‘Spectacular’ plays performed at The Acorn

THREE OAKS — The Acorn Center for the Performing Arts’s 2026 Spectacular Tournament of Playwrights brought five stellar short plays to the stage on Sunday evening, Nov. 8.The five plays presented on the Turner Stage were chosen from 215 originally submitted. Audience members voted for their favorite after watching them unfold (each 10-minute play was performed, directed and produced by area talent).The 2026 Spectacular Tournament of Playwrights winner was “Exit Interview” – written by John Westby of Winfield, Illinois.The tense 10-minute interaction over a table between Zach Hackett and Emma Vicari was described by emcees Peter Carey and Mark Strauss as a routine exit interview which spirals into a darkly hilarious example of corporate control and discovery spiked with loyalty tests and emotional manipulation. Hackett and Vicari were also credited as co-directors.

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