Our Season
PRT is now the 3rd longest-established theater company in Orlando, behind the Shakespeare Center and the Orlando Family Theater. Not bad for a volunteer-led theater founded in 1997 by 4 folks who just wanted a place to develop their craft!
Please join us this year as we create new plays and new memories.
Launch —- January 23-25,
Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2026
Santos Dantin Studio Theater
The Orlando Shakespeare Center
Premiere 2026
My Neighbors are Spying on Me
by Michael McGuire
April 17-19, 24-26, 2026
Santos Dantin Studio Theater
The Orlando Shakespeare Center
NEW! The PRT Musical
Flaming Volcano Bed and Breakfast by Ned Wilkinson
—- June 19-21, 26-28, 2026
Santos Dantin Studio Theater
The Orlando Shakespeare Center
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Whiskey Theater Factory presents Party To Grief Feb. 13,14,20,21 2026
Imagine Performing Arts Center
launch 2026
ACT 1
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
by Kirk McGee
directed by Mark Graham
SIMON: Joe Kolasa
WINNIE: Paula Espinosa
LION’S DEN
by Ashley Hazzard
directed by Grace Auls
CAROLINE: Ani Henry-Walker
GARREK: Benjamin Mainville
BLUEBERRY ADDERALL
by Regina Hinkley
directed by Chuck Dent
ANNA: Izzy Kaltenbaugh
TRISTAN: Anthony Marando
FORGETTING HOW TO DANCE
by David Strauss
directed by Kaila Cohen
CLARA: Jac LeDoux
SUSAN: Brooke Bates
ACT 2
BETWEEN TWO EXILES
by Mark Velednitsky
directed by Alexander Hehr
LEV: Joe Kolasa
YAKOV: Eric Kuritzky
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
by Frank Shima
directed by Juan Alfonso
HOWARD: Adam Cornett
DIXIE: Izzy Kaltenbaugh
MAYOR FLOOVEN:
Loraine O’Connell
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
by D.L. Siegel
directed by Chuck Dent
LEX: Paula Espinosa
MINA: Kara Parham
DER FROHLICHE WANDERER
by Stephanie Buckley
directed by Bradley Thornton
BOY: Anthony Marando
GIRL: Danielle Burch
Our Team
Juan Alfonso is honored and excited to direct his first play with PRT. He has a Bachelors in Theatre from Florida International University. He has worked on 10 minute plays, one acts like “Dutchman,” full lengths like A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, and even short films. His attention to the most minute details lead to a world that feels lived in and a story he hopes his entire audience can relate to. He has loved working in town at Fringe ArtSpace and the Dr. Phillips Center and looks forward to more creative work in the near future.
Grace Auls is a third year MFA theater graduate student at UCF. She grew up in Ohio and spent most of her life involved in theater, whether as a crew member, actor, or director. Initially an undergrad in acting, she discovered an interest in directing in her second year, and. in grad school discovered a third interest--prop making and design. She hopes to one day soon do all three of these things professionally.
Aaron Babcock is a longtime Board member of PRT, and has teched numerous shows for us. An elder statesman of the Orlando tech community, you’ve probably seen plenty of shows that his former students have worked on.
Brooke Bates is an emerging actor and dedicated artist currently studying theater and dance at Rollins College. She has appeared in the cast ofNowheresville, as well as various dance concerts. With extensive training in the arts throughout her life, Brooke is enthusiastic and passionate about storytelling. She is excited to continue growing as a performer and is thrilled to be working with PRT.
Stephanie Buckley is an English/Theater Arts teacher who started writing plays that celebrate the talents of her students. Her one-act “The Woman’s Land Army” appears in Stage Partners’ It’s Her Say: A Collection of Plays with Strong Female Characters by Awesome Female Drama Teachers. Her short plays, “Graven Images” and “Zoom for the Holidays,” are published by Eldridge Plays and Musicals. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Danielle Burch is excited about making her return to the stage with PRT. She has performed at Fringe Orlando and Fringe New Orleans in How to Eat a Bear, Dr Phillips Center’s Lost Boy, and at Universal Studios in various roles. Danielle wants to thank her boyfriend Anthony Marando for encouraging her to get back into the world of performance.
Kaila Cohen is a director, dramaturg, and teaching artist originally from Sarasota. She is a graduate of Rollins College, holding a BA in theatre arts and a minor in communication studies, and is currently a graduate fellow in the MFA Theatre for Young Audiences program at UCF. Kaila's previous professional credits include work with Florida Studio Theatre, Stage Door Studios, and Orlando Family Stage. She is so excited to participate in her first PRT show!
Adam Cornett has performed in more than 30 shows on various Central Florida stages since 2006, but this is his first time with PRT. He is having fun bringing this new story to audiences and can't wait for more in the future!
Chuck Dent is a playwright, director and actor in his 2nd year as Executive Artistic Director of Playwrights’ Round Table. A general theatrical roustabout, he stays pretty busy with shows all year-round, and by this point has produced more 10-minute plays than just about anyone else in America.
Paula Espinosa is a Mexican-American performer and costumer. Previous regional theatre credits include Rosencrantz (Hamlet) at Timucua Arts, U/S Marela (Anna in the Tropics) at Orlando Shakes, and Vocal Ensemble (Frozen) at Titusville Playhouse, as well as Little Red (Into the Woods), Natalie Goodman (Next to Normal), Wendy Darling (Lost Girl), and Yazmin Ortiz (Water By the Spoonful) at Rollins College. She's excited for her first production with PRT!
Mark Graham has directed over 135 plays and musicals including John O’Hern's Rooster in the Henhouse on Theater Row and Elizabeth Fuller'sMe and Jezebel at The Actor's Playhouse and its revival at the Snapple Theater in New York City. He directed and co-produced Stan Lachow's Harry and Thelma in The Woods in readings with Rue McClanahan and productions at The New Jersey Rep and the Hollywood Playhouse in Florida. Mark was also a producing partner of Tony Award-winning producer Lester Osterman.
Ashley Hazzard is a New York–based playwright, librettist, and author whose work blends empathy-driven storytelling across theater, music, and narrative fiction. She is the creator of The Forestine Chronicles, developed from her debut musical Forestine, which explores the unspoken legacy of the Black middle class during Reconstruction through generational storytelling. Her forthcoming novel Grey is a dark comedy set within an end-of-life simulation. Ashley wrote “Lion’s Den” in response to the racial reckoning of 2020, centering the play on a new interracial couple visiting family for the holidays to examine the difficult conversations many white allies are having—or avoiding—within their own families.
Alexander Hehr is a queer absurdist writer and director, a graduate of the MFA Dramatic Writing program at Missouri State University, and the clown UGLY. A relapsed member of the Dramatist’s Guild of America, his recent productions include Alphabet Soup at Orlando's inaugural Outfest, The Last Breadstick in the Entire Universe at Mariette College, and multiple productions of Biodegradable Seagulls. Notable awards include "Embodiment of the Fest" from Orlando Outfest for Alphabet Soup, and, for Biodegradable Seagulls, a finalist for the John Cauble Short Play Award, Honorable Mention for the 2022 David A. Einhorn Memorial Playwriting Prize, and winner of the National Planet Earth Arts Prize.
Ani Henry-Walker is an actor and model from Central Florida. A recent graduate of Rollins College, Ani has a B.A. in Performance, accompanied by two minors. During her time there, she appeared in plays such as Sweat, Metamorphoses, and A Raisin in the Sun. Along with theatre, Ani also finds joy in film, writing, dancing, fashion, and activism.
Regina Hinkley is a playwright from Martell, Nebraska. Since starting playwriting as an undergrad, she has had work performed in her home state as well as Texas and New York, and she is honored to now add Florida on that list. Once graduated, she hopes to move to Chicago or go to grad school (whichever comes first). Enjoy the show!
Izzy Kaltenbaugh is thrilled to be working with the Playwrights’ Round Table for the first time, and to be able to bring the two original works of “Blueberry Adderall” and “The Middle of Nowhere” to life. She has previously been Samantha/Ensemble in Central Florida Vocal Art’s production of The Ballad of Baby Doe, as well as a Roving Violinist in the Ensemble of Theater West End’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. Outside of theater Izzy is pursuing her graduate degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Central Florida and likes to play pickleball on the weekends. She would like to thank her mom, siblings, friends and everyone who has supported her and pushed her to be her best.
Joe Kolasa is happy to be joining his second production with PRT, having performed most recently in Native Voices in November 2025, as well as Timucua Arts’ Hamlet as Guildenstern and the Gravedigger in May 2025. As always, he’d like to thank his wife, Courtney, for supporting him.
Eric Kuritzky is an actor trained mostly through experience with different directors on various stages throughout Central Florida. He is a veteran of PRT productions, including Summer Shorts and Launch in various plays, including his favorite “West Farms” and as Monsignor Carroll in the Orlando Fringe Festival production of Mercy On The Canvas. Other notable productions include The Mousetrap for Greater Orlando Actors Theatre; The Nerd and Strangers on a Train at Ice House; as Fagin in Oliver!; Sterling in Jeffrey; The Professor in Breaking Legs and Reverend Brown in Inherit the Wind at Theatre Downtown; and Herbie in Gypsy at Osceola Center for the Performing Arts. Commercial and film credits include spokesman work for Motorola, Saturn, Larkin Hospital, an infomercial for financial software that still shows at the wee hours, and a role as a detective in the Oscar winning movie Monster.
Jac LeDoux has been performing and directing for over 40 years throughout the Midwest and East. Jac has brought to life some memorable characters : Sonia in Vanya, Sonia, Masha & Spike (for which she won Best Actress in a Comedy), Grandma in Billy Elliot, Juanita in Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, and Hannah in The Spitfire Grill. Working at Titanic the Experience, Jac wrote, directed and performed for over 12 years, bringing the famous 'Molly' Brown to hundreds of fans! She directed the beautiful Gra, for which she was nominated for best director. She also won Best Comedic Actress for Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike. Jac loves working on brand new pieces.
Banjamin Mainville is excited to be back on the PRT stage for Launch 2026. Previous credits include Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion (Shaggy/Scooby Doo), Reefer Madness (Ralph), Biloxi Blues (Eugene), and “If I Had My Way” (Ty). He is a proud supporter of local theater and grateful for your attendance today!
Anthony Marando is pleased to once again be a part of the PRT family. On a normal work day you can find him playin' the Blues or howlin' at the moon at Universal Orlando. He'd like to thank his friends, parents and Danielle for their continued love and support.
Kirk McGee is an award-winning actor with a background in clowning, whose career spans theater, film, and television. As a playwright, McGee creates funny, loose-limbed theatrical performances anchored by the notion that it is our flaws and follies that unite us rather than divide us. His works have been produced Off-Broadway and regionally around the country. Recently, McGee was awarded a Cafe Royal Cultural Foundation Performance Grant for his solo show, "The Honorable Herbert Peabody."
Loraine O’Connell has been performing in Central Florida’s community theaters for more than 30 years. Some of her favorite shows include Bye Bye Birdie at the Ice House Theatre; Da at Theatre Downtown; Something Borrowed at Breakthrough Theatre Co.; Coming Soon…Maybe with Emerald Productions; and PRT’s Native Voices production of “Paper or Plastic.”
Kim Schlein began acting and working in technical theatre over twenty-five years ago, discovering a lifelong love for storytelling onstage and behind the scenes. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Film and has worked professionally as a coordinator, scenic artist, set dresser, prop maker, costumer, and special effects makeup artist. Her work includes projects for Universal Destinations & Experiences on Halloween Horror Nights, The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular, Mardi Gras, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Nintendo.
Kara Shears has had the good fortune to act in several plays and films in her free time. She is excited to be a part of Launch 2026: Promises, Promises. She participatedVoices: Gator Bites in 2025, and is grateful to be working again with such an amazing production team.the day, she works in Human Resources.
Frank Shima is a native of Minnesota who in addition to being a playwright has written four novels: Vencil, Dead Letter, Plim Creek, and Lying in the Weeds. His plays have been performed throughout the United States in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Long Island, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Ohio, and in England and Wales where he learned not to use unleaded gas in a diesel engine. He is a member of the Playwrights’ Center, the organization that was PRT’s inspiration.
D.L. Siegel is an internationally produced playwright who received her BA in English and Theater from Princeton University and her MFA in Playwriting from The New School for Drama. She is currently the Playwright Mentor for Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre’s Women's Playwright Collective. Based in Brooklyn with her writer husband, D.L. splits her time between writing and being a #WomanInTech. dlsiegel.com
David Strauss has been part of the PRT circle for over 15 years, involved in dozens of productions as a playwright, director, producer and actor. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and has had multiple short plays published and performed nationally, with two named among the Best Short Plays of the Year by Smith & Kraus. He is co-owner of The Kitty Beautiful, downtown Orlando's cat café.
Bradley Thornton is a director and actor based in Orlando, FL. He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and his focus lies in the development of new works. Recent credits include Shifted (Alex), The Haunted Road Drive-Thru Experience (Director), The Underground Game(Director), and Of Hawks and Sparrows (Director). He would like to thank his family and friends for their endless support.
Mark Velednitsky is an actor, director, and (more recently) writer based near Seattle. When not doing theater, he is an AI researcher. This is his first short play receiving a full production. He is incredibly grateful to PRT for this opportunity and thanks the talented cast and brilliant director for bringing this piece to life. He dedicates this work to his grandmother: Brenda.
PRODUCTION CREW
ARTISTIC DIR/SOUND….……..…Chuck Dent
TECH DIRECTOR/LIGHTS…..….Aaron Babcock
RUN CREW…………Adam Cornett, Kim Schlein
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO AD…..Kim Schlein
SPECIAL THANKS
The PRT Board of Directors, the PRT Reading Committee, all at the Orlando Shakespeare Center, everyone who donated rehearsal space and set pieces and props, all at United Arts of Central Florida, the Jaeke Foundation, the Kitty Beautiful, Ed Anthony, the Brownell Family, Roger Collins, Lara Conn, William Newkirk, Lynne Edinger, Pamela Simon, and YOU, our audience.
This production is ©2026 by Playwrights’ Round Table.
Each play is the intellectual property of its playwright.
The opinions expressed in these plays
are solely those of the playwrights.
Playwrights’ Round Table is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. We welcome your artistic and tax-deductible financial support.
This project is funded in part by United Arts of Central Florida,
home of OrlandoAtPlay.com, UAArtsEd.com,
and by Orange County Government through
the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program.
Venue funded in part by the City of Orlando.
PRT is proud to partner with these organizations.
