Have you always dreamed of seeing your work performed on stage? The Oswego Players are looking for aspiring playwrights to enter the Donald J. McCann Memorial One-Act Playwriting Contest. Submissions are now being accepted for the competition, which is dedicated to the discovery of local talent.

“Anyone who has ever had the slightest interest in writing a play is strongly encouraged to do so and enter,” said Oswego Players President Norman Berlin III.

The 2023 McCann Playwriting Contest co-winners were the writing duo of Aaron Buitron and Phil Gross for “Game of the Week” and Alexis Martin with “Old Money, New Habits.” These one-act plays were performed at the Frances Marion Brown Theatre in front of three packed houses, fulfilling the organization’s goal of encouraging work by new writers.

“Winning this meant everything,” said Buitron. “I wanted to be a playwright since the 9th grade, so it’s absolutely surreal to have that dream come true.”

The contest is named for Don McCann, a writer who not only penned his own one-act pieces, but also directed thought-provoking plays. A lifetime resident of the Port City, McCann made his mark professionally as a reporter for The Palladium Times in Oswego but wholeheartedly pursued his passion for acting, directing and writing by joining the Oswego Players in the mid-1950s.

Over the next four decades he would serve several terms as president and historian for the community theater group, which has had a strong regional presence since 1938. Artistically speaking, he was known for favoring message-centered plays like “The Visit,” “Inherit the Wind” and “Agnes of God,” all of which he directed. As a naturally gifted writer, McCann would not only publish numerous articles and play reviews for the organization, but tried his hand penning one-act plays for the group to perform as well.

Anyone interested in submitting an original one-act play script for the contest should contact osweplay@yahoo.com for a complete set of rules and guidelines. All submissions must be received by Saturday, June 15 and sent either electronically to osweplay@yahoo.com or through the mail to Playwriting Contest, P.O. Box 183, Oswego, N.Y. 13126.

OSWEGO PLAYERS SEEKS PLAYWRIGHTS – The Oswego Players are looking for submissions for the Donald J. McCann Memorial One-Act Playwriting Contest. Original one-act play scripts can be submitted via mail or electronically by June 15. Anyone interested in entering the contest should contact osweplay@yahoo.com for rules and guidelines. Pictured are the cast of “Old Money, New Habits” by Alexis Martin, co-winner of 2023 Playwriting Contest. From left to right are Tammy Thompson, Scott Bandla, Matthew Fleming, Kevin Colvin and Gina Mazzoli.