SMALL JOKES ABOUT MONSTERS Receives 2022 SETC/Stage Rights Ready To Publish Award

After reviewing nearly two hundred submissions, Stage Rights and the Southeastern Theatre Conference is pleased to announce Steven Strafford's devasting new dark comedy Small Jokes About Monsters the recipient of the 2022 SETC/Stage Rights Ready to Publish Award.

Ryan says there are three different kinds of funny people: Godzillas, Mothras, and Gameras. He and his two brothers rent a beach house after their estranged father's funeral to open the envelope their father left them. When their mother shows up, truths are revealed and tempers flare. Small Jokes About Monsters is a comedic family drama about how we choose to deal with trauma and how we use humor to cover it up.

Steven Strafford is a Brooklyn-born playwright and actor. He is the author and performer of the award-winning Methtacular! He has performed that solo show across the country at LORT theaters, universities, and LGBTQ spaces. Methtacular! was filmed at Steppenwolf Theatre's 1700 Space in 2019. His play Small Jokes About Monsters won the 2016 New American Voices Competition and was a semi-finalist for The O'Neill New Play Conference and received productions in Chicago, Houston (nominated - Houston Theatre Award - Outstanding New Play) and Sioux City, Iowa. His play Greater Illinois was a finalist for Jackie Demaline Play Award as well as a semi-finalist at The O'Neill. Greater Illinois is currently in development with several theaters. His short plays, Use Your Noodles and The Breakup Play have each had multiple university productions. Methtacular! will be included in a forthcoming anthology of solo plays from Opus Books. His essay, "College Dreams" was published in the book, The Anatomy of Silence. His acting credits include stages across the country and the world, film, tv, and commercials.