Each year, Mountain Community Theater (MCT) hosts New Works Weekend (NWW), an annual celebration of local storytelling featuring brand-new, original short plays written, directed and performed by members of the community.
Past events have focused on just a few plays, allowing audiences to get a glimpse into the playwright’s burgeoning idea for a production. This year, NWW is expanding its format, with each performance consisting of eight 10-minute plays, much like the “8 Tens @ 8” festival in Santa Cruz.
MCT’s New Works Weekend runs from Friday, Aug. 14, through Sunday, Aug. 16; Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m. and the Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m. After each performance at Park Hall in Ben Lomond, there will be a talkback with the writers, directors and readers.
The 2026 NWW plays include:
- “Beyond the Beyond and Beyond” by Robin Lasser, where the main character will delve into the airwaves as a guest psychic on a radio show and contact the beyond. Lasser was raised in San Jose, but her summers were spent in Capitola. She was an English major and worked as a sales manager for over 30 years; she returned to Capitola 23 years ago and is thrilled to be part of NWW.
- Patrick True presents “On the Haunt,” where a shy music teacher accidentally conjures up the Ghost of Mae West. True has been living in Santa Cruz County since 1985 and is retired from UCSC. He is currently enjoying free time to perform 1970s rock songs and is now branching out to write stage and screen scripts.
- “Starry Starry Night” is Hannah Eckstein’s comic farce about two sisters sharing stories around a campfire in the African bush. Eckstein is an actress and director at MCT and a board member with Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre, directing and performing with them for over 10 years and has degrees in drama and psychology.
- Tiffany Cesarin’s “Hearts That Matter” envelops viewers in a dark comedy about a family drama. Cesarin is a registered nurse and professor in the Nursing Department at Cabrillo College. She is also a local actor and dancer who has recently added writing to her creative pursuits.
- In Paola Bruni’s “Sense of Direction,” Officer Lenny Green, the “Dancing Cop of Brooklyn” finds himself in a difficult situation when his wife Alice escapes from Cypress Village Memory Care and discovers him directing traffic — what else could go wrong?
- “Eavesdropping” by Juanita Usher is a hilarious chance encounter in a department store dressing room that leads to some truths being revealed. Usher is a retired bilingual teacher currently living on an urban farmette in Santa Cruz. She has been writing for over 50 years, enjoys working in multiple genres and is always delighted when her work gets published. This is her first play.
- Linda Gunther’s script, “Back to the Suture,” is a raucous comedy set in a doctor’s office, where a female college student impersonates her late father Dr. Suture. The twist? Dr. Suture can go back in time! Gunther is the author of six published suspense novels and her memoir, “A Bronx Girl.” Her other short plays have been performed in New York, Napa Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Finally, “Once Upon a Time Change” is written by one of MCT’s founders, Rita Wadsworth, co-authored by Carolyn Hyatt. It’s a romp in the throne room with Old King Cole and his court jester.
Featured readers include MCT veteran actors Naomi Bowers, Tiffany Cesarin, Shireen Doyle, Hannah Eckstein, Korrine Fitz, Dusty Harker, Scott Hawklyn, Robin Lasser, David Leach, MaryAnn LoBalbo and Patrick True.
Leach, who just had a starring role in Scott Deal’s “Desperado” film, is a huge fan of the short play genre, and can be found in two different plays: playing Jonathon in “Hearts That Matter” and Old King Cole in “Once Upon a Time Change.”
“What I like about participating in New Works Weekend is the opportunity to share a local playwright’s story with a live audience. The value, to the writer, of hearing their words in the mouths of actors, and to hear how an audience responds to them, is a critical piece in the process of crafting new, high quality plays for our local audience. Without this step, these writers miss an essential part of their writing development,” Leach said. “I have really enjoyed being a part of that festival for the past four years, so this represents the coming together of two of Santa Cruz County’s best community theater production companies, in my opinion.”
Korrine Fitz, a newcomer to NWW, said, “I am excited to participate as it will be my first staged reading. Thanks to my friend and colleague Tiffany Cesarin, I will be in her play, ‘Hearts That Matter,’ and in ‘Eavesdropping’ by Juanita Usher. Ironically, the characters I play in each piece are feisty and self-absorbed upper class women. I’m delighted to be back at MCT after appearing in ‘Something Rotten’ three years ago, and I look forward to this new opportunity.”
Cessarin of Soquel is all in on being part of this year’s performances.
“While I adore sitting in the audience and watching a great story unfold, nothing quite compares to the thrill of being on stage and connecting with the audience. I’m also the playwright behind ‘Hearts That Matter,’ a story depicting the emotional journey between an estranged father and daughter,” Cessarin said. “This is my first produced one-act play, and I am looking forward to feedback from the audience — hoping the story resonates deeply, or at the very least, brings great entertainment.”
For ticket information or to learn more about New Works Weekend and the playwrights, visit mctshows.org/current-show.
