Psychological Drama "Henry Clyde Canning Murder House" Premieres at Durango PlayFest

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

Eastern

Central

Western

West End

WEST END

UK Regional

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

TV/Movies

Music

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

Performances will run from June 23-28.

POPULAR

Get all the top news & discounts for Colorado & beyond.

Playwright Christian Missonak will premiere his dark, psychological drama, The Henry Clyde Canning Murder House, with a cast of rising screen and stage stars, at the 8th Annual Durango PlayFest, June 23-28. In less than a decade, PlayFest has matured into a coveted incubator for well-known and emerging playwrights, actors, and directors to develop new works and test them with live audiences.

Get all the top news & discounts for Colorado & beyond.

Synopsis: Years after their father is convicted for the murder of sixteen women, siblings Elise and Harry are forced to confront their own buried secrets when Harry comes home with plans to exploit their infamous past by converting the family homestead into a murder house tourist attraction.

Trained at Columbia University and The Second City Conservatory, Missonak is now a New York-based playwright and screenwriter whose short plays have been performed on stages across New York and Chicago. In 2021, Christian made his professional regional debut at Madlab Theatre Co. in Columbus, OH, for his play, Sheridan, which premiered to positive reviews. His short plays have been performed all over Chicago, New York, and have been produced as audio dramas. Other theatrical production credits include Save Ferris (Under the Gun Theatre), and Cooperative (Metropolitan Playhouse). Film credits include Something of a Monster, a psychological thriller Missonak co-wrote, which is available on Apple TV and Prime Video. The Henry Clyde Canning Murder House was recently named the second runner up for the 2026 Stanley Award and a second rounder in Austin Film Festival's Stage Play category.

The 2026 PlayFest is excited to welcome the following cast:

Directing the play will be Melissa Firlit, national and international director, producer, and educator, with works seen in Denver, New York, Ireland, and Scotland.

The festival will also feature readings of The German by two-time Tony nominee, Lyle Kessler , Hazel and Bea in the In-Between by New York-based emerging playwright Zoe Stanton-Savitz, and the absurdist comedy A Deal Picked Just for You by award-winning Iranian-American writer and director John Farmanesh-Bocca .

Co-founded by actors Wendie Malick and Dan Lauria , PlayFest features both esteemed and emerging playwrights alike, including Lee Blessing , Kathleen Cahill, Richard Dresser , James Anthony Tyler , Lia Romeo , and David Myers. The event also attracts acting talents, with notables such as Dylan Baker , Richard Kind , Jane Kaczmarek , Jodi Long , Tom Wright , Ray Abruzzo , Jon Tenney and Mike Farrell . Ten plays have achieved full production following development at PlayFest.

Get an Alert Each Time Chloe Rabinowitz Writes

Videos

Colorado SHOWS

Recommended For You

Sign up for announcements, and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 - Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/denver/article/THE-HENRY-CLYDE-CANNING-MURDER-HOUSE-to-Make-World-Premiere-at-Durango-PlayFest-20260605)._