Rogue Theater Festival to Return in July

Rogue Theater Festival is back this year to make a wave with brand new works and playwrights! After the success of their hybrid festival last year, Rogue is excited to dive in head first and give three times as many talented writers the opportunity to showcase their work! Rogue is not only offering a safe experience for artists to film their plays in a theatrical setting, but also offering them the option to film on zoom, in their homes, or on a rooftop if they wish. Rogue is bringing over forty brand new plays, musicals, dance pieces, and monologues to life this July via showtix4u.

Not only has Rogue decided to offer even more playwrights the chance to showcase their work this year, they've also added a Playwright in Residence program. This program has offered five Rogue participants a scholarship for the festival and the opportunity to have their writing workshopped with New York City and Los Angeles based theater and film writers.

"Rogue is so excited to jump back into the theater scene full force this year," said Allison Hohman, founder of Rogue Theater Festival. "We pivoted our festival in a way last year that allowed us to not only put up our festival in the midst of a pandemic, but also showed us that this new hybrid model allows more artists, and specifically artists outside of New York City, to participate in our festival."

Check out the list of accepted plays below and mark your calendars for Rogue Theater Festival, 2021 streaming July 19th-25th via ShowTix4U. And if you're not able to make the premiere, don't worry! We're thrilled to be offering each show on demand for a full week following the festival.

Monday, July 19

At the Dance

Neila Mezynski

7:00-7:30 PM

At The Dance is a series of vignettes representing the underbelly of we humans.. Usually off beat, quirky, slightly dark sometimes funny. The comedy of life that's us.

Baggage

Melissa Rose

7:30-8:00 PM

It's 3 am and she is ready to unpack everything. One woman tells the story of her experiences as a touring spoken word artist in the United States and Europe while exploring her need to escape through travel and self-destruction.

Rainbow Children, Angel Babies and Fruitless Fig Trees

Veronique LaShell MacRae

8:00-8:30 PM

Through a series of monologues, song and dance, "Rainbow Children, Angel Babies and Fruitless Fig Trees expresses the stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) for those who have experienced loss or inability to have children.

The Knight: the story of Krystov Sov, The Robber Knight

Pawel Grajnert

8:30-9:30 PM

'The Knight' by Paweł Grajnert is... a delightfully absurd and scathing look at the dynamics between the ruler and the ruled. Loosely based on an obscure episode in Czech history, this daring play will challenge audiences to confront their own place in a violent system.

Tuesday, July 20

Delta Princess

Mike Teverbaugh

7:00-8:30 PM

Shortly after the death of his father and the dissolution of his marriage, a man sails down the Mississippi River with his son, hoping to salvage at least that relationship from a life lived in full retreat. He stumbles upon a voice over the ship-to-shore radio, and she provides hope, pointing the way toward reconciling with the dead and perhaps finally embracing the living.

Focus: A Zoom Play

Daniel Prillaman

8:30-9:15 PM

Two eccentric Petras employees lead a focus group over Zoom to test out the company's new product. It does not go to plan.

Or does it? A comedy about the things we'll do for some extra cash.

Mother Dear

Fernando Vieira

9:15-9:45 PM

Solo theater performance that captures the struggles of a young queer Latinx man as he confronts homophobia and fear of AIDS during the late 1990s in New York City.

Wednesday, July 21

Rites of Warming

Ammon Taylor

7:00-8:00 PM

Rites of Warming is an original song cycle that explores our dystopian future in a world altered by climate change. It pulls musical inspiration from jazz standards and Stravinsky to portray climate change in a way that is beautiful, heartbreaking, and humanizing.

Obotray

Donald Ralph Lampton

8:00-8:15 PM

A sexbot makes a high-stakes wager with her owner that she can tell a joke that will make him laugh.

Last Call

Paul Koster

8:15-9:00 PM

Welcome to Purgatory, a dive bar in Zionsville, Indiana. A place where everyone knows your name, and your sins. A watering hole where you're welcome to discuss the meaning of life, or simply get sauced. Angels and Demons welcome. Remember to tip your bartender; you'll see her again at the End. Remember their motto: "If you want to get lost, visit Purgatory."

The Final Days of Jay and Birdie

Amelia Annen

9:00-10:00 PM

Jay and Birdie live their happy lives in their happy house, Jay goes out each day and brings back gifts for Birdie while Birdie stays home and keep the house in tip top shape. But when their neighborhood becomes enemy territory they have to but jokes aside and get out.

Thursday, July 22nd

A Few Thoughts About the Play

Jim Shankman

7:00-7:45 PM

The artistic director steps onto the stage to deliver his opening night speech, but something is seriously up with him. Has he been drinking? Is he having a really bad day? Slowly but sure he comes apart at the seams and his life spills out.

Sam and Charlie

Madelaine Adam

7:45-8:00 PM

A young-ish couple navigates their situationship.

The Dirty Pie Tin Flying Saucer Play

Hope Weiner

8:00-8:15 PM

Thanks to actual moles (ie hapless rodents) getting into the U.S. government's secret stash of information about UFOs, crack and pornography the International Society to Preserve Filth and Fun is pleased to present, live accounts and actual footage of Alien encounters and wisdom.

Aliens are here and they are ready to have a good time!

There are no water parks on Mars.

The Mechanicals

A.D. Greer

8:15-9:00 PM

A high school puts on a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and all hell breaks loose. THE MECHANICALS, written by AD Greer is a farce based on Shakespeare's classic comedy. This virtual play is performed by puppets and voiced by members of The Troupe Theatre.

The Tenant

Dana Hall

9:00-10:00 PM

A Virtual Comedy With A Twist. The Harlings have found their dream home but have they gotten in over their heads? The home comes with a renter, they have never met, which leaves this young couple suspicious about his identity. When they find blood on the stairs they install a security camera and you won't believe what they find out! Join us as we find out if they are in for more than they bargained for, in this delightful comedy with a twist.

Friday, July 23rd

The Cloth We're Cut From

Brandon R. Plitt

5:00-7:00 PM

Capriccio Radio

Larry Rinkel

7:00-8:00 PM

"Capriccio Radio" by Larry Rinkel addresses the survival of classical music in an age where it is becoming increasingly marginalized. In this play, a prestigious classical radio station becomes pressured to improve ratings and turn a profit, leading to a situation where the jobs of several staff members are threatened and friendships among them tested. Will the station survive the demands of a corporate director who has no use for this music and concludes the station is hopelessly mismanaged?

First Sight

Dena Igusti

8:00-8:20 PM

Sari, an aspiring singer, is well on her way to stardom, but for now sings by a karaoke machine at her best friend's parties. But one of her dangdut numbers and a chance encounter with Lisa, a snarky but dedicated journalist, will lead to a love that spans across two generations and countries. Based on a culmination of several true stories, First Sight navigates what it means to love when everything else gets in the way.

Two Ply

Rossi

8:20-8:40 PM

During the covid 19 shut down in New York City, there is a run on toilet paper that wipes out the grocery stores.

Two women from very different walks of life collide in the toilet paper aisle and have an emotional and physical tug of war over the very last pack of two-ply toilet paper. They discover they have more in common than they thought.

The Sugar Plant

Timothy Nolan

9:00-10:00 PM

Tami is married to Michael and wants to continue being an expressionist painter. She met Michael, a teacher, at her first big opening and fell in love. But to stay married she will have to reveal things she vowed never to reveal. She must choose between the husband she loves and the work that keeps her alive. Her choice will tell her things about her work and her love that she may not want to learn.

Parking Lot Drama

J.A. Weygant

10:00-10:30 PM

Parking Lot Drama is a show about an argument that takes place in a parking lot over a parking space. Set in Giants Stadium, it's a zany comedy that contains elements of Looney Tunes Classics. Witness the drama unfold in Parking Lot Drama.

Saturday, July 24th

Godless

Jarrett Morley

1:00-1:30 PM

'Godless' is a one act play that delves into the origins of the human psyche between Adam and Eve, discusses the controversy surrounding humankind's perception of a higher power, and how each of us defines faith.

Zoom Like No One is Watching

Serena Norr

1:30-2:00 PM

Awkward encounters ensue as an unlikely pair (DAVID and HILLY) go on a Zoom blind date during quarantine. During their short chat, they share revelations about kids, death, work, love, and lust, as they try to understand each other and themselves. Forging an unlikely bond through dance, they start to peel off their layers and perhaps start to feel a little less lonely until reality strikes.

Lost Sharks

Brody Rogers

2:00-3:30 PM

Lost Sharks is an unfortunate comedy about young love, God, and neuroscience.

A Bell Toll's

Monte Monteleagre

3:30-3:45 PM

As his dream rapidly approaches, a haunted Man reflects on the last year of his life. A life that culminates in the visit of three cruel beasts, all a part of some great creature. It is too late for him.

Rachel From High School

Monique Herbert

3:45-4:00 PM

This play tells the story of that girl from high school. . . you know that girl. The one who no one has heard from and everyone thought vanished into thin air. Well her name's Rachel and she's back, and runs into one of her old classmate's Nick. What follows is a conversation that exposes what happens when trauma from high school doesn't heal and you're forced to confront those demons you thought were buried.

Diasporic Dreams From A Boy Who Wished He Could

Ray Jordan Achan

4:00-4:20 PM

Reza is fed up with his mundane life and wonders what his purpose is in a precarious world. After learning more about his culture and history, and after visits from his distant ancestors, Reza realizes that he is not alone, rather he is a product of the intergenerational migration of people seeking a better life.

Black Metamorphosis

Joseph Krawczyk

4:20-5:00 PM

In Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis a young man wakes up one morning inexplicably transformed into an insect. In Black Metamorphosis a young, white man wakes up to discover he's become a black man. His parents try to prepare him for his new-found fate. They try to make him understand what he will have to face in a white world. Reluctantly, he leaves his home, a white man inside a black body.

The Interview

Jaylan Sheila Turkkan

5:00-6:00 PM

After a dangerous journey to a far-off colony, Mary - a free spirit - faces off with colony scientist Tomas in a high stakes entry interview. Will Mary pass Tomas tests and be allowed to enter? And will Tomas counter Mary's games of cat and mouse?

Oshundare and Ayaba

Aloba Taiwo

6:00-6:30 PM

"Oshundare and Ayaba" is a short play by Taiwo Aloba based on a folk myth about a powerful Yoruba king's ascension. After Jakuta's spiritual veneration, his surviving wives, Ayaba and Oshundare, meet in their underground kingdom to discuss their fate. It incorporates praise poetry and proverbs into the dialogue. There are also ceremonial drumming elements and religious rituals appropriate to the specific historical groups.

Boots

Phil Way

6:30-7:00 PM

In BOOTS, a new comedy, Lester is losing his mind due to recurring appearances of a strange man wearing flashy rain boots. The booted stranger appears everywhere Lester goes, but no one else sees him. Desperate to rid himself of these bizarre hallucinations, he turns to Dr. Jeffries for help. Can the odd psychiatrist cure him, or only make matters worse?

Ocean in a Teacup

Joel Krantz

7:00-9:30 PM

"Ocean in a Teacup" a musical drama based on a true story

On the Road Less Traveled, the First Step is the Hardest

A broken American gets a second chance at life in post war India.

Tricky Intervention

Rex McGregor

9:30-10:15 PM

A group of young climate change activists argue over tactics. But when their leader loses her motivation, they must work together to get her back on track.

Entr'Acte

Anthony Fusco

10:15-10:45 PM

A tete-a-tete between an aspiring actor and his acting coach crosses the line when secrets surface during the intermission of an opening night production.

Sunday, July 25th

The Return of the Christmas Stars

Jonathan Galvaez

1:00-2:15 PM

The Christmas Stars, a quintet of singers, once ruled the holiday airwaves. Five years after their disbandment, they are reunited for one last concert.... If they don't kill each other first.

Scruples

Morgana Kate Watson

2:15-2:30 PM

It's the 14th century. European churches have been selling indulgences for centuries. Claude, a strangely educated peasant, has decided that the selling of them is immoral. His solution? Harass his friend prostitute friend Tiffany into giving up (Or at least sharing) her corner outside of a church, and sell scruples instead.

Fallen Man

Wayne L. Firestone

2:30-2:45 PM

"Fallen Man," a new play by Wayne L. Firestone, is both a parable and a reflection on dystopian current events, where the audience becomes eye witness and jury following the January 6th US Capitol riots. As the Blind Girl hears appeals-from the accused Fallen Man and the privileged Politician on either side of the scale, it is the truth that provides a clear vision, literally and figuratively.

Take the Deal

Cathara Spencer

2:45-3:00 PM

"Take the Deal"gives a modern look at the aftermath of the Brother's Grimm story of Rapunzel. Veronica, a seemingly timid woman with a bleak past, is being sued by her "daughter" for neglect, abandonment, endangerment, and kidnapping. Michael, her no-nonsense defense attorney, tries to talk her into the best case-in-chief but they must compromise. The play covers a conversation between the two discussing the evidence being presented by the prosecution. Veronica tries to explain herself, but the evidence is not in her favor.

Smash the State

Steve Gold

3:00-5:00 PM

A drama, based on a 2012 event, about U.S. Army renegades in Georgia who plot to kill President Obama and overthrow the government, with the unwitting involvement of an innocent couple.

Ezra and Me

James Keane and Thea Throndson

5:00-6:00 PM

Following 8 years of Donald Trump's presidency, progressive backlash led to a populist movement focused on subverting Christianity's historical privileges. Thanks to a charismatic leader, a group calling themselves EZRA (Evangelical Zealotry and Reasonable Accountability) became the face of the resistance. Their loose knit membership quickly evolved into a highly organized and well-funded network of agents and volunteer spies, charged with highlighting Christian hypocrisy. EZRA soon launched a campaign designed to hold prominent Christians accountable to their professed faith in the Gospels. The crowning achievement in this anti-hypocrisy campaign was the launch on the dark web of a no-holds-barred game show called In Jeopardy.

Missus Dobbs, American

Kate Kacther

6:15-7:00 PM

Martha Dobbs arrives at the airport in Washington DC on January 7th to discover she has been placed on the no-fly list. FBI Agent Jane McCaffrey will help her understand why.

The Library

Angelica Cabral

7:00-7:15 PM

Art and Circuses

John DeBendetto

7:15-7:30 PM

"Art and Circuses" is a 10 minute comedy set in an art gallery. Two self-proclaimed art "experts" and podcasters tangle with the gallery's security guard and a performance artist about the state of contemporary art. But things are not exactly as they appear to be at first!

Tight (Haha Nice)

Rebecca Kane

7:30-9:00 PM

1/3 modern romcom. 1/3 what they didn't teach you in sex ed. 1/3 kegel jokes.

"Vaginismus is a condition where the muscles surrounding the entrance to the vagina involuntarily tighten, making penetration impossible or painfully uncomfortable."

To you, this might be a collection of words you're not used to saying out loud. To Vaginismus.com, it's a tagline. To some women, it's a very real obstacle to intimacy.

To this play's protagonist, it's just a challenge.

Brooke gets a diagnosis she doesn't like. She's determined to overcome it, using awkward conversations, dating apps, sex toys, friends with benefits, and an obscene amount of that free lube from Planned Parenthood. It may hurt her every step of the way, but hey! At least she's getting laid, right?

First Step: an Ode to Wham!

Hope Winsor

9:00-10:00 PM

What do reality stars, kitchen appliances, recovery, and an eighties pop duo have in common? Surprisingly, more than you'd think. First Step follows Chance as they attempt to make sense of the unthinkable. Chance must navigate the harsh reality of loss, love, and the art of letting go. However, not everything may appear as it seems as Chance discovers help in the least likely of places. On the road to recovery Chance learns that perhaps the hardest part is taking that first step.

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