The winners of the 2026 Marshalltown Community Theatre’s One Act Play competition have been announced. Two comedies and one dramatic, psychological play were named winners of the competition, which accepted submissions from January 1, 2026 until March 1, 2026.
The winners are:
“How NOT to write a Play”-A comedy in which a frustrated playwright attempts to create a play by trying out several different possible plots with two imaginary actors. The actors must attempt to portray the author’s vision and respond to the playwright’s changing and sometime conflicting directions. Sometimes the actors must be friends, sometimes enemies, and sometimes they are left standing, with no guidance at all when the playwright gets frustrated and leaves the stage to seek inspiration from a walk around the block. The actors become increasingly critical of the playwright’s erratic writing style and behavior.
One of the judges described the play as follows: Some very fun stuff in here; (the actors have never met, and they wish they knew each other.) He says, “I wish I knew more about me” and she says (in one of many great laugh lines) “Oh, that’s just like you, thinking of yourself first!” The whole play comes alive on the page and is a wonderful example of how a cast with chemistry can make a very memorable evening at the theatre.
“How NOT to Write a Play” was written by William L. Bowman, Jr. of Ottumwa, Iowa. Bowman is an author/playwright living in Ottumwa, Iowa. He has been involved in all aspects of theatre–writing, directing, acting, tech work, and co-director of a children’s theatre project with his wife Sally Sharp. He is a professional magician and has worked as a professional clown and as a mime. For further information on William’s writing and to keep up with future events follow his Facebook page at William L. Bowman, Jr.
“Belady’s Anomaly”-A moody, psychological play which brings to life a problem in computer science where a simple overloading of data into a computer can cause mistakes in the computer’s memory. The show has two actors-a psychiatrist and a patient. It progresses through nine very short and very intense scenes where the patient’s memory is tested repeatedly.
Comments from one of the judges’ evaluations describe the play as follows: When I saw 9 scenes in 20 minutes, I thought that it seemed a bit much-too intense or too many tiny bites of the story. I was wrong…It works well as a read. I felt tension and curiosity from the beginning (probably by scene 2) and they grew throughout…I thought I had figured it out on page 4, but I was wrong and was surprised at the ending. We are misled, just as the patient is and it works…Surprised by the ending. A little sad for the patient…”Ive been here forever” proved to be true.
“Belady’s Anomaly” was written by Sara Lastine of Urbandale, Iowa while a student at Iowa State University. The play was inspired by learning about the phenomenon of Belady’s Anomaly in a class at ISU. Lastine has been writing since a young age, but this play was her first foray into writing for the stage. Sara recently moved to Boston, MA to be part of a lab studying cognitive neuroscience.
“The Problem with Writing a Play”-A comedy and the first children’s play to ever win our competition. It is a fun, silly play that an audience can fall in love with. It is coincidental that two of the winning plays are about writing plays. The first play (“How NOT to Write a Play”) was for adults and about adults. The play is for both adults and children.
One of the judges described the play as follows: I can tell when I have finished reading a play and I haven’t written much, or anything, that it was a good read. I think the audience will not only enjoy your play with its characters and dialogue, but also a gratifying sense of positive family relations and support. A second judge called the play a “Fun topic!” Good opportunities for improv with story character acting narration.
“The Problem with Writing a Play” was written by Evelynn Buck of Marshalltown, Iowa. Evelynn’s winning entry is the first winning entry in the five years of the competition which was written by an author under the age of 18. It is also the first winning entry written by a resident of Marshalltown.
Evelynn has been part of productions of the Missoula Children’s Theatre, the MCT Kids’ Acting Academy, and regular MCT productions, most recently in the 2025 MCT production “Three Sips of Saki.” She enjoys reading, writing, band, and swimming.