Announcing the Winners of the Savage Wonder Playwriting Competitions – and a Happy New Year!
by Christopher Paul Meyer
As we bid farewell to 2024 and welcome 2025, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate new beginnings than by honoring the brilliant playwrights who shared their talent and vision with us this past year. Our annual Playwriting Competitions generate the content that is the bedrock of our programming. This year, we received over 200 submissions in both 10-minute and full-length categories. Without further ado, we’re thrilled to announce our Winners, Runners-Up, and Finalists!
Full-Length Play Competition Winners
Winner: Life is Small by Douglas Gearhart
Douglas Gearhart, a playwright and U.S. Army veteran, is known for works like GWOT and The Fat Sergeant. Life is Small takes us into a small Floridian town where in a story that is jarring, intimate and unpredictable. With deeply authentic dialogue and a captivating narrative, Gearhart offers a heartfelt exploration of familial bonds and personal renewal.
Runner-Up: The Moth by Ian Aric
Veteran Ian Aric, a filmmaker and playwright, brings his poetic and visual storytelling skills to The Moth. This haunting exploration of urban loneliness and human connection leaves audiences contemplating the fragility of relationships.
Third Place: Hellbent in a Northwoods Cabin by Kim E. Ruyle
Kim E. Ruyle’s gripping drama, set in a remote Wisconsin cabin, examines survival under extreme conditions. Ruyle, an award-winning playwright and U.S. Army veteran, brings a unique perspective to his work, blending tension and moral complexity in this thought-provoking play.
10-Minute Play Competition Winners
Winner: Sole by Robin Ellen Brooks
Veteran sibling Robin Ellen Brooks is a Seattle-based playwright, screenwriter, and environmental advocate. Her play Sole tells a tender story of two strangers connecting on a roadside, highlighting the beauty of unexpected human interaction with humor and heart.
Runner-Up: Johnny & Rosie by Quincy Long
Veteran Quincy Long, a playwright and librettist with works staged by Playwrights Horizons and Atlantic Theatre Company, charms audiences with Johnny & Rosie. Set in 1930s New York, this delightful tale of love and misunderstandings delivers sharp wit and emotional depth.
Third Place: Rise Up Early by Jenna Zark
The child of a veteran, Jenna Zark is an award-winning playwright and author, weaves a dual timeline in Rise Up Early. Contrasting WWII soldiers’ experience with a modern peace ceremony, the play reflects on memory, legacy, and the universal quest for peace.
A New Year’s Message
As we celebrate the achievements of these talented playwrights, we also reflect on the past year with gratitude for our community of artists, audiences, and supporters. 2024 has been a year of incredible creativity and collaboration, but just wait until we open in Beacon, NY in 2025.
Here’s to a New Year filled with inspiration, connection, and the power of storytelling. From all of us at Veterans Repertory Theater, we wish you a joyful and meaningful New Year.
For more updates, visit VetRep.org.
Happy New Year!