Black Hills Community Theatre Play Contest

Deadline: September 30, 2026
The Black Hills Community Theatre (BHCT) in Rapid City, South Dakota is holding a play contest for their “Discovery Series” project in February 2027. Our goal with the Discovery Series is an opportunity to engage with theatre pieces valued for their history, relevance to our community, connection to other fields, or unique approach. Ranging from foundational theatre classics to innovative new works, the discovery series is about shedding light on new perspectives, ideas, and ways of making theatre.

Each play will be read and receive feedback by at least three members of a panel with a background in theatre and/or writing. The panel will be using a rubric to ensure each play is getting adequate and consistent feedback. The selected play will be performed as a reading for BHCT’s Discovery Series project in February 2027.

The winner will be selected by the panel no later than December 4, 2026. We welcome the opportunity for the winner to attend the performance and engage in a brief talk-back afterwards.

SUBMISSION CRITERIA
Must be an adult residing in South Dakota
One submission per playwright
PDF or Word files only
$5 submission fee to enter. Please use this link: Donate
- Once you have entered the amount and selected your form of payment, there is a “Write a note (Optional)” section. Please write “For Play Contest Submission Fee” before you hit the “Donate Now” button.
Please include a cover page with title, playwright’s name, email, and phone number
Playwright’s name should not appear on any other page of the script
Please submit by emailing BHCT Education & Outreach Director: [email protected]

PLAY CRITERIA
Full length works ranging from 1-2 hours
Any genre accepted
No published works
No musical projects
Actor limit of 2-12 (doubling accepted)
Consistently formatted (or here’s the link to standard formatting Free Downloadable Script Formats for Plays and Musicals | Dramatists Guild )
Rewrites allowed after selection, but not required
Please follow PG-13 guidelines for language

TIMELINE
Submission Deadline: September 30, 2026
Panel Reading & Feedback Deadline: November 30, 2026
Winner Selected and Notified by: December 4, 2026
January: Playwrights will receive their feedback sheets
Performance Date: February 26, 2026

​Broken Lemons Meets Every Other Wednesday from 6:30-8:30pm

Every other Wednesday evening, the Broken Lemons Playwriting Group gathers to share new work among the group. New work is read by the group, offering playwrights the opportunity to hear their work read aloud. The group serves as a support system for playwrights, giving feedback and encouragement. 

Meet the Lemons

Al Christenson

What originally began as the dress-rehearsal and headshot photographer for a small non-profit theatre company in Northern California gradually became a more-involved participation in acting and eventually, in learning more about writing. Acting credits include Sagot in Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Cabby in Harvey, Rev. Dr. Harper in Arsenic and Old Lace, and The Sheriff in Romeo & Juliet.   With a few plays in progress and writing Tom Tenor in the 2019 24 Hour Theatre at BHCT, he is “hooked” on the freedom and the challenge of writing and thoroughly enjoys the comradery of the group in Broken Lemons. It is exciting to read and hear some of the interesting and humorous creations of the other “Lemons” in the group.

Lindsey Clouse

Lindsey Clouse was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and has lived in South Dakota for twelve years. She earned her B.A. in linguistics at the University of Kentucky and her M.A. in language and rhetoric at South Dakota State University, and she currently teaches writing at Black Hills State University. Her first book, an analysis of Hollywood’s treatment of stigmatized dialects in mainstream film, is scheduled for publication in 2022. In her free time, Lindsey loves hiking in the Black Hills with her four dogs.

Heidi Dehn

Heidi Dehn has always been drawn to the written word. She loves being able to create worlds and see them come to life on the stage. She is particularly fond of absurdism and wit and enjoys the works of Albee, Ruhl, and Wilde. Plays allow for unique examination of life and Heidi aims to see the world from as many angles as possible in her work. 

Lloyd Potter

Lloyd Potter began playwriting around six years ago and has been a member of the Broken Lemons since its inception.  In 2019 he participated in the 24 Hour Playwriter Festival where his ten-minute play, Sense and the Tenor, was performed.  The past two years, he has been commissioned to write the one-act plays which St. Thomas More High School performed at the regional one-act play competition: Fruit Stand in 2021 and Mr. Thompson’s Farewell in 2022.  In January, 2022, his show, Quattour Equites, (The Four Horsemen), was read as part of the New Play Development Series.

Interested in joining the Broken Lemons? Email [email protected]

Check out previous Broken Lemons productions featured as part of the
​
​New Play Development Series.

Directed by Shannon Truax

Playwrights: 
Lindsey Clouse, Heidi Dehn, Ryan Koch & Nick Weyrich, Patti Martinson, and Lloyd Potter

Cast:
Anna Auchampach, Dane Floyd, Laree Mayes, Bill McDevitt, Dakota Morgan, Jonasia Nance, Tom Powers, and Shareece Tatum

"Making Lemonade: A New Play Development Showcase" shows the work of six members of our Broken Lemons Playwriting Group, eight actors, and a director as they present five original short plays.

"Interludes" - Patti Martinson
"Unlucky in Love" - Nick Weyrich and Ryan Koch
"Falling in Love" - Heidi Dehn
"Psychic Detective" - Lloyd Potter
"Loop" - Lindsey Clouse

*This production contains adult language.*