Season 2, Episode 5: Behind every summer is a community that keeps Fire Island alive. This episode explores the history of the beloved Pines Pantry through the eyes of its iconic Pantry Girls, alongside the volunteer firefighters of The Pines and Cherry Grove who protect the island from fires, hurricanes, beach erosion, and an uncertain future.
MAGGIE & THE WITCH to Make Debut at Open-Door Playhouse
Playwright James Anthony Merolla's drama stars Camille Ameen as Maggie and Anne Cooper as Ruthie in this audio drama production.
By: A.A. Cristi
Open-Door Playhouse continues to present short plays in podcast form. The Playhouse is presenting a new play, Maggie& the Witch,, starting October 28, 2026 online at http://opendoorplayhouse.org
Maggie & the Witch is a poignant one-act drama exploring the final days of Margaret Hamilton, the gentle former kindergarten teacher who portrayed cinema's most famous villain, as she confronts an attendant harboring deep childhood trauma.
Bernadette Armstrong directs a cast that includes Camille Ameen as Maggie and Anne Cooper as Ruthie.
James Anthony Merolla is the playwright. A journalist with a career spanning four decades, he is also a director. His most recent play is Jane Austen Ruptured My Spleen! Open-Door Playhouse produced his play Poetry on the Menu last November.
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. Open-Door Playhouse receives submissions from Canada, France, Greece, Australia, and the Czech Republic as well as the United States.
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