Community Circle Players
at Riverwalk Theatre
Winners of the 2026 Competition:
Mohammad Omar Bakhshi, author of Live With A Smile
Gwyneth Rangel , author of St. Dymphna
Ainsley Richard, author of There is No Coffee in North Baltimore
Sheperd Richardson, author of Hobo Hotel
Sage Shauver, author of Hope
The Emerging Playwrights competition is a play-writing contest for high school students in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. Students may submit a short, one-act play and may win 1 of 5 prizes of $1000. The scripts of five winning playwrights are produced by Riverwalk Theatre as
full productions or staged readings in a Festival of Plays.
The 2026 Emerging Playwrights Festival of Plays will take place at 7:00 pm on August 1, 2026 on the Main Stage. The program is followed by a reception honoring the playwrights.
This event is free to attend.
Riverwalk Theatre among 16 grantees of the 2026 Ingham County Hotel/Motel Funds for Arts and Tourism. Click to read more.
Riverwalk Theatre Receives $43,116 Grant from Michigan Arts and Culture Council to Expand Access to Live Theatre. Click to read more.
Cast List:
Ahmed Aboujrad - Kevin J./Ali & others
Katrina Alexis - Diane & others
Erin Biel - Bonnie & others
Bill Durr - Nick/Doug & others
Andy Frikken - Kevin T./Garth & others
Abigail Grill - Beverley/Annette & others
Lindsey Parr Hemming - Beulah & others
Jadera Perdue - Hannah & others
Jeff Kennedy - Oz & others
Bob Purosky - Claude & others
Xia Skowronek - Janice & others
Sidney D. Sauseda II - Bob & others
Cast List:
Lecturer - Betsy Karinen
Jimmy - Jason Durr
Mary - Sylvia Bunn
Jack - Connor Kelly
Mae - Ny'Kieria Blocker
Sally - Lizabeth Desmet
Ralph - Evan David
Placard Girl - Ellie Alspaugh
Ensemble:
Jordyne Darden, Jillian Gaynett, Kayla Henry, Caleb Liggett, Harvey Rancour, Bria Watkins-Gable, Ian Whipp
Live theatre in the heart of downtown Lansing
Who We Are
Community is in our name
Get Involved
Community theatre doesn’t run on ticket sales. It runs on people. On neighbors. Join the circle today.
Character and role descriptions.
Backstage, or up front, we need you!
Sponsors and donor information.
Membership runs July through June.
Engagement
Join us at community events.