THEATER 96 The Substitute

Open-Door Playhouse

A recently hired Substitute teacher is surprised to find a loaded handgun in a desk drawer when she reports to school on her first day. Concerned, she makes a hurried call to the office and is informed by the office administrator that after a rash of mass school shootings in local schools the city council has passed a bill that will allow teachers to arm themselves to protect themselves and their students.

Bernadette Armstrong directs Elaine Mello stars as Rachel Holcomb and Rhoda Pell stars as Detective Joan Fredericks.

Hoyt Hilsman is the playwright. The prolific writer’s plays have been in collected in three themed volumes: family, history and politics. He is a current member and past president of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle.

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Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast- like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s. The Playhouse launched on September 15, 2020. At the time, Open-Door Playhouse provided Playwrights, Actors and Directors a creative outlet during the shutdown. Since its inception. Open-Door Playhouse has presented Short and One-Act plays from Playwrights across the country and internationally. In 2021 Open-Door Playhouse received a Communicator Award for Content for the Play Custody and in 2023 the play What’s Prison Like was nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime & Justice Category.
Plays are produced by Bernadette Armstrong, Sound Engineer is David Peters, sound effects are provided by Audio Jungle, and music from Karaoke Version. All plays are recorded at The Oak House Studio in Altadena, CA.
There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. We strive to bring our listeners thoughtful and surprising one-act plays and ten-minute shorts that showcase insightful and new perspectives of the world we share with others. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opend...