Ten Years of Telling Stories and We're Just Getting Started
The Rocket City Playwrights' Series turns 10 in 2026, and we're throwing a two-night celebration that no theatre lover in North Alabama should miss.
Picture this: it's opening night, the lights go down, and a local writer — your neighbor, your coworker, someone you've probably passed in the Publix checkout line — hears their words spoken out loud for the very first time in front of a live audience.
That moment?
That's what the Rocket City Playwrights' Series has been delivering every single year since 2017.
And this year, we're doing it bigger than ever.
Welcome to the 10th Annual Rocket City Playwrights' Series, and trust us, we've been looking forward to this one.
10 Years of Original Stories from North Alabama
For a decade, Theatre Huntsville and Evil Cheez Productions have teamed up to champion original short plays written right here in North Alabama.
What started as a small showcase has grown into one of the most anticipated events on Huntsville's arts calendar, a room full of people holding their breath, laughing, tearing up, and voting for their favorite play at the end of the night.
It's community theatre at its most electric.
What's New in 2026
Here's where the 10th anniversary really shines: for the first time ever, each night of the Rocket City Playwrights' Series will feature a different set of writers.
Friday night's Tournament of Champions brings back past winners performing NEW plays in our typical readers’ theatre format.
If you've been a fan of RCPS for years, this one's for you. If you're new to it, consider this your crash course in why people keep coming back.
Saturday brings six fresh, never-before-heard plays from this year's finalists, performed live in the readers' theatre format we love: actors on stage with scripts in hand, no costumes, no elaborate sets — just the pure power of a well-told story.
The audience votes. The writers win cash prizes. Everyone goes home buzzing.
"At some point every famous playwright was an unknown, struggling to get that first play read, produced, and published. Someone had to take a chance on the unknown — and that's what the Rocket City Playwrights' Series is all about."
This year’s series introduces one more new element: themes.
Every new submission this year must engage with the theme of Bridges and Barriers. Connection and obstruction. What brings us together, what keeps us apart.
Our Tournament of Champions will be writing on the theme of a parallel universe.
These are themes with about a million directions, and we can't wait to see where North Alabama's writers take them.
Writers We Want You
Are you a North Alabama writer with a story to tell?
The 2026 RCPS submission window is open now, and we want to hear from you.
You've got until May 31, 2026 to submit your original 10-minute play. Six finalists will be selected by a panel of judges, performed live, and voted on by the audience on August 15th.
Submission Quick Facts
Open to North Alabama writers, age 14 and up
Original 10-minute plays only
Theme: Bridges and Barriers
2–4 characters per play
One submission per playwright (prior year's winner is ineligible)
The full submission checklist is on our RCPS page. Read it, follow it, and send us something great.
Ten years ago, someone took a chance on a new idea: give local playwrights a stage.
The community showed up, voted, and kept showing up year after year. That's not a small thing. That's a Huntsville thing.
Here's to ten more.
Join the Celebration
Tickets for both nights go on sale closer to the event.
In the meantime, playwrights — your deadline is May 31st. Don't let your story sit in a drawer. Let us bring it to life on stage.