FronteraFest, the five-week-long performance festival that ScriptWorks co-produces with Hyde Park Theatre returns next week with performances starting January 13th. The Short Fringe, for pieces 25 minutes or less occurs at Hyde Park Theatre, with four to five shows performing a night. All shows start at 8 PM. We commission four pieces for the Short Fringe, that appear weekly on Wednesday nights. Every year, several of our members are involved in FronteraFest. Below are the members participating in the Short Fringe this year. Mi Casa es Su Teatro also returns this year on February 7th so stay tuned for more information about that. For the full festival line-up and to purchase tickets visit Hyde Park Theatre.
Tuesday, January 13th
Drawings: Scenes of Life, drawn, written, and performed by Marla Porter. The Three-Eyed Sun was written and recorded by Hank Schwemmer.
The Voyager, Unplugged, by Alex Garza. In his latest solo performance, actor and writer Alex Garza performs his original songs. He accompanies himself on a guitar, which he can’t really play, but he tries. He also performs short monologues based on his true-life experiences that inspired the songs. Describing events from his life, ranging from his rocky teenage years to his sometimes rocky, but hopeful adult years, he sincerely shares through song the hills and valleys of his journey.
Wednesday, January 14th
How to Grow a Man by Nicole Cortichiato. (ScriptWorks Commission) An introductory course on the delicate art of growing a man. Soil, pots, and man seeds provided.
Fucking Rehearsal by Haley Malin. Two actors arrive for an emergency rehearsal of their play’s sex scene, only to discover their method-obsessed director’s plans go far beyond what they expect. The festival selection presents the explosive finale of Act 1.
Thursday, January 15th
12 Steps to a More Dysfunctional Part 5: This Time It’s Personal by Rob Nash. This year at FronteraFest, Rob presents Part Two of Dysfunctional 5, a one-man-nightmare of love, faith, sex, addiction, activism, and family denial. Mildred misses sex. Fred misses Marcus. Margot welcomes Matt, just in time for the surprise appearance of Tank, unseen for fifteen years. Reverend Bob struggles to keep his vows intact. Windsong races to raise ten million dollars for early childhood development while Moonbird commits to helping women cross state lines for safe abortion care. Ashley steals Billy’s gun. Father Freddie considers walking away from the priesthood. And the twins keep their secret as they stare at their unborn child on a sonogram.
One family. One night. No one gets out untouched.
Friday, January 16th
He Said, She Said, by Camden Factor. This fresh, young play cuts to the nerve of how truth gets forged in real time, who controls the narrative, and what happens when teenagers are pushed to choose not what’s true, but what’s survivable. In a world where status is fragile, attraction and power decide what accountability looks like after the “headline moment” passes—and what consequences remain. https://hesaid-shesaid.org/
Tuesday, January 20th
Texas Book of Beasts: Year of the Skink by Jeff Irvin. Comic melodrama where a twentysomething woman hero learns to organize diverse elements of the community (including the audience) to save the habitat of an endangered toad from a large development. With signs and clickers. Parental warning: implied amphibian sex.
Wednesday, January 21st
An Introduction to Software Development, by Nick Ivons (ScriptWorks Commission). Step into our world and learn how the sausage gets made.
The Inspector’s Gift, by Raymond V. Whelan. One pesky Montreal police officer intrudes upon a young married couple in their home during the October 1970 crisis which involved the Front Du Liberation Quebec, British Trade Commissioner James Cross, and Quebec Deputy Premier Pierre LaPorte.
One Day on the Camino, by Rupert Reyes, with Lesley Clark. In the summer of 2025, I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain and came across a pilgrim from England. It was a day of struggle, a day of empathy, a day of compassion, and a day of shared experiences. This is a moment I’ll never forget. I feel that the experience was an answer to a question that I am continuing to explore.
Thursday, January 22nd
Maria’s Breath, by Christian Huey. Short bio-play about the life of Belarusian political prisoner Maria Kalesnikava.
Friday, January 23rd
A Reunion, by Lance Elliot Osborne, Directed by Zell Miller III. On an early morning phone call, two former classmates—one Black, one White—reconnect for the first time in 50 years. What begins as a simple high school reunion invitation unfolds into an unflinching, tender conversation about race, memory, and what was left unsaid. A Reunion explores how old wounds, deep truths, and unexpected kinship can emerge in the most ordinary moments.
VERNAL ROOST, a short parable play by Candyce L Rusk. On the evening of the Vernal Equinox high above a gigundo H-E-B parking lot, sharp-tongued grackles convene and consider vengeance on the human beans below. VERNAL ROOST premiered at TUBU Fest (2025), was selected for Miami’s City Theatre’s curated short play reading series in October 2025, now returns with most of the original TUBU cast under the direction of Insha Iqbal.
Tuesday, January 27th
I Loved You Ever, by Pablo Munoz-Evers. A moment of Hamlet, re-imagined.
Mystery of the Super-Sparkly Diamond, by Alex Garza. This comedic solo performance pays tribute to the mystery and detective stories from novels and films. A necklace has been stolen, and it is up to Detective Bryson Jones to solve the mystery. Join Alex Garza as he performs a wacky collection of characters in a show to be enjoyed by all.
Wednesday, January 28th
Seize Me, by Liz Ross (ScriptWorks Commission). Henly takes us on their journey with epilepsy from childhood to adulthood. She shines a light on the ripple effect her seizures have on those around her and how it impacts her relationships.
Thursday, January 29th
The Jane Byrne Stream of Conscience, by Raymond V. Whelan. The first female mayor of Chicago delivers her inaugural address in poetic fashion.
The Luddites, by Marty Shambles. A play about job automation.
Friday, January 30th
Real Americans, by Christa French and Laura Freeman. A satirical musical comedy wherein Modern American Man visits the circus!
Through the Woods, a staged reading written and performed by Pamela L. Paek and Tristan Young Mercado, narrated by Jonna Juul-Hansen. Some would call us over the hill, but we ain’t goin’ to grandmother’s house like the song says. We’re going where most won’t. We’re talking burning bridges and saying what needs to be said. In the ways things need to be said. You’ll learn what it takes to go through the woods. Get ready.
Tuesday, February 3rd
A Friendly Lady, by Max Langert. She used to be a category-five hurricane; now she’s a gentle breeze. The thirty years in between are a blur, and I’m not quite sure how we got here.
Context: A Handbook, by Hank Schwemmer. Solo storytelling, for better or worse.
Wednesday, February 4th
A Great Relief, by Andy Tate (ScriptWorks Commission). It’s 2046, and 75-year-old Don Fraser reckons he’s lived a full life. But how full is full enough? When the government starts offering old folks big bucks to check out early, to ease the strain on the national budget, Don finds himself grappling with the ultimate questions: What is a life well-lived? What’s it all for anyway? And why does cheesecake taste so damn good? Featuring Jeff Bush, Esther Park, Devon Ragsdale, and Kirk Scarbrough. Directed by Jason Sierra.
The Weight, by Norm Ballinger. Exploring relationship with a bag of sand.
Morris & The Road To Spirit – Satan’s POV, written, produced, and directed by Major Black. In this dark comedy, Satan tells the story of a wide-eyed boy from rural Mississippi who searches for himself, musical success, and the answers to life’s big questions. Of course, Satan has other plans for such a bright mind. (Not religious).
Thursday, February 5th
The Manhole, by Max Stern. A short play about a young man forced to face his past loves, traumas, and memories while bouncing a bathroom door at a local gay bar.
Are You Seeing Anyone? by Rhonda Kulhanek. With biting honesty and playful confidence, Rhonda takes aim at society’s quiet panic over a woman who’s been happily single for decades. Smart, self-aware, and unapologetically funny, she turns awkward curiosity into comedy.
Friday, February 6th
Spyder Bytes, by Brian Wittenbrook. An out-of-work actress and movie “scream queen” gets the opportunity to represent a revolutionary technology that could change the world. To get the job, she may have to give up a souvenir, a part of Hollywood legend James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder—and something much more important to her. Spyder Bytes stars LB Deyo, Kelly Hasandras, Danu Mara, and Brian Wittenbrook.