"Fun & Games" One Act Play Winner
The Arts Club of Washington presents a staged reading of Charlie Schulman’s *Fun & Games*, winner of the 2026 Austin Hay Award One Act Play Competition. Directed by Ritchie Porter, the play follows three estranged writers who reunite to settle their recently deceased mother’s estate. As they revisit old grievances and consider reconciliation, a startling revelation changes how they understand their family’s past.
The reading is followed by a buffet dinner with the playwright, director, and cast. The event is open to the public and includes a presentation of the Austin Hay Award.
When: Thursday, December 3, 2026
Schedule: Doors open at 6:00 p.m. The award presentation and staged reading begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the buffet dinner at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: Arts Club members and their guests pay $55 per person. General-public and nonmember admission is $75, including the staged reading and buffet supper. Member charges are applied to the member’s account, and guests must be registered.
Registration: Tickets are nonrefundable. A credit may be issued for cancellations made at least 48 hours before the event begins. The registration page lists 69 spaces remaining.
Playwright: Charlie Schulman is a playwright, screenwriter, and theater producer. He co-wrote and produced the Off-Broadway musicals *The Fartiste*, which received an Outstanding Musical award at the NYC Fringe Festival, and *Goldstein*, which was nominated for a Best Musical award by the Off Broadway Alliance. His plays have been produced Off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally, and his work has been published by Dramatists Play Service, Stage Rights, Dell/Bantam, and Concord Theatricals. His other work includes *Married Life*, *Sibling Rivalry*, and *Angel of Death*, which won the Charles MacArthur Award for Comedy. He has also received the Walton Fellowship from Arena Stage and teaches playwriting and screenwriting at New York University and Spalding University’s MFA program.
Director: Ritchie Porter is a Washington-area teacher, director, and actor. He taught drama at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, for 25 years and directed more than 50 productions there. His directing work also includes Capital Fringe Festival productions with Lumina Studio Theatre and the Gang of Five Playwrights Collective. As an actor, he has performed with Lumina, the Washington Stage Guild, Source Theater, the Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences, and other organizations.
Award: *Fun & Games* was selected from 125 original one-act plays to receive the 2026 Austin Hay Award. The award provides the winning playwright with a $1,000 prize, a staged reading of the script, and two nights of accommodation at the Arts Club.
Venue: Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.
Parking: Discounted parking is available. Parking is free for Arts Club members.