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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#123: Showtime

It’s no secret that the colder months are the best time to grab tickets to see a show; it’s a festive tradition, and many of our favorite plays actually made their debuts during this time. (Fun fact! It was on this day 74 years ago that Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire was performed on Broadway for the first time.)

From the roar of the audience to the dazzling lights, there’s nothing quite like it. It’s that theater spirit, and a simple love of drama, that inspired us to create this week’s prompts. So let’s celebrate all things theatrical both on-stage and off, with stories that’ll get your audience crying, laughing, and (hopefully) giving a standing ovation.

This week's prompts

Start your story looking down from a stage.

Thriller and Suspense – 56 stories

Write about a character who always wears a mask (physical or metaphorical).

Angst – 48 stories

Begin or end your story with “Well, that was dramatic.”

Christmas – 40 stories

Write a story about a character practising a speech in front of the mirror. What are they preparing for?

Middle School – 38 stories

Set your story backstage at the theater.

Halloween – 30 stories

Stories

“DRESSING ROOM RIDER” by Dee Dee Seaburg

Submitted to Contest #123

I know I am going to screw this up. I have only been working for Premiere Catering for two weeks, and now this. I thought wedding catering was nerve-wracking, but backstage catering for a concert is beyond stressful. Marie is acting like this is no big deal, but it’s Ross Haskin! He is only the biggest name in pop music right now! I know she has done a lot of backstage catering, but she could show some excitement. I guess she’s not really the type to get excited about things or show any emotion. I have not seen her smile since I star...

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“Fade to Light” by Melissa Woods

Submitted to Contest #123

I rose from the stage floor–I couldn’t remember why I’d fallen–and peered down at my husband. He came! It was my last show. I was really retiring, this time, I’d told him (truth was, I was more of a liability than an asset, at my age, so I was encouraged to take a final bow); but I refused to get my hopes up that he would come. And, then, there he was. He looked as dapper as ever in his black suit. It was too dark to see its color as he took his seat, but I knew that suit. I recognized how it moved on him, and how he moved in it. I knew all...

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“The Devil's Violinist” by Marie Cera

Submitted to Contest #123

“Hey Andrea, stop standing there and come help me with these curtains! Giacomo’s annoyed voice snaps me from my daze. Blinking quickly, I look around. I’m standing on a stage. On the stage, lit with bright lights from every direction. I’ve gotten distracted by the elaborate theatre once again. How long have I been standing here? I look down at all the empty seats, and remember. The concert! I’d run to the theatre as soon as I’d gotten out of the conservatory this evening, passing horse-drawn carriages and small shops, making my way through ...

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“The Loud” by Nix ♞

Submitted to Contest #123

I got a mask for my birthday. I told my mom I wanted it. She said, "Masks are scary, Charlie. Do you want something else?"I said, "No, I want a mask. I like scary. I don't want something else."I was lying. She was right. Masks are scary, especially the one I got. It's a werewolf mask. She told me not to lie, but I had to. I couldn't wear the mask if I didn't.I'm scared of werewolves. I'm only 11. Lots of stuff is scary when you're 11. My mom says on the phone that she wishes she were young again and things were different. She said she wishes...

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“Sunny” by Esther Andrews

Submitted to Contest #123

Her name couldn’t have been more befitting of her disposition. It was as if the gods had convened and prophetically chosen it for her. In truth, however, she was unintentionally christened when her mother, thoroughly drained after thirty-eight hours of labor, simply looked out her hospital room window and muttered, “It’s sunny.” A nurse who’d been attempting to complete a birth certificate for more than twenty minutes assumed this was the answer to the question she’d already asked three times, to no avail, and proceeded to write it d...

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“What Could Have Been” by Sruthi Putcha

Submitted to Contest #123

The last time I stayed up long enough to see the sunrise was before I killed Mother. She would bounce into my bed and tickle my chest and neck in the dark hours of the morning. It was very effective in waking up a child from the midst of her sugar-filled dreams. Father says I get grouchy when I don’t wake of my own accord, but that never happened with Mother. I was happy to see her beautiful face and hear her hushed giggles regardless of when or how or whatever discomfort I was feeling. “Come with me, my darling,” she would s...

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“Then The Jazz Crept In ” by Mack Gage

Submitted to Contest #123

Garvey Street was a wall of writhing sound. Everywhere Atticus turned guitars bent and screamed, pianists played blocky, rollicking chords. Rock and Roll warred with the Blues from the cracks of a dozen doorways. Drunken flotsam drifted from the bright pool of one dying streetlight to the next in search of the perfect sound or the cheapest drink. And Atticus, who had killed tonight, should have been right at home. He wasn’t though. The skin hung off him loosely, more like a bad suit than a man. What passed for Atticus’s soul itched, ...

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“The Masked Officer” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #123

The ballroom filled with men in tailored suits, women in tight dresses, champagne flutes and caviar and lobster toast on silver platters served by men in white blazers, and energetic whispers about the The Masked Officer.Ronald stood in the corner of the ballroom sipping a beer and avoiding the gravitational pull of the New York elite. His thoughts split between his upcoming drive home from New York State across the bridge to New Jersey. To Jenny and the kids and their homework and bedtime. The other half of his thoughts went to the woman ...

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“Nosey” by Elizabeth Davis

Submitted to Contest #123

“I have a plan.” Frank stated as he walked to the dry erase board in the small detective office space and picked up a grey dry erase marker. He began to write and when he stepped away, a proud smile adorned his bearded face. Colin looked at the board, puzzled, “Who are F and L, why are there stick figures and what are they doing? Is that a computer?” Frank pointed to the board, “F is for Frank, that’s me. He grinned, and actually pointed at himself. “L is for Laura. I am going to chat with her online...

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“The Shy Librarian” by Amy Hill

Submitted to Contest #123

The shy librarian works nine till five, five days a week. Her long brown hair is tied up in a bun, her glasses on the end of her nose as she concentrates on logging the new books onto the system. She feels invisible; her wild side needs to break free. A man walks up to the front desk; she blushes. Tall, dark, and handsome; she thinks as she looks him up and down. He hands her a business card, smiles, and walks away. She glances down at it, it reads; Neale's dream girls burlesque. Her interest rising, she feels her wild side taking over; she'...

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“Misguided Intentions” by David Wilmot

Submitted to Contest #123

Misguided IntentionsJonathan was furious. He was the Vice President of Sales at Acme Consolidated. Well respected in the business community and very well respected in the local community he lived in. Appearances were everything to him. His Norman Rockwellian world collapsed when Acme was put into court ordered protection. Like everyone at Acme he was thankful Global Industries had been the white knight riding to the rescue. But this was too much. Global had done an audit on all the salesmen. The results weren’t flattering. The bulk of the ex...

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“An Impossible Conversation” by Susan Weimer

Submitted to Contest #123

"Well, that was dramatic," Luke said after Diane, his sister, disconnected the call with her boyfriend. "He's been such a pain lately," Diane said. "I don't understand why you are still with him," Luke commented. Luke's short black hair partly covered his dark brown eyes as the wind blew it back and forth. "You don't just trash a six-month relationship," Diane countered. "You do it when the guy is an asshole. You deserve better, Diane." Diane looked down at the sidewalk and kicked at a pebble. The wind was...

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“Well That Was Dramatic” by Christina Herrera

Submitted to Contest #123

I can’t do it. It’s not possible. How could I think that I would even be good enough to do this?! I am not someone who steps out on a limb, tries something new. I hate stepping out of my comfort zone if I’m not prepared. I have always wanted to do it, it has been a dream of mine but something is always getting in the way, stopping me from taking the first step. I’m not ready, I’m not equipped, and I always have things I need to get done before I can even start to do that. So am I just distracted? Why would anyone be interested in me? Wh...

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“The Birthday Girl” by Z C

Submitted to Contest #123

The newly-opened champagne glides down my throat, leaving a cold trail of carbonation as it travels down to the esophagus. An eruption of applause echoes through the arched ceilings of the event room. The chandelier, blinding my eyes for a brief second with a shard of light, glistens in the castle-like atmosphere. As my pupils begin to focus once more, my vision clears to see a sign with the words “Happy Birthday!” written in an elegant cursive font. The real glimmering star of the night stood at the front of the room, greeting each g...

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“Words Speak Louder Than Actions? (Writers Are Not Active)” by Malik Coley

Submitted to Contest #123

Twenty six years — I’ve heard plenty of things growing up. I’ve heard the voices in my head yelling at me for doing the right thing. I’ve heard my parents shouting at me for me doing the wrong thing. Unfortunately, my anger spoke the loudest and took me on a path that not even a poet could describe.I’ve always been a great listener. But it was who, or what myself chose to listen to that shifted my route — taking me on the expressway to hell. “Actions speak louder than words” is a very popular phrase that never fails to intrigue me. I say som...

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$250

Prize money

212

Contest entries

133

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 10, 2021 EST

Won by Patrick Samuel 🏆

Title: Southern Comfort and the Kindness of Strangers

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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