THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE and OTHER 10-MINUTE PLAYS to be Presented at Savage Wonder

Savage Wonder will continue its unpredictable and intimate programming with The Actor's Nightmare and Other 10-Minute Plays—featuring Christopher Durang's classic one-act The Actor's Nightmare alongside six ten-minute comedies written by a powerful mix of award-winning veteran and immediate family member playwrights.

Performances take place every Saturday in August at 7:00 PM in The Parlor—a 25-seat, living room-style performance space tucked in the back of the Savage Wonderground Art Gallery at 141 Main Street in Beacon, NY. Directed by Savage Wonder Artistic Director Christopher Paul Meyer, the production stars Savage Wonder regulars Anna Anderson, Kia Nicole Boyer, and Dylan Crow, with Cian Genaro (Netflix's Zero Day), Leanne Hutchison (Roundabout Theater), Sophie Kelly Hedrick (HBO Max's Pretty Little Liars), Bedlam Theatre regular Mike Labaddia, and Broadway veteran Pilar Witherspoon.

Featured plays include: Monkey Do by Art Walsh—a former Marine turned theater director and playwright whose works have been staged in Scranton, PA. He brings decades of theatrical experience and a sharp comic voice shaped by a life on and off the stage.

The Big Dark by Terry Glaser—daughter of a veteran, Terry is a stage director, playwright, and former university professor whose plays and adaptations have been produced nationwide. Her playwriting explores myth, absurdity, and the contradictions of human behavior. Hand Clubbed Baby Seal by Ron Capps—founder of the Veterans Writing Project and a veteran of multiple U.S. conflicts, Capps writes with a brutal honesty rooted in his experience. His theatrical work reflects his deep commitment to service and storytelling.

Sole by Robin Ellen Brooks—sibling of a Navy veteran, Robin is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and essayist whose work spans stage, screen, and print. A member of the Dramatists Guild, her writing has been recognized by the Kennedy Center and the Henley Rose Playwright Competition, among others. Her plays and short works explore themes of memory, ecology, and human vulnerability, and have appeared in festivals, literary journals, and micro-memoir collections. She lives and writes in Seattle.

Hamlet in Hiding by Rich Rubin—a former Army physician, Rubin's plays have been performed across five continents and recognized with national awards, including the Julie Harris Playwright Award and Portland Civic Theatre Guild New Play Award. Don't Play With

Your Food by Arianna Rose—an award-winning playwright and musical theatre writer, Rose's work has been produced in 37 states and 10 countries. A veteran dramaturg and lyricist, she dedicates this piece to her father, a Coast Guard Public Health veteran.

The Actor's Nightmare by Christopher Durang—one of America's most acclaimed comic playwrights, known for his absurdist wit and unflinching takes on family, religion, and cultural dysfunction, Durang was a Tony Award winner (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) and Pulitzer finalist (Miss Witherspoon). His work includes Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, and the iconic The Actor's Nightmare. Durang was the son of two WWII veterans—his father served in the Army and his mother in the Navy—an upbringing that informed his deep skepticism of authority and institutions. A graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Drama, he co-led Juilliard's Playwrights Program for over three decades and leaves behind a legacy of biting humor and theatrical provocation.

Expect a whirlwind of miscast roles, forgotten lines, and theatrical near-collisions. Savage Wonder's staged readings are known for their chaos-with-a-wink style—previous performances have included pantless actors and conjoined costumes. This is intimate comedy at its most kinetic.

Before curtain, guests are invited to gather at The Grape Rebellion—Savage Wonder's wine and dessert bar—for curated cocktails, wine, and sweet bites from the show-themed menu. Then, settle in for an evening where the absurd feels surprisingly familiar.