Rocket City Playwrights’ Series
10th Anniversary:
Six Original Plays.
Two Nights.
One Winner Crowned Live.
Six brand-new 10-minute plays by North Alabama playwrights.
Two nights of world-premiere readings.
An audience-voted winner and cash prizes on Saturday, August 15.
August 14–15, 2026 | Shenanigans Comedy Theatre | Huntsville, AL | Tickets $12
What is the Rocket City Playwrights’ Series?
For ten years, the Rocket City Playwrights’ Series has turned Huntsville into a launchpad for brand-new theatre.
Presented by Theatre Huntsville and Evil Cheez Productions, this annual festival gives North Alabama playwrights something rare: the chance to hear their original 10-minute play performed live, in front of a real audience, by a cast and director assembled just for that script.
Each year, writers submit original short plays and a panel of judges selects six finalists.
Those six scripts are cast with local actors, paired with directors, and rehearsed, then brought to life on stage for the very first time. After every performance, the audience becomes the judge, voting for their favorites. Their votes decide who wins.
This year is the 10th anniversary, and it’s the biggest one yet: two nights of premieres, a special encore from past winners, and cash prizes for the top three plays.
How the Rocket City Playwrights’ Series Works
From submission to final vote, here’s what happens.
Casting & Rehearsal (now through August 14)
Each of the six finalist plays is matched with local actors and a director, who spend the weeks before the event bringing the script to life for the first time.
Opening Night: Friday, August 14.
The plays are performed readers’-theatre style: no sets, no costumes, no props.
Just the cast, dressed in black, standing at music stands on a bare stage with scripts in hand. All the focus stays on the writing and the performances.
The Audience Votes
After the night’s plays are performed, the audience votes for their favorites and scores are tallied on the spot.
An Encore from the Champions
While the votes are being counted, actors perform short plays written by past Rocket City Playwrights’ Series winners — a celebration of ten years of the series’ best new voices.
Round Two: Saturday, August 15
The format repeats: performances, an audience vote, and another past-winner encore during tallying.
The Winner Is Crowned
On Saturday night, the audience scores from both nights are added together.
The overall winner is announced live, and cash prizes are awarded to the top three plays.
2026 Finalists
In the Middle of the Lake by Juan Bedolla
The First Lesson by Bethany Bruno
Over/Under by Joe Conway
Troll Bridge by John Gulledge
End Stage by Stacy Neuberger-von Hoffman
Winifred Does Not Want to Save the World by Victoria Rich
What Is Readers’ Theatre?
The Rocket City Playwrights’ Series is performed in readers’ theatre style: actors bring each script to life with the pages in hand, dressed simply in black on a bare stage, with no costumes, props, or set.
It’s theatre stripped down to its essentials: the words, the performances, and the story, which makes it an ideal way to premiere brand-new plays.
Our Mission
Every great playwright started somewhere, with one script, one performance, and one audience willing to listen.
The Rocket City Playwrights Series exists to amplify new voices and give local writers a chance to shine on stage.
Theatre Huntsville and Evil Cheez Productions are proud to support original work by North Alabama theatre artists,
encouraging bold creativity and fostering a thriving local arts community.
Presented By
Theatre Huntsville
A nonprofit, volunteer-driven community theatre producing a wide range of plays and performances at the Von Braun Center Playhouse in Huntsville, Alabama.
Evil Cheez Productions
Founded by Wayne Miller, Evil Cheez Productions creates top-notch original works for the stage, page, and screen.