One of the beams supporting the vibrant theater scene here in South Florida is the number of local playwrights we have in the region.
So it’s not entirely surprising that as the “season” starts heating up, opportunities to see the works of some of these playwrights are taking center stage.
Below, find a roundup of showcases and productions coming up throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties over the next few weeks.
‘3 CARD STUD’
Fort Lauderdale’s Ronnie Larsen is a stage-multi-hyphenate if ever there was one. The playwright-actor-director-producer has had his plays produced off-Broadway as well as in London, Canada, Italy and Australia. He currently has “3 Card Stud,” which is playing in Larsen’s Wilton Manors theater, The Foundry, and is set in the Island City. The sex comedy centers on a father and son — both openly gay — who fall in love with the same guy. By the way, this play has nudity, so you must be 18 or older to attend.
WHEN: Thursdays-Sundays, through Sept. 28
WHERE: The Foundry, 2306 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors
COST: $37.50 and $53.50
INFORMATION: ronnielarsen.com
‘HEEBIE JEEBIES: TALES FROM THE MIDNIGHT CAMPFIRE’
This world premiere was commissioned by Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University. “Heebie Jeebies” by Miami playwright and educator Gina Montét “reimagines spooky stories from classic literature for modern audiences,” according to Theatre Lab. The show is recommended for guests age 7 and older. As part of FAU’s educational outreach program The Future PAGES Project and Heckscher Theatre for Families, screenings will include free pre-show events such as creative writing workshops for students, “S’mores Saturdays” and “Crafty Sundays.”
WHEN: Sept. 20-Oct. 12
WHERE: Heckscher Stage in Parliament Hall at Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
COST: $25 for adult; each adult ticket includes up to two free student tickets (for free student tickets, select both “General Public” and one of the “Family Pack” options; any additional student tickets are $5 each)
INFORMATION: 561-297-6124; fau.edu/theatrelab
‘SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PLAYWRIGHTS’
A new performance series from Conundrum Stages Entertainment called Off the Boards will showcase contemporary works rarely produced in SoFlo. First up will be “Support Your Local Playwrights,” a staged reading of six works by local playwrights: James Carrey, Todd Caster, Barbara Fox, Desiree Mora, Jazz Patterson and Wendy White.
WHEN: 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21
WHERE: Savor Cinema, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale
COST: $10
INFORMATION: conundrumstages.net
‘THE CAFÉ ON MAIN’
Written by Jeff Perlman, former mayor of Delray Beach, this play was inspired by the classic Henry Mancini tune “Moon River.” Set at an oceanfront eatery in Stony Brook, New York — a locale very familiar to Long Islanders (like Perlman himself) here in SoFlo — “The Café on Main” is a slice-of-life look at all the romance that comes in through the door. The play took its first bow onstage with a reading during the 2024 Playwrights Festival of New Plays at the Delray Beach Playhouse.
WHEN: 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11
WHERE: Arts Garage, 94 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach
COST: $40
INFORMATION: 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org
‘AT ALL COSTS’
Jamaican-American Rashida Costa’s “At All Costs” will get two performances on Veterans Day, which is fitting since the stage play is set in 1945, right after the end of World War II, when a Black soldier — denied GI Bill benefits in order to buy a home — purchases a casino instead. Before a live performance debut in Lake Worth this past June, the play had a virtual reading at the Jocunda Music, Film & Theatre Festival in 2020. Costa, who lives in Wellington, is also an actor, poet and author.
WHEN: 2 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11
WHERE: L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center, 1409 NW 6th St, Fort Lauderdale
COST: $47.64
INFORMATION: theatreandallthingsdramatics.com
‘FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM, HONORING OUR VETERAN COMMUNITY’
This presentation will be part of the Arts Garage program, Delray Stories: Celebrating Our Community Through Theatre.” The third annual staging of this event will showcase monologues from local veterans performed by actors. There will also be a Q&A session after the show.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7
WHERE: Arts Garage, 94 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach
COST: $40
INFORMATION: 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org
