Our treasured anthology series returns for its eighth installment. Footholds is a collaborative journey between The Impostors Theatre Co. and local artists.

Each year, we challenge writers to submit a short play for us to produce. By introducing a single, ambiguous constraint–a thread that runs through each accepted piece–we ask our writers and collaborators to start with the same limitation and branch off wherever their imaginations take them.

Our past volumes have showcased versatile properties (a pile of red construction paper, a jar half-filled with earth, a skeleton key) as well as locations rife with possibility (a trolley car stationed between two stops, an attic full of forgotten favorites, a lamp-lit alleyway). Each collection has celebrated the spectrum of dramatic storytelling, from satire to horror to romance to movement pieces. The cross-collaboration of multiple playwrights, directors, designers, and performers alike elevate this “grand experiment” to a true testament of creative community building.

This year's foothold: Elimar’s Roadside Attractions, a small roadside market stall where artists sell their wares at discounted fares.

In addition to the final selections, the selection committee will be incorporating various pieces of visual artwork. Audiences will have the opportunity to interact with this artwork, created and curated by local artists in collaboration with the production. More information to come!

Fun fact: the name “Elimar” comes from a single, intriguing thread connecting two sources of great inspiration for this season: Hans Christian Andersen and Van Gogh. Supposedly, a portrait of the Andersen character—a merchant named Elimar featured in his 1848 novel “The Two Baronesses”—may have been painted by Van Gogh himself, though this theory is actively disputed and remains a mystery.

Writers, take note that the character of “Elimar” or the “family name Elimar” need not appear in your script. However, all scripts should be set at the outdoor market stall called Elimar’s Roadside Attractions. Scripts 10-12 minutes in length are ideal. All scripts will be read and voted upon blindly by a selection committee.

For questions and inquiries about Footholds, please email impostorstheatre.literary@gmail.com