B.J. BURTON

It’s the first weekend of summer, and Elsie and her friends are gathering at their cabin in the woods for some relief from the world. Elsie works to repair the old place, but the others are too distracted by their own problems. The women-only weekend is interrupted when two men tumble out of the woods, who may or may not be friendly. As conflicts erupt between the hold of the past and the need to let go, Elsie discovers the fate of the lodge as she rediscovers the power of friendship and maybe a little bit of magic.

PUBLISHED: Samuel French

WINNER: Pennsylvania Playwriting Award

PRODUCTIONS: Theatre Widener, Widener University

READINGS/WORKSHOPS: Hedgerow Theatre, Rosemont College, Pittsburgh New Works Festival at City Theatre.

FELLOWSHIP: Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

The smell of the fall leaves has triggered it. The adult children and parents fight, the parents clash with each other, and the only grandchild, caught in the mix, reacts with hurt, fear, and anger. A multigenerational family struggles to deal with the aftermath of a tragic accident a year after the event. If the truth stays hidden, how will they ever heal?

READING: Hedgerow Theatre

FELLOWSHIP: Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

Local newspapers all over the country are shrinking if not vanishing completely. Anita, a passionate reporter at a small town newspaper, fights to find the truth of a breaking story, while confronting office chaos, dangerous corporate politics, and her own economic crisis.

FINALIST, TOP 10: New York Screenplay Contest, Stage Play Category

READING: The Dramatists Guild’s Philly Footlights Reading Series, Playground at The Adrienne

Paula feels ready for a life overhaul. She’s tired of working in this café in the middle of nowhere. As she gets ready for a visitor, she knows she has to be careful, remembering how easily passions can ignite. Bree’s job at the magazine is on the line. She’s been screwing things up lately. Now she’s meeting a stranger for a crucial interview, and he hasn’t shown up. The lives of four people converge and transform when they’re stuck in the Pine Barrens in the midst of Hurricane Danielle.

Strange things are happening in Marjorie’s apartment. Her most treasured possessions, among other things, are disappearing. Her daughter, her best friend, and her therapist think she’s losing her mind. But Marjorie believes what her instincts tell her. As she takes action to solve the mystery, will she stop the perpetrator before the unthinkable happens?

Two strangers meet on a park bench outside a pizza place. Murray is waiting for a pizza. Marianne is waiting for courage to confront her former boyfriend in the restaurant. Two hearts search for hope as they navigate the rough waters of broken relationships.

PRODUCTIONS: Players Club of Swarthmore, Colonial Playhouse, Lebanon Theatre, The Brick Playhouse, Pittsburgh New Works Festival at City Theatre.

READINGS/WORKSHOPS: EstroGenius Festival at Manhattan Theatre Source, Rosemont College.

PHOTO: Kevin Cassel and Stacy Cassel at Players Club of Swarthmore, directed by Mark Cofta.