short plays

Call for Scripts: Seeking short plays set in bars for readings

Get ready for another Happy Hour!

Ghostlight Ensemble is gearing up for its third installment of the immensely popular Happy Hour series. We are seeking short scripts (under 30 minutes) for a staged reading series at My Buddy’s.

The only requirement is that the scripts are set at a bar. (Please do not send in scripts set in living rooms, high schools, an office, etc. They will not be considered and will show that you didn’t bother to read the requirements. However, non-traditional bars WILL be considered — looking at you Candy Bar from Happy Hour 1 submissions.)

This is open to playwrights in any geographic area, though writers in the greater Chicago area will receive priority. There is no payment for selection, but there is also no fee to submit.

Selected plays will be presented in a series of staged readings during late August/early September (exact date TBD). Pieces can be previously produced, and playwrights may submit more than one play.

Electronic submissions only, please. Please submit a brief synopsis of script in the body of your email, along with contact information, and attach a copy of the full script to Maria Burnham at scripts@ghostlightensemble.com. Please use the following format in the email’s subject line: Happy Hour Script Submission: [play name] - [playwright name]

The deadline for submissions is July 31, but we will be begin selecting scripts as they come in, as this is not a competition. Depending on length, we expect to choose six to eight scripts.

See what's on tap for Happy Hour in March

Join us for a theatre happy hour where short plays by local and national playwrights are what’s on tap! On Tuesday, March 18, Ghostlight presents a staged reading of eight plays with one thing in common — they’re all set in bars.

Happy Hour: A Staged Reading of Short Plays Set in Bars will take place, naturally, in a bar. My Buddy’s is opening up on a Tuesday just for us. The show starts at 7 p.m.

The eight stories include tales of new loves, old loves, connections new and old, grief, joy and craft beer.

Selected scripts include:

  • The Last Pub in Burtonsville, NY by DC Cathro. Late Christmas Eve at a shut-down bar, two people come to say goodbye to the business in very different ways. An unconventional Christmas tale. Directed by Alexis Vaselopulos.

  • PS I Love You, Gerard Butler by Scott Carter Cooper. A funny story of grief and the impact Hollywood has on the process. Directed by Zoe Sjogerman.

  • Mind the Gap by Rishi Chowdhary. A group of people find commonalities as they mind the generational gap at a bar one evening.  Directed by Maria Burnham.

  • Swiping Right by Bruce Karp. Two friends, a gay man and a straight woman, feeling old and invisible, lament their frustrated love lives in a gay bar...on Wet Underwear Night. Directed by Justin Broom.

  • The Grape Nerds Reunion by Alli Hartley-Kong. Mike and Alyssa are connected by a past he can’t remember. When they meet at a high school reunion, Alyssa confides in Mike her mental health history — and he realizes the impact an encounter from a decade ago could have. Directed by Khnemu Menu-Ra.

  • LOL by Annie Hogan. Gus and Eleanor have a budding online relationship and have decided to take the leap to an in-person meeting.  Gus, afraid of disappointing Eleanor, brings Aiden, a digital communication liaison, to their date.  The couple explores what it means to connect in person versus online. Directed by Sean Harklerode.

  • Jury Selection by Karissa Murrell Myers. Jesse is in Florida, defending one of the most hated men in America. When his ex, Raina, surprises him with a job offer in Chicago, will he take it? Based on the real-life events surrounding the trial of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz. Directed by Kaeli Meno.

  • Beer Culture by James Nelson. Two craft beer connoisseurs have their evening ruined by a guy with terrible taste. Directed by John Gleason Teske.