Once more unto the breach: The Mighty San Miguel Playwrights Winter Showcase 2017

My stepmother was a high school English teacher; and it’s probably the single biggest reason why I became a writer.  Not because she necessarily encouraged me to do so, to this day I still have serious problems with grammar and spelling, it was that from time-to-time she found what I wrote to be extremely interesting.

So, though mechanics are important, good writing needs a soul.  Mark Twain said, “I don’t give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way,” and when Shakespeare boxed himself into a writer’s dilemma he simply made words up, over 1700 in fact.  Ordinarily, writing is a chore but inspired writing is a gift; and starting on Friday January 13 at 7pm through Sunday January 15, 2017, the mighty San Miguel Playwrights offer their gifts in the form of nine original plays on the stage of the San Miguel Playhouse.

Limbo Land  by Chris Kapilla 

Since moving to San Miguel Chris has deeply enjoyed exploring improvisation (with The Improv People), studying Shakespeare, learning to be an actor, and now playwriting.  Limbo Land is his first effort to be staged.

8^th Floor by Lauren Osornio

Lauren has long acted and directed in community theaters in Florida and Massachusetts.  Always wanting to try something new, she has recently given her hand to writing plays.

California Girls by Bill Gallacher

Bill has acted in local productions of Pinter’s “Betrayal” and had the lead role in Shakespeare’s “Richard III”.  His playwriting CV also includes adapting (and directing) David Mamet’s “Glen Garry Glen Ross” for an all-female cast.

My Bench by Lia Gladstone

Lia, a prolific playwright, has penned more than 20 pieces.  Prior to this effort, her most recent theater outing was a staged reading in November 2016 of Mrs. Cheney Goes to Pretoria at the Mendocino Theater Company in Mendocino, California. 

The Doll by Tasha Paley

Spending her time between San Miguel and Brooklyn, New York, Tasha has passionately pursued her theatrical participation as an actor, writer, storyteller, improviser, and teacher of Playback Theater.  A painter and a poet, she has also worked as a creative arts therapist and has authored and illustrated children’s books.

Remember Me by Kathy Simandl

Kathy is a published fiction writer and award-winning photographer.  Now, focusing her artistic talents on playwriting, she’s produced her first effort for stage.

Dead Weight by David Temple

David has been a member of the Playwrights Unit at HB Studios in New York since 1999.  His play from last year's San Miguel Playwrights Winter Showcase, Trade Secrets, has been chosen for a full production in the 2017 Diez Minutos Festival in March.

Customer Service by Dennis Lanson

Dennis has spent most of his working life combining personal documentary filmmaking with teaching film at the college level.  He has directed and produced one Indie feature, Pitstop.  Additionally, he’s worked commercially in the film industry as a documentary editor and producer/writer of film trailers.

Doggone by Marilyn Bullivant

Perhaps better known for the satirical skits she writes for the Literary Cabaret, Marilyn has also had two full length plays produced in San Miguel and in Canada.