THE SEVEN 2024 Wrap Up!
UNINVITED GUESTS
THE SEVEN is one of the nation's premiere short works festivals. It features seven fully produced world premieres, utilizing seven different directors and a professional ensemble cast. The scripts are read by a jury of theatre professionals (blindly, without any identification of the playwright) and the seven highest scoring scripts will be produced. This year, the jury selected from scripts based on the theme: “Uninvited Guests.” The overall Jury Award-winner, Joyce Fontana, was awarded the Bradford Gromelski Prize, and received transportation to/from and lodging at the festival. Each memorable performance was enjoyed by the playwrights and audiences alike. We look forward to this theatrical event every year and we can’t wait to do it again!
Let’s once again celebrate the winners of this year’s THE SEVEN: UNINVITED GUESTS!
THE SEVEN WINNERS
THE BRADFORD GROMELSKI JURY AWARD WINNER
STICKY NOTES by Joyce Fontana, Durango, CO
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD WINNER
A FLICKER by Guy R. Newsham, Gloucester, Ontario, Canada
*****
THE UNEXPECTED DELIGHT OF SNOWBIRDS by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend, The Woodlands, Singapore
SPEED BUMPS by Anne Valentino, Rockville, MD
THE NAME OF ACTION by Rex McGregor, Auckland, New Zealand
FAIR PLAY by Cherielyn Ferguson, Piedmont, CA
SPEED DATING by Curt Strickland, Stoughton, MA
The Company of THE SEVEN 2024:
Paul Blott, Dennis Gromelski, Jacqueline Reid, David Sinkus, Maria Lee Schmidt, Laurie Thomas
&
Dedra Aguilar, Nick Barker, Wendy Barker, Zane Barker, Emily Baron, Braxton Butler, Ryan Jason Cook, Kristín Hansen, Madison Dodd, Christine Grenier, William Adam Harrison, Matt Heath, Richard K. Hogle, Nacy Jeris, Josh Klein, Lauren Letherer, Leah Livingston, Alicia Lueras Maldonado, Miguel Martinez, Matthew O’Bryan, Gerome Olona, Robyn Phillips, Becky Richert, David Sanchez, Lucious Paul Sanchez, Mónica Sánchez, Chad Scheer, Sage Simpson, Malcom Stokes, Allie Sundstrom, Dave Weirdly, Matthew Van Wettering, Rachel Wiseman, and Aaron Worley.
THE 2nd SEVEN WINNERS
BEETHOVEN'S THIRD by Howard Ho, New York, NY
THE BABYSITTER by Tony Pasqualini, Los Angeles, CA
JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE AIRPORT by Jane M. Lee, New York, NY
PEACE BY PIECE by Michael Towers, Westfield, MA
THE OVAL PORTRAIT by Amy Cuomo, Villa Rica, GA
THANK EMILY by Richard Manley, Newport Beach, CA
THE HELPERS by Emily Golden, Ames, IA
THE COMPANY OF THE 2ND SEVEN
Lena Armstrong, Jeannette Aguilar Harris, Sergiu Iva, Danny Kovacs, Mónica Sánchez, Alexis Scott, Laurie Thomas, and Jacqueline Torres
&
Emily Baron, Tiffany Cole, Ryan Jason Cook, Hector Corona, Jeff Dolecek, Lilinoe Field-Perkins, Alissa Hall, Inaaya Hasham, Bridget Kelly, Versai Knight, Leah Livingston, Jack Maikranz, Mackenzie Pitcock, Wendy Scott, Rachel Wiseman, Aaron Worley, and Julia Youngs
THE NM SEVEN WINNERS
BEYOND THE KITCHEN COUNTER by Alexandria Gonzales Armbruster, Rio Rancho, NM
CLOSING TIME by James Cady, Rio Rancho, NM
WRITER'S BLOCK by Ryan Clarke, Albuquerque, NM
BROADWAY BOUND by Michael Burgan, Santa Fe, NM
THE RUINS by Karin Diann Williams, Albuquerque, NM
FOREVER SPARKLE by Raul Garza, Albuquerque, NM
LIKE FATHER by George Bereschik, Santa Fe, NM
THE COMPANY OF THE NM SEVEN
Beth Bailey, Zane Barker, George Bereschik, Michael Burgan, James Cady, James Clare, Ryan Clarke, Michael Counts, Ashley Deloeona, Michael Dolce, Raul Garza, Dennis Gromelski, Alissa Hall, William Harrison, Johnny Hoeft, Johnny Howard, Herman Johansen, Bridget Kelly, Danny Kovacs, Lauren Letherer, Leah Livingston, Lucinda Marker, Miguel Martinez, Elliott Mayer, Christina Nicosia, Jessica Osbourne, Jacqueline Reid, Kenzie Ross, David Sanchez, Robb Sisneros, William Sterchi, Douglas Stewart, Laurie Thomas, Charles West, Matthew Van Wettering, and Karin Diann Williams.
THANK YOU!
Thank you to all the playwrights who came to FUSION to view their plays professionally produced and support all the other winners of THE SEVEN 2024!
PRODUCTION IMAGES
Special Thanks to the Theme Suggestion Winner!
KATHY MILLÉ WIMMER
Kathy Millé Wimmer has been acting in and around Albuquerque for ages and is a member of various musical groups. She recently performed in and was the musical director for the New Mexico Shakespeare Festival's As You Like It. She has also written scripts for musical narration and short plays and for telling stories with her harp as a member of the duo Bardic Sisters. Since 2015, Kathy has been the narrator for Música Antigua de Albuquerque's Christmas concerts, a role passed down from local theatre legend Phil Bock. She recently retired from her career as a producer for NMPBS's "New Mexico In Focus."
Although it's been a while since she's been on the FUSION stage, she was involved in the company's nascent production of the Wakefield Mystery Cycle's The Crucifixion, staged in an amphitheater in Cerrillos back in 2000. "I've voted for themes for THE SEVEN before," Kathy says, "and even submitted some ideas in the past, usually after giving those ideas much thought. This time, the theme 'Uninvited Guests' just came to me almost as soon as I saw the call for submissions." She is very excited that her idea was chosen, and hopes playwrights have great fun with the theme.