The Sunflower Troupe’s third annual Sunflower Shorts play festival, set for Friday, Aug. 1 through Sunday, Aug. 3, will present six original short plays by local Four Corners authors, each exploring what can happen in a hotel room in 15 minutes.
The Sunflower Shorts will be held at the Sunflower Theatre, and will feature multiple new directors, including recently named MCHS Student of the Year Shawn McAllister.
McAllister wrote one of the selected shorts and is directing it as well. According to information provided by the Sunflower Theatre, McAllister has experience in eight high school plays, but is new to both playwriting and editing. This is his first time submitting a short for consideration, sharing that he was inspired by this year’s prompt.
“I thought about submitting a play for the last Shorts but never got around to it. This time the prompt piqued my interest,” McAllister said. “It’s really cool that my play was chosen. I’m seeing it come to life in rehearsal, but it is kind of unreal to see the actors performing what I wrote.”
McAllister will reportedly study filmmaking in the fall at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Other directors include Abraham Proffitt, directing “The Haunting in Room 112“; Silvia Fleitz, directing “Tipping Points”; Aaron Lesse, who wrote and is directing “Expressionate”; Hattie Miller, directing “Ava Gone Rogue”; and Jennifer Morris, directing “The Path of Annularity.”
Many of the directors are also acting in the performances.
“At first it felt very different, telling them what to do, but we have a give-and-take kind of collaboration that is working well,” McAllister said.
The plays cover various genres, including ethical dilemmas, memory-driven stories and “outright romps,” with some addressing current issues like artificial intelligence.
Performances are scheduled for Friday, Aug. 1, and Saturday, Aug. 2, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 3, at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available online at www.sunflowertheatre.org/events/2025-sunflower-shorts-play-festival/.
