I’m home! Oh it feels so good. I actually caught an early flight home on Sunday and surprised my kids which was priceless. They hugged me for a good ten minutes straight. The festival was really fun, and being around so many theater artists was completely inspiring.

Thursday and Friday I enjoyed hearing six one act plays being read (three per day), which included: Jenny Erikson by James Campbell, Em by Olivia Leslie, Gravity Rides Everything by Christopher Quilici, Happy and Birthday by Sondra Williams, Science Night by Stephanie Neuerberg, and The Royal and the Zippo by Jaime Lynn Nathan. I was intrigued, as I so often am, about the overlaps in theme in form and how the plays spoke to one another. Also the actors were really generous, and you could tell that they cared a lot about their performance.

Friday morning I took two more workshops, one on Dramaturgy, and one on Play Structure. Let me just say that I love, love, love nerding out about play structure. Friday night there was a practical and insightful key-note from Anne Washburn, who has a play up at ACT right now (Mr. Burns) and that I’m seeing this Thursday.

After the key note there was a mask party, but I skipped that for sleep.

Saturday (very early in the morning) was the ten minute play readings! The full line-up included: Mom’s Ham by me, Microchip by Elah Seidel, Seagulls Will Eat You by Will Homel, Pont Des Arts by Quinn Scicluna, Astronaut by Mike Meadors, and Trapped by Megan Fevurly. And they were also really great! And the respondents, Anne Washburn, Em Lewis, and David Moberg, again had really great feedback for everyone involved.

And look! I got some pictures! PS, if you’re on facebook, click through for the pictures (though they are ones that I’ve posted on my page so you don’t have to click).

My killer cast and director! Including: Erin Harris, Ryan Miller, SHauntal Pyper, Wenona Truong, Robert Newcomer, Austin Fuentes, Asya Toney, Cameron Gray, and Ben Gonzales.

Awesome fellow playwright Megan Fevurly, and me waiting for a show! There’s a creepy guy in the back photo bombing us too.

Stephanie Kay Neuerburg and Elah Seidel, two great playwrights I met up North with me, waiting for the awards ceremony to begin.

And then later on Saturday afternoon two outside performances were brought in and they were FABULOUS! Loon from the WONDERHEADS, which if you’re given the chance to see you should see it, and Where Did We Sit On The Bus by Brian Quijada which was also brilliant. Both one-person shows and both riveting in completely different ways.

We then got to watch the top actors competing for the Irene Ryan Scholarship, which was really fun, and made me glad that I didn’t ever have to compete with those students for roles ever. Because I never would have acted otherwise.

And then the award ceremony started And my name was read as a winner! And my little Christmas play, Mom’s Ham, became a National Semi-Finalist for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Conference in April taking place AT the Kennedy Center. I’ll find out in a month or so who got in, so be sure to check back!

Other plays moving on: Happy and Birthday by Sondra Williams, and Science Night by Stephanie Neuerburg for the one-act plays, and the other ten-minute moving on was Pont Des Arts by Quinn Scicluna.

Stay tuned for the results!