*Just a vibe - some things never change.*

If the theme for the first quarter of 2026 was “Prolific as Heck,” the theme for the second quarter of 2026 was “Leaving the House.” The weather got nice, and I finally got to return to my favorite practice of all: doing headwork in the woods. I was out almost every day (at least, until recently - we’re in a heatwave).

Then, the readings, productions, and events kicked up, and I found myself heading into NYC multiple times, often meeting up with playwright friends and taking in some new art (and lots and lots of baked goods - NYC bakery culture is insane). I really haven’t been in NYC a ton since pre-COVID times, but I think the more I go, the less anxious I feel about getting out there, so this has been good for me!

With that said, I WAS prolific this quarter! Starting mid-April, I decided to write a new ten-minute play every week for six weeks straight! I haven’t been writing a lot of shorts, and I thought it would be a great way to exercise that muscle and see if I could still do it. While I threw out the first two plays like bad pancakes, I ended up with four pretty interesting ones, three of which are currently on NPX:

RECALL: Eliza, a domestic robot, is malfunctioning. She has tried everything... except, of course, for giving up completely. She has decided that today will be her last day.
Because We Planted Flowers: Grey and Mahalia came of age in a magical world, but the time has come to seal the door. They're powerful sorcerers now. It shouldn't be difficult... but it's not the magic that's challenging this time.
Once Bitten: It's time for Dev and Lou to put their furry son back in the carrier... again. It's just another day of bleeding for love, because that's what you do! Unless…

The fourth play, CONCEALER, will be making its premiere as part of Cherry Picking 2026 later this month at wild project in NYC! It is already sold out, but you may be able to get on the waitlist. I honestly don’t love the play, so it may be the end of the line for this one. Depending on how it goes, I may or may not share it, too! But it’s nice to be included in such a fun event with so many artists I admire! You can read my 2026 playwright interview here - it’s a weird one!

The quarter itself started off with the first table read of my brand new play, hosted by my best buds at EastLine Theatre. I can now reveal that it is an adaptation of The Secret Garden called Quite Contrary! It’s a transhistorical adaptation set on Long Island in 1952, and I was asked to write a version that could be performed entirely by a cast of adults. It basically transposes the story to a mental health sanatorium post-WWII, right on the cusp of first-wave feminism, when the Rosie the Riveter era transitioned into the Stepford Wife era. It’s grounded in history, but still appropriate for a family audience, no children or dogs required! However, there is a robin!

*What is this? A venue for ants?! (aka more proof I left my house in Q2)*

And I can also announce that the first public workshop will take place in the red ballroom at Phipps Mansion on the grounds of the Old Westbury Gardens this October! A garden play set in a transformed Gold Coast property, being held on the grounds of one of the most famous historical Gold Coast gardens in New York State! I am not worthy! I got to visit this quarter - just look at this opulent space!

*Who wouldn’t want to attend a reading in a Gold Coast ballroom?!*

The reading will be free with admission, so you can walk the garden before settling in for the reading. Members attend for free. I am so excited to share this one - it’s really very charming!

May, of course, is student festival season. It always excites me when college students choose to work on my material - especially when it’s something subtle and challenging. The Psychopomp remains in the lead for most student productions:

Images by Darby Shaw (App State University) and Callie Hisek (West Texas A&M).

Little Red Handed remains popular with the High School crowd, who apparently are really into elder fraud?? But I also got to see one really amazing production of Come Back Right that 100% nailed it:

Images by Callie Hisek (West Texas A&M).

I believe I have a professional production of Come Back Right on the books for some time at the end of the year. It might be about to beat our Hot Blood Sundae as my second most produced ten-minute play! I’m curious to see if any of my newer shorts will catch on with the college crowd. It’s pretty impossible to predict, but it’s very fun to watch it happen!

It was June when things started heating up, literally and figuratively!

*Maybe my favorite key art of all time?!*

At long last, I got to see the workshop reading of my new play, They have become the forest, at IATI Theatre in NYC as part of the Cimientos festival! It was a six-month process of workshopping, revisions, and rehearsal leading up to this moment, and it was very rewarding to see the new draft come together so seamlessly - all of the revisions I made felt like the right decisions, and I’m really proud of the play!

They have become the forest was directed by Eric Parness and featured Rae Cofsky as Sy and Melina Garcia as Daphne. Marion Rivas read stage directions (and played a mean tambourine).

And, yes, the play is now available on NPX for your perusal and enjoyment! I hope you’ll check it out and consider leaving a recommendation!

Here are some photos from the reading (As always, there are many more on my Instagram):

Best of all, a lot of friends, loved ones, and artist friends (playwrights, producers, theatre educators…) attended, and I definitely felt the love! It reminded me of my own mantra from the pre-COVID, pre-chronic illness era: love shows up. So, I used the rare burst of energy to pay it forward. I attended New Plays for Young Audiences at NYU, and two friends’ readings as part of the Spotlight New Works series at The Chain. I was also able to attend four of the other readings as part of the Cimientos festival while I was in NYC initially! To say it was energizing and inspiring was an understatement, so I want to make it a point to push myself out of my comfort zone and do more of that when my body allows me to.

*Talk back in action (in which I did most of the talking, because 99% of theatres still don’t understand what talk back means)*

I’m also taking the first steps toward setting up readings of some of the full-lengths I focused on last quarter - Jaw, Lips, Teeth, Tongue and The Light Fantastic. I want to understand what I have so I can make them better. That’s how you get to the point where you can work in community, and I want more community!

*Nails on fleek for this curtain shot. Lord loves a cateye.*

I also got to go into NYC to see a full production of my play Tracks as part of the First Flight Festival with Murmuration Theatre Company! It was at ArtxNYC, which I learned on arrival is also a working cafe?! If I had known that, I wouldn’t have fought for space in Chelsea Market before attending the performance - haha! But despite a little rain, I did have a nice solo day in NYC.

Tracks was directed by Aaliyah Alexis and featured Maeve Mollaghan as Micah and Nora Love as Hadley.

Here are a few pics:

Tracks also received a collegiate production at St. Olaf College:

*A shrimp-themed play festival and they didn’t produce my 37 Origami Bees? Missed opportunity, if you ask me! (nobody asked me)*

Never a bad thing to find yourself on a bill with Thornton Wilder and David Ives! However, I will take this opportunity to remind you that if you want to produce a play, YOU MUST, AT A MINIMUM, ask permission from the playwright! I’m nice! I’ll work with you! But you need to send me a dang email!

In happier news, my play Murdering Medea was selected as an honorable mention in the Dominion Stage 6th Annual Playwright Competition!

If this company sounds familiar, it’s because my play Occupied won the 2nd Annual Playwright Competition. At the time, the prize was a reading. Now, apparently, the prize is a full production, which makes this a pretty devastating time to come in second place, but it’s really nice to be recognized! I had a BLAST when I was there last, so I hope to work with these folks again soon, since they seem to like my work!

What’s next? I’m excited that The Practice Room was selected as the Red Theatre’s Script Club play for July 2026, so I’ll be joining them on July 8th to talk ambition, coming of age, surviving in zero-sum environments, exploring queerness in college, and what the sexiest string instrument is.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that The Practice Room was a semi-finalist for the Epiphanies festival with Wild Imaginings, making this my second consecutive year as a semi-finalist (They have become the forest was chosen last year). For a very small company in Waco, this committee has exquisite taste in plays. And it has been nice to see my tiny play getting a little affection - this is still one of the full-length pieces I’d most like to see produced.

And after that… who knows! There are always some things in the works, but nothing I can announce yet. This is when I’m going to see the punishment for failing to submit for the entire latter half of 2025 and first quarter of 2026, but I’m hoping to start sending work out again. As I said, I can’t be too upset as long as I’m consistently creating… and I am!

For example, I’ve got this little beauty on my reading list as I start research in earnest for a commission that’s in the works for 2027. What could I be working on? Honestly, even I don’t know, but I have ideas, and I feel a new farce coming on…

And honestly? Getting out into the world again is really doing good stuff for my brain, so I think I’m going to keep doing that! As soon as this heatwave passes, I hope this may be a quarter of adventures, big and small (mostly small - adventures are expensive). I can’t wait to report back in time for my favorite season - FALL!!! See you then, friends!

Aly Kantor Takes New York! And Other Places Also!

We are SO back!!!