The New Hampshire Community Theatre Association’s one-act play festival will take place on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Concord City Auditorium, located at 2 Prince Street in Concord, NH. Four one-act plays, each under 60 minutes, will be performed and then adjudicated in one afternoon. The best production will represent New England at the American Association of Community Theatres’ national one-act play festival in June 2027. The first performance is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. Please note that once a show starts, the doors are closed an no entry to the theatre will be allowed — the doors will be open in between shows. Tickets are $20 apiece, and will be available for purchase at the door beginning at 10:00 a.m. on the day of performance (September 12).
The Players’ entry in the festival is The Forgiving Time, a one-act play written and directed by Matt Mutrie. The cast consists of Chris Connell and Julia Kehr; Marilyn Slater is the stage manager. The Forgiving Time is about Phil and Evie: a father and daughter who recently lost Phil’s wife (Evie’s mother), who had passed away from ovarian cancer. Evie is an art student in her 20’s and Phil, in his late 50’s, is a carpenter, who has had a serious drinking problem in the past. Phil hasn’t seen or heard from Evie in about 5 months and she did not go to her mother’s funeral. The play takes place at their house in the afternoon after the funeral.
In addition to the Players, three other theatre organizations are participating. The order of performances will be:
1. Nashua Theatre Guild presenting: The House on the Hill off the Boulevard at the End of the Sidewalk
2. Community Players of Concord, NH presenting: The Forgiving Time
3. Bedford Off Broadway presenting: Sammy’s Game
4. Actorsingers (Nashua) presenting: Flustercluck — the Real Henhousewives of New Jersey
