The 8th Annual One Act Festival is coming up soon!
Performances are March 6th – 8th, 2026 at the Kent Theater in Cedar Springs.
Auditions will be held December 2nd & 3rd from 6:30pm – 8:00pm at the Cedar Springs Library. Rehearsals will begin after the New Year and are scheduled for one night per week (dates TBD). No experience is necessary — just bring your curiosity and love of the stage.
Can you crack the case and steal the show? Sign up to audition here.
Our 8th year’s lineup will include:
- MAKING THE CUT by Howard Zuckerman
- STELLA FLOWERS, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR by Linda S. Gunther
- RUBIES DON’T BLEED by Matt and Ariel Aliza Sanders
- THE RECKONING ROOM by Brent Alles
- A MURDERED MYSTERY by Karl Garner
- WHERE THERE’S A WILL by Scott Phillips and Bob Trosok
What we’ll be looking for in cast members:
MAKING THE CUT
A messenger shows up at a screenwriter’s door delivering a personal message. It’s unexpected, but he couldn’t be more excited. However, things turn out to be not quite what they seem…
MAN, screenwriting competition representative, any age
WOMAN, screenwriter, any age
STELLA FLOWERS PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
In this fast-paced comedy, Stella Flowers is a fiery red-headed private investigator. Her receptionist, Wednesday Cooper, is a somewhat ditzy young woman. Together, Stella and Wednesday make quite the team. When frantic Nick Beckett shows up pleading for Stella’s help in finding out who murdered his high-status executive wife, the heat turns up. The ending provides a twist audiences will find entertaining and a little unnerving at the same time.
STELLA FLOWERS: 40s-50’s (female) – private investigator; flaming long red hair, tough demeanor but cares about people; often sarcastic and abrupt, short fuse; believes in justice
WEDNESDAY COOPER: early-mid 20’s (female) – Stella’s receptionist; somewhat ditzy, good heart, tends to be lazy, dresses all in black, total gothic, long straight black hair, black nail polish
NICK BECKETT: (male) mid 40’s; white collar professional, nervous, jittery, honest and scared
POLICEMAN #1: 30’s – 40’s (male) – tough guy; has demeanor of part policeman and part gangster; is really a gangster pretending to be NYPD
POLICEMAN #2: 30’s – early 50’s (male) tough but follows the lead of Policeman #1, also really a gangster/thug pretending to be NYPD
POLICE OFFICER #3: 40’s-50’s – is a bona fide NYPD policeman and very professional at his job
RUBIES DON’T BLEED
A client comes to a run-down detective’s office about a stolen ruby necklace, but the surprising truth is revealed. 1940s Los Angeles
ANGIE STEEL, female in her 30s, private detective
LOLA, female in her 20s, client
CARGO, male in his 40s, operative
THE RECKONING ROOM
A dimly lit waiting room. One single door. The digital clock on the wall flashes “10:00” repeatedly. NADINE, LIAM, MARGOT, DANTE, and JONAS are all seated, heads down, seemingly asleep or unconscious. Suddenly, a buzzer sounds, and they all awaken. What do they need to do to get out of this place?
NADINE, Female, 30s
LIAM, Male, 20s
MARGOT, Female, 60s
DANTE, Male, 40s
JONAS, Male, 50s
A MURDERED MYSTERY
This play-within-a-play opens with the butler, holding a gun, standing over the body of Steve Walters. The butler, John, assures us that things are not what they seem and that this is not a simple case of “the butler did it.” John introduces us to the other suspects: Steve’s business partner, his ex-fiancée, his current fiancée, and her friend. But that’s when the play falls apart, for the actors are as jealous, petty, and conceited as the characters they play. Your audience will laugh heartily as they realize they’re not watching a mystery, they’re watching a comedy of bickering, egotistical actors who can’t even stage a mystery without murdering it!
JOHN, butler and narrator (71 lines, many can be read)
STEVE, the victim (16 lines)
JENNIFER, Steve’s business partner (24 lines)
LYDIA, Steve’s current fiancee (29 lines)
BETTY, Steve’s ex-fiancee (30 lines)
PRESTON, Lydia’s friend (22 lines)