09.15.2026

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A night of bad theater requires a great cast, and we are happy to announce the 13 unlucky actors for our “Bad Theater Night” evening of staged readings of short plays and stories: Linda Swanson Brown, James Crapes, Matt Davis, Randy Diamon, Trajan Garcia, Cassie Kelso-Bucey, Emily Koehler Mathena, Mike Moran, Abby Prinz, Mauro Segura, Doug Tisdale, Suzanna Wellens and Guy Williams. The stage directors for the evening are Joi Hiatt, Suzanna Wellens (also acting), Lorraine Scott and Jim O’Leary.

 

Join us on October 4 at Vintage Theatre as our talented cast tackles tales of onstage disasters and backstage catastrophes.

 

Here are quotes from three of the pieces we’ll feature on October 4:

 

“Get back on stage! Enter! Enter! Enter!” – Mr. M's Slaughterous Thoughts by Ryan Armstrong

 

“The thought of people swishing around in period costume to the sound of zithers and harpsichords and possibly spouting iambic pentameter was not at all appealing to me.” – I Will Not Go by J. Jackson

 

“Well, bang up to the Elephant!” – Sockdologizing Old Man-Trap by V.B. Rankin

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08.31.2026

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We have selected the plays for our next One Night Stand Theater production, “Bad Theater Night” on October 4. Thank you to all the playwrights and writers who shared their comic and tragic tales of when things go wrong in the theater. We proudly present the following eight short plays and one story for our good night of bad theater:

 

• The audience behaves badly in “Sorry” by Linda Berry.

• The assistant stage manager saves the show in “Ambrosia Salad” by Tami Canaday.

• Opening night turns tragic in “I Will Not Go” by J. Jackson.

• The Scottish play grinds to a halt in “Mr. M’s Slaughterous Thoughts” by Ryan Armstrong.

• Improv is a killer in “Annnd Scene (of the Crime)” by John Busser.

• One line of dialogue can change history in “Sockdologizing Old Man-Trap” by V.B. Rankin.

• Genres collide in “Assorted Endings” by Leroy Leonard.

• A theater monster pursues an innocent man in “The Many Eyed Beast” by Jim Moss.

• Journey into the unknown with the “Untitled Play That We Promise is Really Good” by D.C. Cathro.

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08.12.2026

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“Bad Theater Night” play deadline August 18

 

A reminder that the deadline to submit short plays, short stories or poems for consideration for our October 4 ONS Theater show, “Bad Theater Night,” is Tuesday, August 18. We’re looking for plays, stories or poems about when things go wrong in live theatre: onstage or backstage disasters, bad actors, directors, or tech crew; and parodies of famous plays, playwrights, comedy, drama, melodrama or the avant-garde.

 

The limit is 3 plays, stories or poems per writer; send them to Tickets@OneNightStandTheater.org.

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08.11.2026

Our “10-1/2 Commandments” show on Sunday evening was a lot of fun and a great evening of theater. If you couldn’t join us, you missed a bevy of beachballs, a lovely Christmas tree, a Biblical pondering, a funeral eulogy, brownie bites and a donut, a hospitable angel, an insolent demon, and gossip about Cassie, Ralph, Sheila, Bob, Frank and Mary Lou…along with all 10 Commandments (there was a graven image in the penultimate play) and two or three new Commandments.

 

Thank you to everyone who made it happen: our talented playwrights (Dave, Dana, Steven, Leroy, Jim, V.B., Jack and Matthew), our charming yet powerful actors (Bevin, Ayden, Dave, James, Matt, Trajan, Leroy, Emily, Mike, Lorraine, Bethany and Staci), our creative stage directors (Matt, Joi, Brenda, Leroy, Jim and Lorraine) and our expert production staff and crew (Beth, Jeremy, John, Doug, Bernie and the ushers). Thank you to Vintage Theatre for letting us share the 10 Commandments on their main stage. 

 

Our next show is “Bad Theater Night”: tales of backstage life and great plays about bad theater. Be bad with us on October 4, Sunday night at Vintage Theatre in Aurora, Colorado. We hope to see you there!

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08.07.2026

We are close to wrapping up rehearsals for our “10-1/2 Commandments” evening of staged readings. Join us for these short plays about sin and salvation, following the Commandments and breaking them, heavenly rewards and mysterious beach balls. Our actors and their characters (including an angel and a demon) look forward to seeing you at Vintage Theatre this Sunday night (August 9 at 7:30 p.m.).

 

Here are quotes from two of the plays we’re doing; both deal with NEW Commandments:

 

“Walter and I loved each other. That's the funny part.” - A Half Commandment by Dana Hall

 

“Oh, great Ball Bouncer, forgive Pat. Pat doesn’t have faith. But Pat’s a pretty nice person.” - Waiting for Balle by Leroy Leonard

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07.31.2026

We have just finished the first week of rehearsals for “The 10-1/2 Commandments” and we’ve learned much about sin and salvation. Join us on Sunday night, August 9 at Vintage Theater for a taste of heaven, a holiday theft, rampant adultery, a bunch of beach balls, and much more, including the plays that feature these three quotes:

 

“You wonder if Charlton Heston is nearby.”–The Ten Commandments: A Pondering by Dave Brandl

 

“With forty rooms and a view of Long Island Sound, you can choose what not to know.”–Intruders by Matthew Sheridan.

 

“Purging is a spiritual thing for some of us.” –D--n It! by Jim Moss

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07.22.2026

We are thrilled with – and somewhat in awe of – the cast of our “10-1/2 Commandments” show, which we are happy to announce now: Bevin Antea, Ayden Armstrong, Dave Brandl, James Crapes, Trajan Garcia, Emily Koehler Mathena, Mike Moran and Bethany Lillis Tisdale along with new One Night Stand cast member Staci York! In addition, we have three actors who are also directing for the show: Lorraine Scott, Matt Davis and Leroy Leonard….and Joi Hiatt, Brenda Hoskins and Jim O’Leary are also directing.

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We hope you will join us on August 9 at Vintage Theater as our talented cast lies, cheats, swears and steals onstage in these tales of the Commandments in modern times.

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Here are quotes from three of the plays we’ll feature on August 9:

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“I’ve already killed enough people today and I haven’t even gotten a signed letter of recommendation.” - COBOL Cobalt Screen of Death by V.B. Rankin

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“Nobody’s going to accuse me of committing a hate crime: I’m a Liberal Arts major.” - Mother and Child by Steven Korbar

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“I bet they have some very nice parks in Toronto.” - Sex in the Park by Jack Rushton

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07.06.2026

We have selected the plays for our next One Night Stand Theater production, “The 10-1/2 Commandments” on August 9. Thank you to all the writers who shared their work for our upcoming evening of virtue, sin, Biblical wrath and modern morality. We will be presenting the following eight short plays and monologues:

 

• A holiday theft unleashes a mother’s fury in “Mother and Child” by Steven Korbar.

• Adultery turns complicated in “Sex in the Park” by Jack Rushton.

• Taking the Lord’s name in vain has repercussions in the afterlife in “D--n It!” by Jim Moss.

• A new commandment rolls along in “Waiting for Balle” by Leroy Leonard.

• A visitor from the past unearths scandals and secrets in “Intruders” by Matthew Sheridan.

• Some commandments are clearer than others in “The Ten Commandments: A Pondering” by Dave Brandl.

• An intern unwittingly breaks the Sixth Commandment in “COBOL Cobalt Screen of Death” by V.B. Rankin.

• A lifetime of ordinary moments inspires “A Half Commandment” by Dana Hall.

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06.17.2026

A reminder that the deadline to submit short plays, short stories or poems for consideration for our August 9 ONS Theater show, “The 10-1/2 Commandments,” is Tuesday, June 23. We’re looking for plays, stories or poems about any of the sins or virtues of the Biblical Ten Commandments (or any “new” Commandments you think of).

 

The limit is 3 plays, stories or poems per writer; send them to Tickets@OneNightStandTheater.org.

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06.16.2026

Thank you to everyone who made our Sunday-evening “With Friends Like These…” show happen! Thank you to our playwrights for their talent and creativity – Dan, Jye, Mark, Craig, Jim, Robert and Marjorie. Thank you to our actors – Koby, Colette, Linda, Randy, Natalie, Andrew, Mark, Abby and Carol – for bringing all the plays’ friends to life. Thank you to our directors – Lorraine, Suzanna and Brenda – for guiding the actors through the plays’ good times and bad times. Thank you to Beth, Jeremy, John, Doug, Bernie and the ushers for making the evening so enjoyable for the audience. Thank you to Vintage Theatre for letting our friends play on the stage. And thank you to the four actors and directors who each contributed a “Message to a Friend” that we read between the plays.  

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Our next show is “The 10-1/2 Commandments”: an evening of plays and stories about virtue, sin, Biblical wrath and modern morality. We are reading scripts and will announce the plays soon. Which Commandments will we feature? Will we covet thy neighbor’s wife or thy neighbor’s goods? Will we bear false witness, or witness false bears? Join us on Sunday night, August 9 at Vintage Theatre to find out!