2026 Rocket City Playwrights' Series Winners Announced
The votes are counted, the ten-minute curtains have closed, and Theatre Huntsville is thrilled to announce the winners of the 10th anniversary Rocket City Playwrights' Series (RCPS).
Over two nights, August 14 and 15, six original short plays by North Alabama writers took the stage at Shenanigans Comedy Theatre in readers'-theatre style: no sets, no costumes, no props, just scripts, actors, and a live audience deciding who came out on top.
After ballots from both nights were tallied, three scripts rose above the rest to claim cash prizes and bragging rights for RCPS's biggest year yet.
Congratulations to our 2026 winners:
1st Place: Troll Bridge by John Gulledge
2nd Place: Winifred Does Not Want to Save the World by Victoria Rich
3rd Place: End Stage by Stacy Neuberger-von Hoffman
1st Place: Troll Bridge by John Gulledge
Grimgor the troll has been guarding his bridge for centuries, but in Gulledge's sharp, funny script, he's about to discover marketing, crowdfunding, and monetization, and start treating folklore like a personal brand.
Troll Bridge takes an old fairy tale and drags it, laughing, into hustle culture.
John Gulledge is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of North Alabama, where he specializes in early English drama and Shakespeare.
His first book, Wonder Work: Feeling Disability on the Early Modern Stage, is forthcoming from Kent State University Press in late 2027. He holds a Ph.D. from Emory University and an M.A. from Auburn.
2nd Place: Winifred Does Not Want to Save the World by Victoria Rich
An alien superhero named Captain Do-All has crash-landed on Earth in search of a magic stone that can save his home planet; the only problem is that the stone belongs to Winifred, an exhausted social worker with absolutely no interest in his mission.
Rich's comedy pits cosmic heroics against everyday burnout, and asks which one is actually getting anything done.
Victoria Rich is a Huntsville native and the author of Lukas & Thea's Magical Cuffing Season (available on Amazon under the pen name Tori Rich), with a new book, Baked Priest, on the way in late 2026 or early 2027.
3rd Place: End Stage by Stacy Neuberger-von Hoffman
Nina keeps vigil at Charlie's bedside as he nears the end of his life, and together they revisit the memories, the trauma, the recovery, the love that made up a shared life. It's a quieter, more vulnerable entry than its title might suggest, and it clearly connected with audiences both nights.
Stacy Neuberger-von Hoffman is a lifelong horror enthusiast who wrote her master's thesis on the decline of horror in popular culture and is the author of the Do Zombies Win? series.
She teaches English at a local community college, volunteers with Cattyshack, Inc., an animal rescue, and lives with five and a half cats.
Congratulations to All Six 2026 Finalists
Troll Bridge, Winifred Does Not Want to Save the World, and End Stage took home the top three spots, but they shared the stage with three other outstanding new works: In the Middle of the Lake by Juan Bedolla, The First Lesson by Bethany Bruno, and Over/Under by Joe Conway.
All six scripts were chosen from a pool of submissions by North Alabama writers, then brought to life by local actors and directors in just a few short weeks of rehearsal.
That's no small feat, and it's exactly the kind of new-play development RCPS exists to champion.
Special thanks to our co-organizers at Evil Cheez Productions, and to every audience member who came out, watched six brand-new plays, and cast a vote.
Ten years in, the Rocket City Playwrights' Series keeps proving that some of the best new theatre in the region is being written right here at home.
What's Next for the Rocket City Playwrights' Series?
Didn't make it out this year?
Keep an eye on our events page and social channels for news on future readings, submission windows, and encore performances.
You won't want to miss what North Alabama's playwrights come up with next.
