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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

“The Mission” by John Atlas

Submitted to Contest #123

I’m beginning to forget what it feels like to be myself.For so long, I have pretended to be something other than my true self. The once clear lines of objective reality have been blurred. Where do the masks end and where do I begin? The real me. My true form. The concept of what once was me, seems so far away now- I fear I will never find it again.I worry I’ve become lost in the disguises. The lies. The deception. Necessary at first for the mission, I know, but it doesn’t make the concept easier to digest. Who would I be now, if not for the ...

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“The Courier” by Chris Churilla

Submitted to Contest #123

AUTHOR NOTE: This story contains adult language, sexual content, and violence. The courier stopped their motorcycle several hundred yards from the fortress and activated the binocular feature on their helmet. The heavy rucksack on their back dug into their shoulders, but they ignored it; they would soon be free of it. The guard towers were manned with heavy machine guns, easily capable of piercing the courier’s helmet and riding leathers. The ground surrounding the fortress was littered with ruined vehicles, preventing any sort of straig...

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“Another Mercy” by Tedcor Obli

Submitted to Contest #123

Another hand movement, another subtle twist of the wrist, another mercy. The mind told the spine which told the wrist which moved the hand which held the bending and twisting fingers. Their arms and hands moved together in a quiet and precise concert that could only come with years of practice. There was speed, but not a twisting and jerking kind; it was a graceful movement. Each movement, another plunge of the needle. Each movement, another small line of silk tugging together two pieces of flesh torn asunder. The only sound was the barely...

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“The Cattle Call” by Mae Siu-Wai Stroshane

Submitted to Contest #123

“‘Tis true my form is something odd But blaming me is blaming God… Could I create myself anew I would not fail in pleasing you. If I could reach from pole to pole Or grasp the…” One steamy summer day in Boston, Jared Mann stared into the mirror and practiced a poem for his audition. He managed to sail through the first stanza, but for some reason, blanked out halfway through the second. “Damn!” He closed his eyes and tried again. If I could reach from pole to pole Or grasp the ocean with my span…” Good! He was home free. “I would...

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“A Man’s Biggest Moment” by Jane Linwood

Submitted to Contest #123

Nervous eyes stared back at him. One hand on both ends of the sink, clutching the sides tightly. His tie swung crookedly as he ducked his head away from the mirror, trying to collect his thoughts into one coherent sentence. He didn’t fail to notice the bead of sweat running down his forehead, He grabbed a paper tower and dabbed it away. “C,mon Peter.” He said to himself, backing up one step away from the sink. “Just…think of something..think of something better..” He bunched up the paper and took a deep breath. “Marilyn.....

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“MOTHER” by Eva Haishun

Submitted to Contest #123

"Hey! I was wondering if you could help me tape the audition for tomorrow. I will practice the speech in the bedroom first, but I would not mind a bit of assistance after! It should not take long.""Yeah, I got you. Hit me up when you are ready.""Thanks! Will do."Maggy has been doing auditions for almost six years; nevertheless, the first take still troubles her. She needs to go over the script one last time before recording. They have lived with Aaron for more than four years now, and he knows perfectly well that it will take a lot more time...

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“Final Costume Change ” by Peyton Cone

Submitted to Contest #123

Everything has led up to this moment. All the work put into these last few months—these last few years— is finally coming full circle. Here’s the outcome. Right in front of me. I should feel accomplished. My dreams have come true and I’m in the midst of the proof. Yet all I see are blinding lights weighing me down with expectations. Ear splitting applause I know I deserve but can’t seem to stomach. What is happening? This is what I wanted isn’t it? This has been my dream for as long as I can remember...

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“The Incident ” by Michaela Edo

Submitted to Contest #123

The IncidentIf there’s one moment where I can say I’ve truly never felt more alive, it would be right now. Looking back on it all, I wouldn’t change a thing. As I stand on stage, looking down at the same Nike Cortez’s I wore when my life fell apart, I recall a time where life was going nowhere. Life lost purpose. It was more than just a blip in the way; it was as if someone had ripped my heart out, put it in front of me to watch it break. A series of unfortunate events; a sudden death in the family, a parent acting out of grief, a wrenc...

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“Practice Your Look” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #123

Practice Your Look It was very much an experimental play, called “Long Ago and Far Away”. But Hal needed the work, and it had been too long a time since his last acting gig. He had no lines to rehearse, no words to remember. And he spent almost all of the play standing in one spot, which was in a circle painted black, so he didn’t have to worry about where he should be at any time. So it should have been an easy part for him to play. But it wasn’t. The director kept saying to him, “Practice your ...

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“The Nativity Goat” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #123

The small black goat looked out into the immense auditorium and sighed. The cavernous space was devoid of an audience, each of the 600 upholstered maroon seats stared back at him with taunting flat faces. “Jaxon Jesse Simpson!” Screeched the teacher. Literally. She was a puffy, square-shaped screech owl with chestnut tufts for ears, and round golden eyes the size of saucers behind her wire framed glasses. Jaxon jumped and glowered at her. His scruffy eyebrows pulled into hoods over his eyes. The three kittens playi...

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“The Theater” by Jeremiah Benson

Submitted to Contest #123

To look down from the stage is to see the world in its many pieces. Of course, from the audience's view, we are but pawns and rooks, knights and queens, sliding across the stage according to the kings' bidding; but we do so only for their amusement. In truth, we are free. We are free because we are aware that it's all a lie.After each night's performance, I return back into the world as a fool. Last evening I was asked to accompany Isabelle, a young Portuguese woman I only met briefly, to an event of nobles. Before we left she made it clear ...

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“Not Ready for Prime Time Crime - A Melodramatic Story about Attempted "wifeocide"” by Susan Hitchler

Submitted to Contest #123

Not Ready for Prime-Time Crime A Melodramatic Story about Attempted “Wifeocide” My husband doesn’t mean to be a murderer. He doesn’t look like a murderer. I think he simply forgets to examine his plans for possible consequences. Nonetheless, my life has been in peril three times at the hands of my hubby. The first attempt on my life was made on my 50th birthday. We planned a party for my big 5-0. While getting ready for the party, we noticed we needed a few more lawn chairs out of the garage for our guests. So, my husband asked...

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“Stages and Curtain Calls” by Jane Curtis

Submitted to Contest #123

I look down from the stage and remember it all began because we survived. I can see it all and remember every word. “Who do we have here?” Come, children. Gather up your pets and follow me. We need to get to know one another. I see we have a couple of you who were crying. Here is some tissue. We will get everything sorted out and there will be no more tears. “I am Jane. I want each of you to introduce yourselves and then sit down until everyone has been introduced. I am Rufus and this is my sister Red. My bes...

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“When The Lights Came Up” by Maureen MacLennan

Submitted to Contest #123

Some sex, hints of violence. When The Lights Came Up All he could think was that the costume smelled musty with undertones of sweat, and that led to wondering how many people had worn it over the years. The theater group had been running for over fifty years, he’d heard that from the stage manager just last week. The mind boggles he sneered inwardly. It hadn’t been his idea, this ridiculous production. Hell, it wasn’t really his idea to act to begin with, that was all Maggie’s fault, everything that was happening to hi...

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“I follow where my thought flows” by Sim K

Submitted to Contest #123

I start playing the keys, flowing through them as smooth and sharp as a river may go. I don’t know if I’ll make it, for there are too many obstacles, pieces of wood floating downstream, hell-bent on interrupting my flow. I’m a sea now……. Or perhaps a ship floating on its surface..... I can hear violins, sweet and mournful, (is that how they sound?) in perfect rhythm with my playing….. Although… I know not what it is that I am performing, perhaps I practised so much that I no longer feel the need to be there while my hands and feet do their ...

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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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