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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

“Finale” by Rob Ryter

Submitted to Contest #123

Dennehy swept forward from stage left, in sole, solitary command before the footlights, white shirt front ablaze in the follow spot’s beam, the gradually filling auditorium his silent, brooding foil. As planned, with time to spare, the killer took up position in the darkened theatre, her target stark, plain before her. It was obvious she was not under suspicion. Nonchalant and arrogant, the target seemed completely unaware of the impending danger. Perfect. Straightforward. Just the way she liked it. She fingered the concealed weapon. It was...

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“THERE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE AUDIENCE” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #123

THERE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE AUDIENCE It was a bit of struggle to clean the stage after that show which, they said, had really enjoyed , and excited the spectators. They had talked about it in television…..They said, since she hadn’t seen it. No, she had not been part of the large audience who, sitting in the red armchairs of the stalls had enjoyed ( tasted) that tragicomic comedy in which hens, ducks and turkeys had also gone up on the stage. She seemed to remember that even a little pig had go...

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“Holiday Duty” by Wanda Bush

Submitted to Contest #123

I look down from the stage into the audience. The crowd is small, negligible, really, but Mrs. Moses tells us to perform as if we were on Broadway, for this is our duty. Ben Staedler, the leading man in this extravaganza, says, “If one single soul goes home with extra joy in their heart, then we have done our jobs.” Ben’s positive spirit sparks our enthusiasm, and we perform our best. Our holiday musical, White Christmas, moves along as smooth as silk, and I take pleasure in twirling around in the fancy holiday dress assigned to me. When my ...

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“MASKING UP” by Gloria Murray

Submitted to Contest #123

MASKING UP I opened my eyes from what seemed a deep sleep. Strangely, I was wearing, as I had been for almost two years, a Covid mask. Sometimes it seemed like an appendage, not just a covering, but a part of my face. But since I lived alone and when not in...

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“The Monster Behind The Mask” by Deanna Smith

Submitted to Contest #123

Trigger warning ~ (References to abuse, addiction, suicide attempts, mental health struggles) She made him a Long Island Ice Tea and he went home and told his mother he was going to marry the bartender. It was her first summer as a full time resident of the small fishing village she had visited frequently in her youth. Her children in another state for a summer visit with her ex had her enjoying a brief reprieve from full time single mom life. As for this Long Island Ice Tea drinking customer, she wasn’t...

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“The Human under the Robe” by Brittney Hafner

Submitted to Contest #123

Pastor Jeff finished getting ready for bed before giving his kids kisses goodnight. He kissed his wife as she sat in bed reading her mystery novel. “Goodnight dear,” “goodnight, sweet dreams. I love you.” “I love you too,” he said while turning over and closing his eyes. It had been a long day for Pastor Jeff. Jeff had to deal with this young couple continuing to live in sin, and he was experiencing writer’s block with his sermon for Sunday. Didn’t take Jeff very long to get into dreamland, and when he got there, he was greeted by God. Jeff ...

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“Red Tide” by Shawn Luther

Submitted to Contest #123

I put on my mask and entered the building, the remains of my cigarette smoldering on the pavement. The midsummer sun was brutal, and within seconds my face was slick with sweat. Inside wasn't much cooler. The hallway leading to the locker room was short and claustrophobic. Old metal chairs with bent legs and dented seats lined the walls. Sagging cardboard boxes rested on top, a layer of dust testament to their age and neglect.The locker room itself wasn't much larger than the hallway, but the sense of constriction le...

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“Mask Free” by Barb Brown

Submitted to Contest #123

There was a time when wearing a mask on your face when entering a bank or financial institution would raise eyebrows and get a person immediately detained by security, and almost assuredly arrested by police. Customers in the vicinity would react in fear for their own safety, likely scrambling and racing to get away from imminent danger. Someone behind a bank teller's booth would probably be pressing on a hidden panic button but panic and chaos would permeate rapidly all through the immediate area anyway. People would be cryin...

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“Paper and Blood” by Ruth Zschoche

Submitted to Contest #123

Her favorite kind were paper. The kind that wrapped around the ears.In Asian countries, mask wearing had been normalized years ago. Swine flu, or one of these other variants, had prompted widespread usage.Masking weaved its way into the culture. Invaded fashion and legislation. It was an unambiguous way to show solidarity. “I’m sick, but I’m watching out for YOU.” Altruism and popular acceptance in one product.In addition, the mask had inadvertently become a boon for the introverted. The isolationist. The private.The relationship between cri...

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“Clocks” by Cal Fedorick

Submitted to Contest #123

He really needed to wash this thing. Jeremiah peeled off the sweaty and dirt-speckled mask, inhaling the fresh but humid air deeply. For a moment he did nothing but enjoy the feeling of his skin finally being able to breathe. He imagined it was akin to the feeling reptiles experience when they finish molting. He didn’t give himself long to revel in the relief before he started thinking about everything he needed to get done. &nb...

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“Peril in Produce” by Don Tucker

Submitted to Contest #123

During my trip to town this morning I stopped at the market to pick up flour and potatoes to create my homemade pierogis. A young boy in tattered clothing passed me and saw the ingredients in my cart and he said, "Good sir, you wouldn't be happening to be making pierogis, would you?" It took me aback for a moment, but I looked down at this sad looking boy and I replied, "Where are your parents, boy? Mind your Pa and now git!" He looked up at me with forlorn eyes and said, "Sorry sir, it is just that I have a pierogi secret that will chang...

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“The case of the Botch” by Rayna Quinn

Submitted to Contest #123

It's April 7th, 2021. I came home from London on a flight that included a layover and a priest trying to sell me the idea of Jesus. I gather essential information for someone significant to me. I woke up to hear someone shouting from the other room... "Larry! Clean my fucking boots with your tongue!" My best friend and feared hitwoman Vixxen Fransico instructed her manservant on what to do. I laugh. My name is Aliricial Genesis; I'm a Detective and belong to a society of women called the Little Reds. We support women who need it and ...

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“How Not to Find Love at the Marina” by Ray S

Submitted to Contest #123

Clayton, hopeless romantic, mindlessly switched between apps on his iPhone as he waited for his date to arrive at the cafe. Instagram, News, Stocks, Reddit—none of them had anything new. Occasionally, he would take sips from the mug of over-steeped Earl Grey he ordered forty-five minutes before. It was lukewarm but he didn’t hate it. However, he couldn’t find it in himself to take a bite of his sesame bagel. It had become hard to chew, and the cream cheese tasted more sour than expected. A Jason Mraz song from the early 2000’s played from a...

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“Catching The Phantom” by Libby Trapp

Submitted to Contest #123

The lights dim and the audience's conversations curtail as they eagerly wait for the play to begin. A loud BANG rings through the expansive theater, and the audience gasps, however, the stage remains dark and unlit. The curtains lie motionless, dripping down to the floor like melting velvet ice cream. The show has not yet begun. That being as it is, then how come a shot rang through the theater? Because it was not part of the act. The day following, the Sunday Weekly was published, listing details about what occurred that...

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“The Deity Of The Opera” by Ajaykrishna Rajesh

Submitted to Contest #123

It was evening already, and Zeus, Apollo and Hades could not reach their seats in the balcony. They were on an official business trip to Earth to check upon the affairs of the mortals, which is not so official anymore. For them, it was a way to escape from Olympus for some time, away from the usual and the monotonous business of sitting on their thrones and yelling at each other. When Hades and Zeus came to a town, they decided to see if the new show on the road is really as good as all the mortals say. “They used to do it so much better in ...

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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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