2014 Contest Finalists

The Spider in the Room, Wendy Ludgewait – Durango, CO

Maddie is a modern, independent woman who doesn’t have time for men. Sam is a beleaguered Rent-a-Dude who isn’t much of a fan of women. When Maddie rents Sam to rid her house of a renegade spider, it’s on for the continuing war of the sexes.

Wendy Ludgewait is a “born-again” Durangatang with a penchant for scribbling things on napkins, receipts, and the back of her hand when inspiration strikes. By day, she works as an instructional designer for her own company. By night, she is a director/actor/chief cook and bottle washer for Durango’s community theater company, Durango Lively Arts. This is the first time she’s attempted writing a 10-minute play.

TIED for winner for People’s Choice Award:

Bodega, Adam Seidel – Chicago, IL

Bodega centers on an argument between a (Hispanic) father and son over the placement of a new shelf in the family’s Chicago neighborhood, which stirs up deeper issues that neither men anticipate. Bodega is a play about the innate desire for progress and the inevitable gap that grows between generations. 

Adam Seidel is a Milwaukee native who has lived in Chicago the past six years. His plays, long and short, have been read and performed across the country. He is proud to be a company member of Collaboraction Theatre Company in Chicago. 

The Black Bride of Texas, Stephanie Dodd – Boulder, CO

An 80-year-old recent widow escapes her loneliness and patronizing family members by visiting with characters from her collection of Western romance novels. A humorous look at aging, grieving and discovering independence.  

Originally from Nebraska, Stephanie Dodd is a writer, aerialist, actor and musician recently relocated from NYC to Boulder, CO. Over the last two years, her play Hollow received readings in Maine, NYC, and Switzerland. Devil in the Hole, her new aerial country rock musical co-written with Justin Badger was a finalist for the 2012 Resident Artist Program at Mabou Mines. She is a teaching artist, and co-writer of two cabarets, Welcome Home, Hamlet! and Congratulations, Macbeth! 

Other Finalists:

Health Care, Philip Hall – Longboat Key, FL

Set in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, what appears to be about a married couple squabbling is really about nurturing. As couples get older they often find that all the passion and ardor of a relationship cannot surpass the importance of nurturing one in need.

Philip Hall began his theatrical career as an actor right out of school, touring the country in a number of shows. His works (including musicals and plays) have been produced around the country from Washington’s Kennedy Center to California Theatre Center, where his faithful adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was launched worldwide. His published works include the comedies Inside the Department of the Exterior and Customer Service.  He lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife Leslie A. Hall.

Once in a Blue Moon, L.E. Grabowski-Cotton – Memphis, TN

After his girlfriend leaves him, a man walks into a travel agency hoping to find the destination of her plane ticket. He enters a whole new world upon meeting the travel agent, and instead of finding the whereabouts of his girlfriend, he learns some deeper life lessons about change and letting go. 

L.E. Grabowski-Cotton is an award-winning writer and a professional writing coach. She holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting and Screenwriting from Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts, an M.A. in English Literature and a B.A. in Communication from George Mason University. Her written work includes novels, screenplays, poetry, stories, and plays. To learn more about L.E., visit her websites: LEGrabowskiCotton.Com and LauraWritingCoach.Com.