Episodes

  • THEATER 170: Buttercup and The Case of The Ruptured Duck
    Jun 4 2025

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    Buttercup is a detective in the big city. A woman has been abandoned by her husband, who has absconded with their funds. All the woman has left is a statue of a duck. She’s hiring Buttercup to locate her husband (and her money). But Buttercup is finding that the duck comes with strings attached.

    Rachel Berney Needleman directs a cast that includes Maureen Davis as Buttercup, Annette Homewood as the Wife, Nathan Smythe as the Husband, and Kenajuan Bentley as the noirish Narrator.

    Ned Eckhardt is the playwright. A professor of television and documentary production at Rowan University, he has produced and directed 16 documentaries. His previous plays include IMP, Redbone, and Porky C.


    Support the show

    Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

    Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

    There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...

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    14 mins
  • THEATER 169: A Woman's Worth
    May 28 2025

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    Set in the Winslow home in 1935, a wife and mother of five is pregnant again, but she is keenly aware that something is very wrong with this pregnancy.

    Bernadette Armstrong directs a cast that includes Ayla Rose Barreau as Mary, Gilbert Glenn Brown as James, Omari Williams as Doctor #1, and David Purdham as Doctor #2.

    Melissa May Curtis is the playwright. Her play The Deal was warmly received at the 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival. She starred in the Netflix series Pet Stars.

    Support the show

    Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

    Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

    There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...

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    15 mins
  • THEATER 168: Small Cat Negotiable
    May 21 2025

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    Looking for a new apartment together is a great way to get to know somebody and their existential despair.

    Bernadette Armstrong directs Kim Hlavac as Kathleen, Michael Fletcher as Jeremy, and Barika Phillips Bell as the Rental Agent.

    Nino Greene is the playwright. The recipient of an MFA from San Francisco State University, his previous plays include You Don’t Have to Cry and The Undecided Voters of Ballard County, Kentucky, c. 1856.

    Support the show

    Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

    Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

    There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...

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    10 mins
  • THEATER 167: Diamonds Are a Girl's Best...?
    May 14 2025

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    A man is exceptionally devoted to his mother….much to the chagrin of his wife. No spoilers here, but a diamond is involved.

    Mimi Kmet directs Grey Gable, Ashley Taylor, and David Baer.

    Charles Simon is the playwright. A graduate of University of Wisconsin and Jewish Theological Seminary, his previous plays include The Wine Club, Backwards, and Therapisssts.

    Support the show

    Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

    Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

    There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...

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    12 mins
  • THEATER 166 - Penny Slots Part 4: Ladies’ Visit to Vero Beach VA Hospital.,
    May 7 2025

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    This is the fourth in a series of audio comedies featuring the Penny Slots, a trio of mature ladies who somehow find themselves doing heroic deeds and saving the day when thrown into dangerous adventures.

    The three superheroines are back by popular demand.

    In Theatre 80, Part Three; Ladies Fly Home To Vero Beach, Penny Slots Ladies, Kay, Marie and Helen handed in “their wings” after saving their plane from crashing when the pilot fell unconscious from narcolepsy, therefore retiring from the duty of saving lives and returning to live their calm lives in their hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, until...... Kay’s husband Bill winds up in the VA hospital after a very freak “accident”. All ladies are visiting in Bill’s hospital room when a catastrophic “event” occurs to cause the women to jump back into action and put on their heroine costumes one more time. Are they successful this time? Will they land on the front page of the Florida Herald and make the national news? Have a listen to Part 4, Ladies Visit To Vero Beach VA Hospital, and see if the paparazzi show up to witness another incredible act of heroism or maybe not.

    Kim Hlavac writes and directs the lovely cast of Carole Goldman, Marla Cotovsky and Goreti da Silva as the Penny Slots, featuring Googy Gress as Bill and Brad David Reed as Archie.

    Playwright-Director Kim Hlavac graduated from SUNY Purchase and performed in various plays in New York, on TV, and in commercials. Her recent acting credits for Open-Door Playhouse include roles in Remembrance and Small Cat Negotiable.

    Support the show

    Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

    Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

    There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...

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    13 mins
  • THEATER 165: Jump or Fall
    Apr 30 2025

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    A desperate man and woman accidently choose the same bridge to bring their troubles to an end and realize they may have found what they’ve been missing in each other, but is it too little too late?

    Yunyi Zhu directs Christine Uhebe as Alina and Larry Coleman as Harris.

    Rich Nagle is the playwright. He’s a musician and songwriter active in the Washington State area who also writes screenplays.

    Support the show

    Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

    Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

    There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...

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    34 mins
  • THEATER 164: The Note In The Wall
    Apr 14 2025

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    In Jerusalem, at the Western Wall, a traumatized Israeli soldier gets into a debate with a rabbi about prayer notes stuck into cracks in the Wall, while nearby air raid sirens wail a warning.

    Bernadette Armstrong directs Gary Lamb and Dennis Gersten.

    Peter Prizel is the playwright. He is the author of two fiction books, The Fermented
    Savior and An Angelic Folly. He also writes poetry. Based in Bedford Falls, New York, he received a Master’s Degree from Fordham University.

    Support the show

    Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

    Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

    There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...

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    13 mins
  • THEATER 163: The Little Match Girl Isn't Going to Die
    Apr 2 2025

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    The classic tale of The Little Matchstick Girl is beloved, but also...depressing? That's why the protagonist has decided to take matters into her own hands. Can she avoid her tragic fate without derailing her entire story? A comedy about rewriting your own narrative.

    Bernadette Armstrong directs Gloria Tsai as The Little Match Girl, Matthew Scott
    Montgomery
    as The Duke, and Matt Foyer as The Narrator.

    Kevin B. is the playwright. His most recent play, The Jelly Bean, was a selection at the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. His other plays include American Strippers, Does It Rain on Mars?,, James Franco and Me: An Unauthorized Satire, Kill the Virgin, The Italian Wife, We Ride at Dawn or Whenever, Beautiful Beautiful Cleopatra, and more. He is also an actor, director and producer.

    Support the show

    Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.

    Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.

    There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...

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    9 mins
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