The New Play Development Series is 'Pay What You Can'

The New Play Series: Making Lemonade is an exciting opportunity to go behind the curtain and see how new plays progress from the page to the stage. Writing that has been shared and nurtured in BHCT’s playwright’s group (the Broken Lemons) receives a public reading, helmed by a BHCT director, with local actors. Each reading is followed by an extended talkback in which you can share your feedback about these works-in-progress and learn more about the process, from the inside.

Participation in the Broken Lemons, ​which meets bi-weekly, is open to the public as well. You can attend as a writer or as an actor and lend your artistic insights to the creative process.

When Life Hands You Lemons:
​An Evening of Short Plays
Written by The Broken Lemons Playwriting Group
Directed by Nicolas Christenson
Performed on Friday June 10th at 7:30pm in the Studio Theater

Seven local playwrights examine what happens when life presents us with the unexpected and the unwanted. Plays range from absurd comedy to epic disasters, all with plenty of heart.

About the Plays

Lemon Wedges
by Wendy Lowe
Two friends navigate the tricky intersections of friendship, love, and terminal illness over lunch.

When Life Hands You Hockey Pucks
by Lindsey Clouse
Where do you go when you've been hit by a foul ball or a hockey puck? Several fans explore the world of their unconscious when their fandoms put them in comas.

The Brothers Pringle (Based on Events)
​by Ryan Koch & Nick Weyrich
Marty and Ace plan to honor their parents with a memorial tennis tournament, but Ace has lost his love for the game in favor of a newer hobby.

The Trials of Adulthood 
by Nick Christenson
A married couple face the ups and downs of grown up life - plus the inconvenience of a meddlesome neighbor!

If All the Raindrops
by Heidi Dehn
Leon and Lucy face the horrific truth of what would really happen if it rained lemons.

Behind the Music 
​by Lloyd Potter
Everyone dreams about being a rockstar. Mark dares to dream bigger.

The Cast
Andrea Surovek, Lydia Alyea, Pasiensia Lockman, Heidi Dehn, Lynne Mazzone, Larry Harding, Kris Monroe, Taylor Boland, Alejandro Cruz, and Duane Neugebauer.

Some Shows Contain Adult Language and Situations

About the Playwrights

Nick Christenson

Nick Christenson (He/him) has always fancied himself a storyteller. From tales told around campfires to performing on stage, the story is key. He hopes to continue growing his storytelling ability through playwrighting. He loves being in and around Theatres any chance he gets. He received his B.A. from Sonoma State University with a Concentration in Acting and continues to study and learn as often as possible. ​

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 Western Dakota Tech and 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. 

Ryan Koch and Nick Weyrich

Ryan Koch (left) and Nicholas Weyrich (right) were both born in the Black Hills. They both attended high school and college together and they both currently work as Aircraft Mechanics in Rapid City. Nick and Ryan are childhood friends that have always shared an interest in movies of any type, and they have always had grand ideas of what they would do if they could have it their way. After hearing about the Broken Lemons Playwright group, they went to a few meetings and were introduced to the idea of the 10 min play. They have written only one other play together but have the ideas for countless others. 

Wendy Lowe

While I love reading, watching, and acting in plays, I'm basically new to stage writing. I joined Broken Lemons at its inception and have been trying to keep up with this very creative group. I have written several audience-participatory murder mystery plays in the Denver/Boulder area as well as a few plays for my church while in California. ​

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.

Previous Productions

​Quattuor Equites by Lloyd Potter
Friday, January 14th at 7:30pm in the Studio Theater
​Directed by Ryan Puffer

Quattuor Equites follows the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse through time as they struggle to overcome their dislike of each other and develop friendships that will help them in their mission to dispense misery and despair upon all of humanity until the End of Days.

​Cast: Nicolas Christenson (Death), Joshua Porto (War), Lynne Mazzone-Olness (Famine), Alejandro Cruz (Pestilence), Heidi Dehn (Poo-ka, Hotel Manager, Ms. Halibut, Dan the Pizza Man, Waitress), Ryan Puffer (Narrator)