DEAD MAN'S HAT to Make Debut at Open-Door Playhouse

Open-Door Playhouse continues to present short plays in podcast form. The Playhouse is presenting a new play, Dead Man's Hat, starting October 14, 2026.

Dead Man's Hat is a play about change: life to death, romance to divorce, poor to rich and back again. When a man's deluxe hat has been abandoned in a roadside bar, it may be a premonition of death.

Mimi Kmet directs a cast that includes Larry Toffler as Diggs, Ayla Rose Barreau as Carla, Danny Salay as Louie, and Gary Lamb as Oscar..

Vernon Hamilton is the playwright. His other plays include Mr. Brixton's Hat, Tyrone's Cap, and One Man's Burden. He is the creator of bookladder.com, the first website specializing in African-American children's books.

Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What's Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category. Bernadette Armstrong won the Best Director Award for (Un)Drinkable at the 2026 30 Minutes or Less Festival.

Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

There's no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opendoorplayhouse.org

Open-Door Playhouse: Selected as one of the Top 50 Audio Drama Podcasts by FeedSpot, and as one of the Top 25 Audio Drama Podcasts by MillionPodcasts.