Play Festival in Portland, Maine (2024), and Cold-Blooded, an original Gothic play performed at the conference, Supernatural Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Art, Media, and Culture (2024). Before graduating Marist University in 2024, and Coloring, a full-length play performed as a staged reading at the CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck (2025). During her time at Marist University, Alyssa’s one acts were featured in the John P. Anderson Playwrights’ Festival including: Haunted by Her (2021 winner), The Fall of Madeline (2022 winner), Queen Within (2023), and Father, I’m Not a Sinner (2024 winner).
J Mason Beiter
John "Mason" Beiter is a local playwright and making his writing/directorial LTM debut. You may have seen his works like Pet Peeves (Hole in the Wall Theater), The Mythology Project IV (The Windsor Art Center), and A Funny Affair (The Windham Theatre Guild). He's honored to show off what this wonderful cast has put together! His next piece, The Odd I See, will be featured at LTM's Evenings at 7 in October so be on the look out for that! Thank you!
Ken Schroeder
International man of mystery, star of stage, and all around fun-loving guy.
David Macharelli
A visual artist and media producer from Waterbury, CT, David is simultaneously many things and nothing at all. He auditioned once to confront his fear of public speaking. That one-time experiment has resulted in dozens of characters over the last dozen years.
Scott Stephen Kegler
Scott Stephen Kegler, is a true triple threat artist. As an actor, writer and director, he has created a body of work that is diverse in style, respected by his peers and quite quirky.
Alexavier Darius
Alexavier Darius is a 22-year-old aspiring playwright, currently studying English and Urban Community Studies. Alexavier is a member of the University of Connecticut's Drama club, UCONN Page to Stage Productions. He has written several scripts and has got one performed in front of an audience for the club's short play festival. A queer man of color, Alexavier hopes to bring diverse actors on stage and characters to life.
Nicholas Gallucci
I have been a licensed psychologist and professor at Western Connecticut State University for most of my adulthood. The music and performing arts in this play have been with me since childhood. I hope to do justice to all of these experiences in "It Hook or Me This Time." It is a scene from my libretto - "From Mendips to Neverland."
