In March 2025, The Oswego Players will officially open their 87th season at the Frances Marion Brown Theater with this year’s iteration of the Don McCann Playwriting Showcase. Started in 2022 as a one-evening event, the Playwriting Showcase has transformed into a much-anticipated, annual full weekend run. The Don McCann Playwriting Showcase has become a wonderful new tradition for “The Little Theatre on the Water.” The four prize winning one acts were chosen from ninety plays submitted for last year’s contest.
All four prize winning One-Act plays of 2024 Don McCann Playwriting contest will all be presented this year’s Showcase. The first play to be presented at 2025 Showcase is the heartbreaking love story, “Like Clockwork” by Andrada Angileri, directed by Angella Bandla. The second short play at bat is the romantic comedy “Maybe Tomorrow” by Brian Leahy Doyle, directed by Norman Berlin III. The third show on the docket is Birthright” by Lydia Merritt, directed by Stephanie Johnson. The final production the night and the winner of 2024 Don McCann One Act Playwriting Contest is the hilarious “A Matter of Measurements” by Michael Brumm, also directed by Stephanie Johnson. Angella Bandla and Stephanie Johnson are new directors for the Players this season. Please be aware that these one act plays are for an adult audience only since they feature adult content and themes.
The cast of the 2025 Don McCann Playwriting Showcase includes numerous talented local actors. The cast of “Like Clockwork” includes Kevin Colvin as Alan Reinhart and Jennifer Hitchcock as Molly Kramer. The two-person cast of “Maybe Tomorrow” includes Tammy Thompson as Ellen and Scott Bandla as Michael. The cast of “Birthright” includes Jennifer Waugh as the Mother and Will Bandla as the Child. “A Matter of Measurements” hilarious cast include Scott Bandla as Ernest Hemingway, Matthew Fleming as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tammy Thompson as Zelda Fitzgerald and Norman Berlin as the Louvre Guard.
Tickets are “Pay-What-You-Wish” with the proceeds going towards the Don McCann Memorial Playwriting Contest Fund. Curtain times are 7:30PM on Friday, March 7th and Saturday March 8th, with a 2:00 PM matinee on Sunday, March 9th. Tickets and more information may be found at 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.