15th Annual Festival of Shorts at Wade James Theatre

Please join Edmonds Driftwood Players for our 15th Annual Festival of Shorts! Our annual playwrighting festival provides an opportunity for playwrights to have their new works brought to life on stage, as well as gain recognition and potential awards. The festival this year will be presented in five performances June 25-28, 2026, featuring eight short play finalists that include eight directors and eight casts. The theme for 2026 is “MILESTONES: markers in time of significant achievements or events” that include both comedic and dramatic stories.

The finalists were selected from 300 script submissions from around the world. Our volunteer readers and judges are local Seattle-area theatre lovers and playwrights. To keep the process as fair as possible, our readers were only given blind copies of script submissions for judging. After the closing performance, we will announce the winners for: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Judges’ Awards and Overall Audience Favorite.

Act 1/Show #1: Poll Tax for Sista Blu by Clarence Holmes, Jr (Katy, TX) and directed by Diane Jamieson

After a long day of waiting tables, Sista Blu walks across Pettus Bridge in torrential rain to get to the only precinct where “colored” people are allowed to vote. Because she’s a waitress who gets tips, she is able to pay the poll tax, but the poll worker still has means to keep her from voting–the literacy test. The question is, can Sista Blu answer the difficult questions in front of her, or does she have to go back over the bridge in the rain without having voted?

Features the acting talents of Travis Hickox and Cara Thomas.

Act 1/Show #2: Hello by Dana Leslie Goldstein (Brooklyn, NY) and directed by Vicki Wicks

Tina makes frequent visits to her parents at their adult living community, but it’s actually two different visits, since her parents haven’t lived together for years. Her visit today just happens to be their anniversary, not that they care about that anymore…

Features the acting talents of Amalia Best, Jennifer Nielsen, and Marty Wicks.

Act 1/Show #3: Goats of Olympus Mons by Evan Baughfman (Long Beach, CA) and directed by Kiera Stevens

Cassie visits her father, Walter, a widower and science fiction author, on Christmas Eve. Both are grieving the recent loss of their mother/wife. Walter is not in the mood to celebrate the holidays. Cassie, on the other hand, is more festive, just as her mother always was. During this visit, daughter and father bond through their shared grief, but also through an exchange of unexpected gifts. At story’s end, they are ready to navigate their new “unforgiving” world together.

Features the acting talents of Keith Remon and Jordan Soules.

Act 1/Show #4: True Ties by Sheila Strehle (Bothell, WA) and directed by Julie Benner

A fateful decision two decades ago sends a grieving young man to an unfamiliar town. He lands in a government office staffed by a kind public servant who delivers keys to the young man’s past. The facts unlock a mystery but don’t heal the man’s heart. Just when it looks like nothing will, love and connection show up in an unexpected way.

Features the acting talents of Karee Legend, Nora Legend, and Onyx Bryan.

Act 2/Show #5: First Time by Dana Schwartz (Los Angeles, CA) and directed by Michael Cimino

On the eve of her departure for college, Agnes and Russell just did it for the FIRST TIME! These two long-time friends talk about all the things, change and growth and fear and bonds, and they realize that growing up can suck a little, but their friendship is important and OMG they just did it for the FIRST TIME!

Features the acting talents of Jourdan Soules and Jack Miller.

Act 2/Show #6: Waiting On Mom, Who Already Left by John Busser (Avon, OH) and directed by Brandon Jepson

A brother and sister at the funeral home of their recently deceased mother have different ways of dealing with life and death and what comes next.

Features the acting talents of Nicole Lockett, Travis Hickox, and Robert Quick.

Act 2/Show #7: Two Nights at Casey’s by Jay D Cross (Shoreline, WA) and directed by Thomas A. Glass

A couple is experiencing two important nights in their relationship. A first date and a wedding anniversary decades later. Both nights unfold simultaneously at the same restaurant.

Features the acting talents of Jay Vilhauer, Jack Miller, Dawn Cornell, and Amalia Best.

Act 2/Show #8: Erstwhile by Jacquelyn Priskorn (Troy, MI) and directed by Kaitlyn Casimo

Daphne and Joy are packing up their father’s belongings, while their mother, Louise gets him settled into his new life in memory care. As they pack, they discover the notes their father left around the house to help him remember things and for some reason, the word “erstwhile” is on several of these notes. The sisters remember who their father was and how all that has changed for their family now.

Features the acting talents of Krista Marken, Nicole Lockett, and Michele Palmer.

WHEN: June 25-28, 2026 – Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm.

WHERE: Wade James Theatre, 950 Main Street, Edmonds.

TICKETS: $21 General Adult (19-59); $19 Youth/Senior/Military. Available online at www.edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org or by phone at 425-774-9600. Discounted tickets for groups of 10+ people are also available.

Content Information: This production contains some mild adult themes and is best suited for ages teen+.

Approximate Run Time: This production is anticipated to be approximately 2 hours including a 15-minute intermission.