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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

“Practice Makes Perfect” by David Wilmot

Submitted to Contest #123

Practice Makes PerfectEverything rests on this, everything. Time and place, nothing else. Don’t even think about anything else. He stared at himself in the hall mirror. Sitting up straight with his hands folded he counted down to zero and for the umpteenth time started over.“I bought gas just before midnight and settled in for a long drive.”The monkey on his shoulder immediately spoke up. “Oh really, and where did you buy gas?”His fists tightened and his knuckles whitened.‘Goddamnit, what is the matter with me!’ It was a stupid question. He ...

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“The Mirages of Beauty” by Scoop Rittersblock

Submitted to Contest #123

Contains sexual references.The man stood before a large mirror, a piece of paper trembling in his hands as he viewed his naked image with a mixture of scorn and regret. Over the years his once taught, muscular figure had slowly drooped, bulged and slackened until this day of reckoning when even as he flexed his muscles and sucked in his belly with deep, desperate breaths, no semblance of his former glory could be resurrected. He remembered his teens when the effects of hyperactivity and small portions of food kept his weight in check. There ...

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“Cold Feet ( Inspired by T swift)” by Linsey Vega

Submitted to Contest #123

(CW: adult language)As i stand here looking at the vision of beauty you are i…You are my light in the darknI’m not a writer, but…Gill (Mack) Jackson scratched yet another furious line right through the ridiculous words on the page. The man in the mirror grimaced back at him. He swept a shaky hand through wavy jet black locks and straightened to his full six-foot height. The beads of sweat forming on the nape of his neck dripped down his back, underneath his custom Versace navy blue tuxedo jacket. Standing there in front of a diamond encruste...

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“So It Goes Like This” by Jarrod V

Submitted to Contest #123

So it goes like this, thought Silvestre Vela. The man's contorted body truly was a repulsive sight, it'd twisted itself over the long years and had become a mockery of the human form, fortunately none had to bear this disgusting sight besides the prison guards. Even they couldn’t stand to look at him, perhaps they felt some shame upon seeing his pathetic state. Silvestre had arrived three years earlier, a young, handsome man, he was well built with broad shoulders. A man now unrecognizable, no doubt due to the conditions of his new life. Sle...

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“Play” by Vincent Paiement Désilets

Submitted to Contest #123

The play starts at 9 p.m. “What time is it?” everyone asks. “8:54,” someone says. Backstage, the actors swarm around like frantic bees. Sparks fly as they brush against each other. Costumes are picked up and dropped. Props thrown around. Lights flicker. Walls are painted dirty green. Evaporated tears and sweat hit the ceiling and taint the wood darker. 8:57 “There’s no more time. ...

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“ENTERTAINMENT FROM AND FOR ALL AGES” by Charlotte Corrao

Submitted to Contest #123

ENTERTAINMENT FROM AND FOR ALL AGESThe invitation went out from the local dancing school to the community for singers and dancers. The owner came right to our local senior center and asked for volunteers. The participants were to work with the dancing school students for the upcoming holiday recital. I had chosen to audition for singing. The song I had decided to sing was, Brenda Lee’s “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree”.“Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” is a very upbeat song and very easy for the students to dance too. I was somewhat skep...

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“A Little Angel in the Land of Oz” by Rachel Culp

Submitted to Contest #123

“Now, Remember Cassie, it can become a little strange inside beyond this door.” “Kay.” Swaying from heel to toe and back, the little girl waited for her older brother to open the door. He had been telling stories about ‘backstage’ for weeks. Today, she would see it for herself. As the plain metal door opens, she sees colors and lights and people swarming in all directions. She grabs on to Billy’s hand as he moves forward. All his warnings of the extraordinary hadn’t equipped her. As she steps through the doorway, a dancing balloon catches he...

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“The Rest is Silence” by William Sattelmeyer

Submitted to Contest #123

“That’s it. It’s over,” Astoria said from the backstage shadows, as she stepped into Queen Gertrude’s gown for Act 5. “Good night, sweet ladies.” “Maybe not,” Kingsley said, fondling the props for Scene 2. “There’s Kickstarter and Lidia’s new influencer gig for Ben Nye makeup. We can still save the theater.” Bernard made a rude noise. “No one is going to pay for greasepaint tripe.” “You’re delusional, Kingsley, my dear,” Astoria said. “After this travesty, we’ll be lucky to extricate our own acting careers let alone the theater. There are...

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“Maryam Francis: Mother to Our Soul” by Leotie Review

Submitted to Contest #123

The show is over and Maryam Francis sits on the floor, legs crossed with animated hand gestures, a pow-wow of actors around her as though they are her apostles. They pass joints and bottles of wine. Her hair is almost an angelic white and unkempt. She blows loose strands out of her face, touches others on the shoulders, nods in agreement, rifles up to her feet occasionally while in the sonic moments of telling a story, and laughs with ease and laughs often. When I introduce myself, she is finishing up an anecdote on her third husband, s...

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“And This is the Royalty of Albion” by Essy Dean

Submitted to Contest #123

It wasn't that Chloe was nervous - or maybe she was and she was trying to convince herself that she wasn't so she could get through this. She should be focusing on Queen Margaret. Margaret. She-Wolf of France and leader of the Lancastrian cause in England. Margaret had always been a figure from history Chloe had looked up to. If you cared to look, history was full of women who fought through their menfolk to get what they wanted or waited in the darkness pretending to be someone they weren't until the opportunity presented itself. Margaret...

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“Their Finale ” by June O'conner

Submitted to Contest #123

The girl seemed alright. In the dark shadows behind the stage, she seemed to glow. Ms. Americana, Madam president, the Czarina of the theatre. Romeo found her dead. A spotlight shown on her body, illuminating the dark shadows under her eyes, the glitter on her cheeks like a haunted sugar skull, left by the world to end it all in one glorious finale. People laughed, people cheered as Romeo found her body, shock etched into the lines of his butterscotch face. I remember cheering, her performance so perfect, so eerily real. I recall...

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“One Man Show” by Edward Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #123

The One Man Show A tale of fiction By Edward Hamilton "Ladieees and Gentleman. I am proud to bring to you..." "Wait! Cut!" The voice came from the darkness in the auditorium. It was rich and confident. A deep baritone. He sounded like the announcer from masterpiece theatre. Phil stood center stage. The house lights were down so he couldn't see the audience. He wore a basic brown suit, white button up shirt and suspenders that his grandpa gave him. His hair was cut ...

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“Revenge, He Wrote” by Deborah Mackie

Submitted to Contest #123

Revenge, He Wrote From my backstage vantage point at the edge of the curtain I scan the audience searching for familiar faces; ones I haven’t seen for years, but ones I’ll never forget. I spot one straight away. Craig, the football jock. Shit, that must be Cheryl. Head of the mean girls. They’d made a good pair back then – both cocky, shallow, entitled. She sure doesn’t look much like the blonde bombshell from school. And Craig doesn’t look like he’s played any sport for a while. The years haven’t been kind to either of them. I keep ...

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“A RIP in the Seam” by Jennifer Porcelli

Submitted to Contest #123

September 21st 1882- The Day After It wasn’t visible from where I sat in the balcony the previous day, but when you are standing in the middle of the stage, looking down into the pit, they are unmistakable. Hundreds of tiny droplets of dried blood. They are sprayed across the floor like a galaxy of crimson stars, practically glittering from the candle trembling in my hand. To my left, I can see fresh discoloration of the wood. Two dark splotches stretched across the surface. The larger one looked vaguely familiar. It’s shaped like a si...

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“It's Hard To Take The Mask Off” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #123

He could taste the salty blood as he lifted his fit but large frame from off the ropes in the corner of the ring and shake his arms about, trying to get the strength he needed to finish his opponent off. His legs felt like jelly but taking a few deep breaths while the referee held his opponent back he got a second wind and knew what he would do. Dancing around on tiptoes like a nimble gymnast he went in hard with an uppercut to the right side of the other guys face. He could tell that it was a perfect punch, it felt smooth on his glove and t...

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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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