Marisa Smith Wins VP 2024 Playwright Award!

The Board of Directors of the Valley Players Community Theater in Waitsfield, VT is pleased to announce the following award given to the 2024 Playwright Award winner.

This award was established in 1982, with the intent of promoting theater arts and encouraging and supporting the creation of original plays by residents of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. A cash prize is awarded to the winning playwright, and the winning play also may be produced by the Valley Players. This year, the winning play is Outrage by Marisa Smith Kraus of West Lebanon, NH.  The play takes place at a small midwestern college where a young African-American professor is up for tenure.  His Chairman invites him and his wife for dinner, where the conversation takes on the issues of a bruised and battered America with profound results.

Marisa’s previous full-length plays include The Naked Librarian, Venus Rising, Sex and other Disturbances, Saving Kitty, and Mad Love.

Her 10-minute plays have been produced in the Boston Marathon of 10-Minute Plays, Barrington Stage in NY and in other theaters around the country.  They include The Dress Rehearsal, Getting Into Vassar, The Pre-Nup, Polar Bear Swim, Day One, Welcome to the Beekman Arms, No Love, Please, Cubs Win! and Total Expression.

Film Credits include Second Wind and Surprise Engagement.

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI Set Ground Plan is Released!

Take a look at the ground plan for Cape May Stage's upcoming production of THE GIFT OF THE MAGI, a modern adaptation of the O. Henry story by Marisa Smith. This version of the classic holiday tale is set in NYC's Washington Heights, offering a fresh, modern perspective. The ground plan shows a bird’s-eye view of the stage setup, including where the walls, doors, windows, and furniture will be placed to bring this dynamic setting to life. With the front of the stage at the bottom of the image and the back at the top, this innovative set design is sure to enhance the storytelling.

The Gift of the Magi runs from November 20 through December 29. Be sure to join us this holiday season for this heartwarming production.

Tickets are on sale now! Call 609-770-8311 or visit https://capemaystage.org/gift-of-the-magi/ to reserve your seats today.

OCTOBER 2024: COMING UP

THE FERBER TRILOGY, a series of one-act plays based on the short stories of Edna Ferber by Marisa Smith, Julie Weinberg and Julie Gilbert is receiving an invitation-only reading directed by Lynnette Barkley at The Lambs Club in NYC on October 10th. The collection will star Maureen Silliman, Kelly Gibson, Richard Kent Green and Brian Sheppard. Marisa's featured one-act titled 'That's Marriage' originally produced by New Jersey Repertory Company can be purchased on Amazon as part of Five by Ferber.