The Louise Wigglesworth Excellence in Playwriting is an annual award that is open to all new work. This year, two finalists were selected in addition to the winner.

The Winner: The Odyssey of Tyrell James by LaDarrion Williams.

Tyrell James is one of those hard-headed kids who ain't got no business doing what he's doing. Into the gang life on the harsh streets of Memphis, Tennessee, he's on the verge of losing himself. For him, this is the only way to survive. Before he screws up his life even further and continues down the wrong path, he is mysteriously snatched back to an 1800s antebellum plantation, and he is forced into learning the hardships of slavery, past mistakes, and valuable life lessons that will set him back on the right path that he was destined for all along."

Finalist: The Kindness of Strangers by Dan Borengasser. Synopsis:Darin Fisher,  claiming to be an MFA grad student, arrives to produce and direct a Shakespearean play, The Tempest, at Swann Health and Rehab, an independent living facility for elderly actors.  Actually, he’s an undercover cop, sent to Swann to investigate a series of suspicious deaths.  What he discovers is both unsettling and career-ending.

Finalist: Mixed Messages by Evan Edwards. A multi-racial mother’s helicopter parenting has wreaked havoc for her children in their adult lives: her religious oldest son is in a sham of a marriage, her gay middle son is keeping his racist fiancé on the D.L., and her fun-loving youngest, well...bless his heart. The manipulating matriarch summons all three of her boys home to the family estate. There, with the help of the faithful family butler, a wanton wife, and a not invited-invited guest, mama schemes to covertly fix everything before brunch.

The submissions are blind and judged by a panel of readers chosen specifically for this event.

New Weekend Pass option! 

For tickets to a specific evening, please choose the Assigned Seating option to select your seats. There is a discounted weekend pass to see all three evenings for $35, and choosing that option allows you to pick your seats for each of the three performances.