Join us on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at the Marshalltown Orpheum Theatre, Main St, Marshalltown, for a reading of our 2025 Playwright Competition winners.
"Two Old Farts: Two Plays in One Act" by Alexander Richardson
"Two Old Farts: Two Plays in One Act"-A community theatre stages a production of Anton Chekhov's "The Bear"-but unfortunately, two old farts seated in the audience talk to each other throughout the entire performance. These two end up disturbing the actors on the stage as well as other members of the audience, as they unintentionally perform their own little play from their seats.
One of the judges who selected this play as a winner said...the play was cleverly constructed and plotted. The judge was "engaged from first line to last...I wish I could say that I have never encountered any situations like this when I've been on stage but...I had a smile on my face from start to finish. Nicely done!"
Alexander Richardson has been doing theatre during his adult life and has worked with folks he considers “amazing artists!” in almost one hundred and fifty productions. He acts, writes and directs. “Two Old Farts” is one of 32 (and counting) plays he has written and this reading will mean that 23 of those plays have been presented to a live audience. Other shows of note include “To Leer at Lear” (premiered at the Barely There Theatre in Moline, Illinois) and “An All-American Riot”, as well as “Their Town”, “Enemy of the People” and “Alone”. In 2018, Richardson’s play “Alone” was named the winner of the QuadCity Theatre Workshop’s Susan Glaspell Festival. Richarson runs “a hybrid theatre company” where audio plays are released for free. Subscribe to those audio plays at Barely There Theatre, and he credits and thanks his wife Sydney “for her perpetual support and tireless peer reviewing”.
"The Death of Station Axis" by Quinn Young
"The Death of Station Axis" In the distant future, society has collapsed, leaving only clusters of survivors in underground bunkers and wandering raiders on the surface. In one last attempt to save humanity, a ship launches, carrying a chosen few to a new planet to start over again, breaking families and hearts for those left behind--yet on the new world, these voyagers encounter even more insurmountable challenges.
One of the judges who selected this play as a winner said... "As I began reading this play, I was interrupted, and I found myself a little perturbed by that interruption. This is a sign of a good hook early in a play. I continued to feel that way the rest of my read. I found the ending very moving and haunting. I liked this play very much."
Quinn Raven Young is a student at Iowa State University. In addition to this year’s winning entry of “The Death of Station Axis”, Quinn was a winner of the 2024 MCT playwriting competition for “The Gravedigger”. She is the recipient of ISU’s Pearl Hogrefe Senior Scholarship for Creative Writing. Quinn also writes poetry, and is on Instagram at “@quinn_raven_young”.
"Impromptu: The Almost Demise of Carter and Taffy Mitchell" by Justin Nostrala
"Impromptu: The Almost Demise of Carter and Taffy Mitchell" A bored couple, new to the town they now live in, decide to write a play by recording themselves having a make-believe conversation with a marriage counselor. What starts out to be a light-hearted parlor game quickly turns into a fiery marital dispute as the couple loses track of the difference between fact and fiction.
One of the judges who selected this play as a winner said... "I have never given a perfect score before, but this was Good! Humor! Angst! Resolution! Likeable characters, simple focus, unique dialogue patterns!"
Justin Nostrala is a full time graphic design instructor at Simpson College. Although he has mostly been a visual artist, creating drawings and paintings, he has also practiced writing throughout most of his life. From a young age, Nostrala has written short stories and poems. His recent venture into playwriting reflects his lifelong passion for theatre. Nostrala’s other plays include “Blue Ridge Marathon”, “Mother Mary”, and “Nutcracker and Mouseking: A Comedy in One Act”. His play “The Emerald Earring” was produced at Tallgrass Theatre Company in West Des Moines, April 18-May 24, 2025
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