Category: Uncategorized

LGBTQ+ Best Scene Reading: REFRACTORY, by Avalon Penrose

When a 28-year-old high school teacher tries to leave behind her wild past, she’s forced to choose between staying at rock bottom, or the slightly less terrible option: getting help.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Val Cole
Bartender: Shawn Devlin
Emma; Elizabeth Rose Morriss

LGBTQ+ Festival Best Scene: ESQUISSE OF AFFLICTION, by Zicheng Li

DANNY, a 23-year-old college graduate, returns to his childhood home in Monterey, California, following the sudden passing of his Mother, LORRAINE. After the funeral, Danny, his sister KATY, returned from LA, and their Dad, WAYNE talk about their plans for the immediate future. They run into GAIL, Lorraine’s former colleague, who has found Lorraine’s body at home. She tells Danny and Katy that Lorraine has some stuff left in her office, advising them to pick it up sometime.

CAST LIST:
Narrator: Val Cole
Lorraine: Hannah Ehman
Danny: Shawn Devlin

LGBTQ+ Festival Best Scene: DISTANT LIGHTNING, by David Mills

When a shipwreck leaves two teenage boys stranded on a remote island, survival binds them together—but as their connection deepens into first love, they must face the impossible question of what happens to that bond if they ever return to the world they came from.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Val Cole
Michael: Geoff Mays
Ethan: Shawn Devlin

LGBTQ+ Festival Best Scene: BEYOND THE ARC, by David Mills

In a devout Kentucky town where masculinity and reputation define belonging, high school basketball star Brady Miller has his future mapped out—until his growing feelings for his best friend and teammate, Josh, begin to surface. When a private moment crosses an unspoken line, the fallout is immediate and brutal, fracturing their relationship and exposing Brady to the judgment of his team, his family, and his community. As isolation, pressure, and violence close in around him, Brady is forced to confront the truth he’s spent his life avoiding and decide whether to keep performing the life expected of him or risk everything to live honestly.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Elizabeth Rose Morriss
Grinder Guy: Geoff Mays
Brady: Sean Ballantyne
Announcer: Shawn Devlin