BAL ANNUAL SLAM 2025!
“Uncivilized Civics”
Congratulations to our SLAM Winners!
1st Place: “SPINIT, TWISTIT and LIE”
Written by Cary Pepper
Directed by Peter Burford with Keith Herron and Jay Chacon
2nd Place: “The Ward”
Written by William Ivor Fowkes
Directed by Valerie Adami-Juhlin with Mark Peters, Rachel Vasquez, Brian Richardson and Aaron McMillan
3rd Place “Owl Calls an Emergency Meeting”
Written by Toby Inoue
Directed by Valerie Adami-Juhlin
Saturday September 27th at 2PM
Polaris North Studio 245 West 29th St. 4th Fl.
Directed by Valerie Adami Juhlin and Peter Burford
Be Part of the Action – VOTE for your Favorite Play (Playwright receives a cash prize)
Admission FREE | Open seating | $10 Donations Suggested
The Plays:
Don’t Jump the Gun – James C. Ferguson
SYNOPSIS: How hard could it have been to put together the Bill of Rights, really?
BIO: James’ plays have been produced throughout the United States and internationally. James is on a variety of social media platforms (as James C. Ferguson and @scalepluspoints) where he spends most – if not all – of his time deleting ads. James’ plays can be found on The New Play Exchange (NPX) (www.newplayexchange.org), where you can leave comments, if you are so inclined.
SPINIT, TWISTIT, and LIE – Cary Pepper
SYNOPSIS: Will Spinit is a senior partner in Spinit, Twistit, and Lie, Washington media consultants supreme. Congressman Rightman isn’t sure he can stay in Congress because he has a problem — he’s suffering a crisis of conscience. But Spinit knows he can help Rightman get rid of that… thing.
Because it’s business as usual in Washington and at Spinit, Twistit, and Lie.
BIO: Cary Pepper has had work presented throughout the United States and internationally. Most recently, From the Hoot won the Playwrights First Award. Cary is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and a four-time contributor to Applause Books’ Best American Short Plays series.
The Ward – William Ivor Fowkes
SYNOPSIS: Shortly before the presidential election of 2016, two stroke victims wake up and learn the latest news about the campaign.
BIO: William Ivor Fowkes is a member of the Dramatists Guild. His plays have been presented (on stage, on Zoom, etc.) in 30 states, Canada, the UK, and Europe. Many of his plays and short stories have been published. A graduate of Yale University (B.A.) and Northwestern University (M.A., PhD). www.williamivorfowkes.com
Chicken Little – David L. Williams
SYNOPSIS: As the sky has begun to quite literally fall over their country, a Prime Minister and his assistant have some important choices to make.
BIO: David L. Williams has written more than thirty plays and musicals, including “The Starving” and “The Censor,” and his work has been produced across the U.S. and internationally. He lives in Bellefonte, PA with his wonderful family, and works in the English Department at Penn State. www.playwrightdavid.com
Owl Calls an Emergency Meeting – Toby Inoue
SYNOPSIS: When Owl calls an unprecedented meeting of birds to address the catastrophic effects of climate change, a solution is proposed, but it is outrageous. Or is it?
BIO: Toby Inoue is a playwright from Evanston, Illinois. Her short plays have been performed across the country, and her full length play KEEP IT LIGHT was part of Redtwist Theatre’s 2024 Twisted PlayFest in Chicago. She is a member of the Writers Pool at PlayGround-Chicago and the Playwrights Circle @ Speranza Theatre Co in NJ. IG: @toby.inoue; https://wabi-sa.com
In The Beginning… – Michael Chepiga
SYNOPSIS: In the Beginning takes us to one of the earliest meetings ever held, where two men (of course men) debate whether or not they should start something they will call “government.” Unfortunately, they decide to give it a shot.
BIO: Michael Chepiga has had full length and 10 minute plays produced at theaters around the country, including one (briefly) on Broadway. O’Neill playwright (twice), Edgerton Foundation Grant, L. Arnold Weissberger Award, among others. Public Charge, co-written with Julissa Reynoso, will premier at The Public Theater next March.
Now… About That Vote – Lindsey Brown
SYNOPSIS: It’s 1919 and we are present at a National Women’s League Committee meeting. The women are preparing a petition to take to Washington which demands the vote for women. But based on ‘rational’ arguments, which women will be eligible? Any of them? If we follow society rules, possibly none!
BIO: Lindsey Brown’s an award winning NZ playwright whose plays have been performed on five different continents. Locations include London, New York, Hollywood, Dubai, Sydney, India and Auckland. She often favours comedy in her writing, believing that when we laugh, we’re most open to learn. It’s also more fun to write!
Agnes’s Little War – Rosemary Frisino Toohey
SYNOPSIS: Do citizens have the right to judge political candidates on personal morals? An idealistic voter is threatened when she demands the return of her campaign contribution after learning of a candidate’s philandering.
BIO: Produced on 4 continents, Rosemary FrisinoToohey has had more than 440 productions of her plays around the world. A proud member of the Dramatists Guild who also holds long-standing membership in SAG/AFTRA as a veteran newscaster, she’s delighted that her work is part of Break A Leg’s 2025 SLAM. More at https://www.frisinotoohey.com.