(photo by Geoffrey Gread)

Written by Zack Johnston

The best thing for any developing theater artist is to have a good support system, and for anyone in Orange County looking to earn their chops in playwriting, the OC Playwrights Alliance is here to help. Going back almost 30 years, the group offers writers a space to share their work and opportunities to showcase what they’ve developed.

After speaking with four of OCPA’s board members, it’s clear that the group aims to not only improve as individual writers but also to improve the greater OC theater scene and keep it buzzing with new creativity. The range of backgrounds within these four writers is a testament to how a great storyteller can come from anywhere.

Lily Edwards and Paul Burt OCPA Discoveries staging of John Franceschini’s One Second Chance (Newport Theatre Arts Center, 2019) – photo by Geoffrey Gread

Paula Fell joined OCPA a few years ago and got her start while working the game booths at the Renaissance Fair. She enjoyed the short comedic plays produced there and decided to take a crack at writing one herself—a tongue-in-cheek comedy based on The Wife of Bath’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer—but was admittedly unaware of the challenges involved.

“There’s one time when ignorance really worked out well because I kept thinking, ‘I could do that!’ And if I really knew more about it, I would never have tried,” Fell explained.

However, ignorance really was bliss in this instance. Her play ended up running throughout the course of the fair that year, and she eventually got more involved in local theater companies before becoming a OCPA member.

Other members like Baylee Shlichtman and OCPA director Eric Eberwein entered the theater world simply out of the need for college credits and found playwriting to be a good creative outlet. While their paths were a bit more academic, they experienced their own challenges, too. Eberwein recalled the struggles of first getting started without any practical stage experience.

“I tried to enter theater as a playwright, which is a little like trying to enter a house through the dog door. It’s not the recommended path, not the best way in,” Eberwein said.

Despite the rough entry, Eberwein quickly learned his way into the field and ultimately became the head of the playwright’s alliance, leading a group of about 25 fellow-minded theater artists seeking constructive resources for writing.

Veronica Elena Holley and Jo Black in the OCPA Discoveries staging of John Franceschini’s Trapped in Limbo (Newport Theatre Arts Center, 2017) – photo by Geoffrey Gread

According to Shlichtman, anyone living in OC who wants to become a member can submit a fully-written play of any length to the board for review. Members attend monthly meetings to share work and offer feedback, plus get notified of submission opportunities, which are sometimes exclusive to OCPA members. Annual membership is $80, and requests for accommodations can be made for those experiencing financial hardship.

Craig Holland has been a member for about the past six years, serves as board treasurer, and comes from an interesting background as a songwriter in the Nashville country music scene. He then went on to co-found a video game company where he started composing music for some of the games.

2024 cohort – AJ Layague, Vita Muccia, Cara Sanchez, and Anatalia Vallez. Facilitated by OCPA’s @bshlichtman and co-facilitated by OCPA’s @nthurkettle and The Wayward Artist’s @aung_khine_min_.

Holland is also managing director for The Wayward Artist theater company in Santa Ana, and has played a major role in producing the annual 10-minute play festival JU1CE. He and other OCPA members have benefitted from the partnership and have been able to showcase their original works on stage. OCPA also offers other chances to showcase full-length and one-act plays throughout the year.

For those looking for a more personalized experience working through a new piece, OCPA offers the EMBARK cohort in partnership with The Wayward Artist. Shlichtman leads the program this year, working with four young playwrights developing brand-new plays. During monthly meetings, each writer gets one hour to go through new material and receive feedback.

“Everyone should be on the lookout for when we put up those plays at stage readings in November because they’re going to be amazing! These playwrights are so cool, and I get to just facilitate their words,” Shlichtman said.

Pirates vs. Leprechauns @ Wayward Artist (2023) nominated for the Outstanding New Work Award by the Orange County Theatre Guild.

This year, Shlichtman was one of the recipients of OCPA’s Erica Bennett Playwriting Prize for her play, The House of Flightless Birds. The award recognizes one drama and one comedy from one of the alliance members each year. It’s another way the organization highlights the work of its members and seeks to stay active within local theater companies.

Later this summer, The Wayward Artist will present Holland’s original family-friendly musical Birdbrain, followed by another Erica Bennett Prize-winner from Eberwein called Peace Be With You.

Each of these writers helps prove that Orange County’s next great playwright can truly come from any circumstance, given the right kind of support. To stay up to date with all of OCPA’s activities and to learn more about joining, visit them online and look for their submission page.

Website: http://www.ocplaywrights.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ocplaywrights/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ocplaywrightsalliance/