– For this year’s fourth iteration of the Don McCann Playwriting Showcase, The Oswego Players is producing the four standout one act plays from last year’s Don McCann One Act Memorial Playwriting Contest. The 2024 Playwriting Contest was open to all residents of New York state, this resulted in the highest number of submissions in the history of the contest. These four prize winning one acts were chosen from a wide variety of ninety plays. The second play being performed at the 2025 Showcase is “Maybe Tomorrow” by Brian Leahy Doyle.
In “Maybe Tomorrow”, when Michael invites Ellen to his family get-together on the Fourth of July, two lonely, single, middle-aged college literature professors discover not only the true value of friendship but also the deep attraction they feel for one another. Fireworks fly in more ways than one when Michael tells Ellen that he’s in love with her, and she realizes that her feelings for him go beyond friendship.
Brian Leahy Doyle, the author of “Maybe Tomorrow” received an MFA in Theatre from the University of Utah. Notable playwriting credits: And We Danced (KNOW Theatre); Telepathy, Starry Starry Night, Dining for One, Want to Hold Your Hand, Still Life, and Franny Ornstein, Secret Agent Sous Chef (Secret Theatre); Maybe Tomorrow (KNOW Theatre, Chain Theatre, Aery Theatre); and one-act version of Dead End Kids (KNOW Theatre, Chain Theatre). As a lyricist/librettist, I have collaborated with Michael Dilthey on the song “Each and Every Day in December,” featured in New Sounds for the Season and sung by Broadway soprano Lauren Zakrin; Greetings from Fitzwalkerstan, produced at the Broom Street Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin; My Way of Life, a musical adaptation of Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession, workshopped at Ripley-Grier Studios in New York; and The Weeping Woman, an opera about the relationship between Dora Maar and Picasso, which premiered at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. Brian recently directed a staged reading of And We Danced for the Irvington Incubator.
Tammy Thompson, who plays Ellen in “Maybe Tomorrow” feels that is play offers her a unique opportunity as actress. Tammy believes “This part is a departure from the character’s folks are used to seeing me play. I generally play hilarious over the top characters. This play is a tender, touching story and it’s fun to explore this new character with my acting partner, Scott Bandla and our director, Norman Berlin III.” “Maybe Tomorrow” also a departure for the director, Norman Berlin. Berlin normally directs children’s productions and is excited for a new challenge. “I am so excited to direct a new short play. I have never directed anything with adult content before. This is a wonderfully tender play with two interesting characters brought to life by two of my favorite actors”, Berlin said.
Scott Bandla who plays Michael in “Maybe Tomorrow” had this to say about the play and rehearsal process; “It’s rare for two middle-aged characters, each finding their way through second chapters, to be the subjects of a romantic two-hander, which makes this one feel especially lovely. I don’t get to play “less is more” characters often (I wonder why that is?), so it’s been nice to explore a character who’s not a bombastic caricature, who has a real inner life that he’s been reluctant to share. Doing that kind of soul-searching to develop a character might have been intimidating, but playing opposite my recurring stage wife, Tammy Thompson, brings a level of comfort and trust that’s essential in telling these people’s story authentically. It’s sweet, and it’s touching, but most of all, it’s real.”
All four prize winning One-Act plays of 2024 Don McCann Playwriting contest will all be presented this year’s Showcase. The Showcase includes “Like Clockwork” by Andrada Angileri, directed by Angella Bandla, “Maybe Tomorrow” by Brian Leahy Doyle, directed by Norman Berlin III, “Birthright” by Lydia Merritt, directed by Stephanie Johnson and the winner of 2024 “A Matter of Measurements” by Michael Brumm, also directed by Stephanie Johnson.
Tickets are “Pay-What-You-Wish” with the proceeds going towards the Don McCann Memorial Playwriting Contest Fund. Curtain times on Friday, March 7th and Saturday, March 8th are at 7:30 p.m. with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday, March 9th.
Tickets for the 4th Annual Don McCann Playwriting Showcase are available for purchase along with the rest of the Oswego Players 87th season at https://onthestage.tickets/oswego-players-inc/season. Please be aware that all four one act plays feature adult content, so these productions are for an adult audience only. Tickets can also be purchased by clicking the ticket button on oswegoplayers.org or by calling the theatre’s box office at (315) 343-5138.
The Annual Showcase and Playwriting Contest honors the memory of Donald J. McCann, who was a writer, director, former President and longtime historian for the Oswego Players. The annual one act playwriting contest was established in his name and provides New York State playwrights with the opportunity to get their work read and judged. The Donald J. McCann Memorial Playwriting Contest is funded by generous donations received from across the community. All proceeds from this year’s production will benefit the fund’s mission of supporting new theatrical works and their creators.
This project is made possible through the CNY Arts Grants for Regional Arts and Cultural Engagement regrant program thanks to a New York State Senate Initiative supported by the NYS Legislature, the Office of the Governor and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Scott Bandla as Michael and Tammy Thompson as Ellen are engage in deep and interesting conversation. Performance dates are Friday, March 7th and Saturday March 8th at 7:30 p.m. and a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday, March 9th. Please be aware that all four one act plays feature adult content, so these productions are for an adult audience only. Tickets can be purchased at oswegoplayers.org or by calling the theatre’s box office at (315) 343-5138.
343-5138.