The Plays
This year, we will present two programs, Montana Short Cuts, our night of ten-minute plays, plus The Indys a suite of short pieces. Additionally, an encore performance of the film of last year's show How to Poison... will be screened. See the schedule for more info.
Montana Short Cuts
Castles in the Sand - Rebecca Ryland
It's hard to make friends when you're ashamed.
Chrysalis - Greg Younger
A neighbor gets a lesson in trust.
Killing Pollyanna - Pamela Mencher
Does a focus on staying safe at all costs kill hope?
Mittens: An Operetta - Barry Stambaugh
A campfire ode to a cat.
The Heart is not Hidden, The Mind is Laid Bare - Steve Palmer
When much passion blind you to what's important.
The Lobbyist - Ross Peter Nelson
How the law can be changed, bit by bit.
The Sound Effect - Chantal Marie
Learning to live life after lockdown.
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The Indys
When Nana Hit the Glass - Rebecca Ryland
A spoiled child has to grow up.
Stagehand - Steve Palmer
Between acts, a stagehand gets the spotlight.
InSight - various
New poetry from local writers.
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How to Poison ... - Ross Peter Nelson
Robespierre and Guevara are reincarnated as cats!
The Writers
Greg Younger is a founding member of LCNPF and a journeyman actor and writer of stage and screen. On screen, he’s appeared in Fear the Knight, The Bonnie Situation, Who killed Rock Cobin, and Plain Clothes as well as Madonna’s Bad Girl video. On stage he has appeared as Dracula and other characters, including Scrooge in a production of A Christmas Carol that toured with Barry Williams (Greg Brady) and Taxi’s Jeff Conaway. His plays have seen productions in NYC, Seattle, Phoenix, Denver, here and elsewhere.
Rebecca Ryland holds an MFA in Acting/Directing and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. She has performed in Equity theatre and directed professionally for the past 30 years. Her plays have been produced off-Broadway, at colleges & universities and at community theatres across the U.S. and Canada. She is the owner of Heartland Plays, Inc. and the founder of ETC.
Steven Palmer is an actor, playwright, and ceramic artist. He has a degree in Art and Theatre from MSU. His works have been produced in Montana and Washington, and he has appeared as an actor in productions by Grand Street Theatre and Helena Theatre Company.
Ross Peter Nelson has participated in every LCNPF since 2016. He has a creative writing MFA at the University of New Orleans and his work has appeared on three continents and won awards in Washington, Nevada, and Louisiana. In addition to his dramatic work, he has published two computer books and short fiction. He is an associate producer of the Last Chance New Play Fest and president of Raven's Feather Productions.
Barry Stambaugh moved to Helena in 2014 from Austin, Texas with his partner Vicki, who’s from Butte. Barry has acted in several Grandstreet plays, and in the Fest, including Ross Peter Nelson’s Colter’s Hell. Mittens is Barry’s 6th produced Short Cut. Big thanks and hugs to Vicki
Pamela Jamruszka Mencher returns to Big Sky Country after working as a college professor and arts advocate in Colorado. As a playwright, actor, director, producer, costume, lights and set designer, and with over twenty-seven of her plays performed throughout the United States, she has received many awards recognizing her playwriting, teaching and professional theater careers. Pamela serves as the Montana Playwrights Network President and Executive Director of the Helena Avenue Theatre. Pamela lives in Clancy with her husband, Jordan.
Chantal Marie has written, directed and produced commercials, short films, a web series for children, and educational films. With filmmaker Victoria Rose Sampson she produced, wrote and directed a variety of projects. Her black-and- white, 35-mm short film, Kartenspieler, toured the festival circuit and aired on Public Television in San Diego and San Francisco. She has written and directed commercials and is a member of the Alliance of Women Directors.