The winners of the Meanwhile Park Playwright Prizes for 2026 and 2027 have been selected.
Chosen after reviewing over 275 submissions, the winner of the 2026 prize is Matthew Ivan Bennett's play "A French Toast", which will be directed by Jason Bowcutt.
Bennett describes the show as a romcom, saying, "A straitlaced middle-aged woman is devastated when her ex-husband gets remarried in the gorgeous countryside of Southern France, but after she meets the jaded yet charming manager of a B&B there's no time to lick her wounds as her values are thrown to the wind, her relationship with her daughter is battered, and she must choose between her old life and a possible new one."
The play runs July 9 to July 19 and audiences will experience an evening of drinks and snacks and theater, all included in the ticket price.
The 2027 play will be "Two Four Six Eight, Who Do We Resuscitate" by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend, who is based in Chicago. The director for that show will be announced soon.
Dellagiarino Feriend describes the play as follows: "A dead body is brought back to life, ostensibly to improve American vaccination rates, but really to impress the Ivy League."
You can learn more at meanwhilepark.com.
