Spotlight on 1st Year John Hendel

The 25th Annual Seabury Quinn, Jr. Playwrights’ Festival kicked off this weekend and continues this week! The featured, Thesis Productions of our Third Year MFA Playwrights premiered this weekend, April 18th-20th, and run through next week, April 24th-27th in Kantner Hall on the Elizabeth Evans Baker Stage. To celebrate the opening of the featured productions, and leading up to the festival staged readings on the 25th, 26th, and 27th, we are featuring daily spotlights on Ohio University’s nine MFA Playwrights.

Name: John Hendel

Age: 32

Pronouns: He/Him

Hometown: Rockville, MD

Undergrad: Ohio University

Favorite Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life

“Fun fact” related to The Christmas Special: This play started as a story about a giant, authoritarian turtle. Every year, the turtle would bless the human citizens of their world by visiting one of them, and this person was expected to feed the turtle a giant tank full of raw fish, and this year, this person was his estranged mother. Alas, almost none of that remains.

Twitter/Instagram: @hendyhendel

New Play Exchange: John Hendel

See John’s staged reading of The Christmas Special

Directed by Corey Ragan

1:00 p.m. – Saturday, April 27th, Forum Theater, RTV Building

‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the cabin,
Barbara was asking, “What exactly will happen?”
Her husband was giving his life up to Claus,
But Barbara was left there without any cause
Then what in her is’lated world did appear?
The son she gave up in a moment of fear!
He’s handsome and famous, and possibly could
Whisk Babs away to old Hollywood
But hubby is slavish to the plan that they made,
“You must be devoted to Santa’s crusade!”
Will Barbara decide that her son’s the solution
Or will she stay true to the revolution?

#SQPlayfest25