SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Lake Tahoe’s WordWave, a one-act play competition celebrating upcoming playwrights, returns to Valhalla Tahoe May 1-2, at 7 p.m. with a new set of winning plays. The May 2 performance will include a Meet-the-Writer’s Wine & Dessert Reception immediately following in the Grand Hall, with wine sponsored by The Cork and More. 

Audiences will meet estranged brothers Leo and Mario, who reunite for their mother’s funeral after five years apart. During a tense car ride from JFK to Long Island, they clash over identity, tradition, sexuality, and family “rules,” in “The Rules” by Domenick Scudera. 

In Katherine Rex’s “How Do You Recognize Crazy,” meet an excited, nervous Dr. Elizabeth Morton opening her new psychology practice, hoping to start with an easy patient and to impress her unimpressible father. When her first patient, Sylvia, reveals her reason for the visit, reality begins a precarious dance with perception, one that may be more than Elizabeth can handle. Is Sylvia lying or telling the truth? Would Elizabeth rather find Sylvia crazy than believe her? 

In “The Faint Scent of Amanda” by G. Bruce Smith, Thomas reflects on pivotal airport reunions with his estranged mother, Amanda, an aspiring actress chasing fragile Hollywood dreams. Spanning decades, their encounters reveal longing, disappointment, and unresolved resentment as Amanda drifts in and out of his life. Throughout, Thomas grapples with abandonment, forgiveness, and the enduring ache of loving a distant parent.

Each of the three winning playwrights is awarded a $500 cash prize and provided with two nights of accommodation to attend rehearsals and the show, directed and produced at the historic Valhalla Boathouse Theatre.

Domenick Scudera, a theater professor at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Penn., has written full-lengths and one-acts that have been produced from Alberta to Tampa. G. Bruce Smith is the award-winning author of 30-plus plays and two screenplays and has production credits in California, Minnesota, India and Paris, France. Katherine Rex, a playwright, improviser, improv coach, and actor, said she has been making up and telling stories forever. “Some of them are even true.”

The performances are May 1-2, at 7 p.m. at the Valhalla Boathouse Theatre. Immediately following the May 2 performance, a Writer’s Wine & Dessert Reception will be held in the Grand Hall with wine sponsored by Cork & More. Audience members are invited to join for a complimentary glass of wine, dessert, and a meet-and-greet with the writers.

Normally produced in the fall, WordWave is making a spring debut this year. Tickets are on sale now at https://valhallatahoe.com/wordwave/