Colby Arshavir Poston

Colby A. Poston is an Armenian-American playwright born and raised in Florence, South Carolina. He has written several pieces with staged readings and productions in South Carolina, Colorado, and London—one of them being Catching Icarus, which received a full production at the FMU PAC in Florence, SC, in January 2020. It was then revised and staged again in June 2022 for The Denver Fringe Festival. In addition to Icarus, many of his other works explore themes of mental illness, addiction, inherited trauma, white fragility, interracial friendship, and religion—all set within the context of the modern American South.
Poston’s writing often focuses on hyper-realistic human interaction, showcasing the beauty in the simplicity or mundaneness of human relationships. While these moments are...

Colby A. Poston is an Armenian-American playwright born and raised in Florence, South Carolina. He has written several pieces with staged readings and productions in South Carolina, Colorado, and London—one of them being Catching Icarus, which received a full production at the FMU PAC in Florence, SC, in January 2020. It was then revised and staged again in June 2022 for The Denver Fringe Festival. In addition to Icarus, many of his other works explore themes of mental illness, addiction, inherited trauma, white fragility, interracial friendship, and religion—all set within the context of the modern American South.
Poston’s writing often focuses on hyper-realistic human interaction, showcasing the beauty in the simplicity or mundaneness of human relationships. While these moments are seldom memorialized in real time, an audience’s collective witness of these experiences, recaptured on stage, can solidify these moments of raw emotion. In this way, his work illustrates the weight that these seemingly dull and vague moments can carry. Poston holds a BA in Theatre with a concentration in playwriting from Colorado College and an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Scripts

My Brothers' Brother

by Colby Arshavir Poston

Synopsis

It’s the beginning of rush season for the Kappa Omega, fraternity in Columbia, SC, and the tension is palpable. Will, Jon, and Hayden have spent the last year arguing against KO’s removal from campus in the wake of yet another frat accident.
Miles and Laken, two new pledges, look to be promising additions to the brotherhood that could right this ship. Miles, a triple legacy belonging to a storied low-country...

It’s the beginning of rush season for the Kappa Omega, fraternity in Columbia, SC, and the tension is palpable. Will, Jon, and Hayden have spent the last year arguing against KO’s removal from campus in the wake of yet another frat accident.
Miles and Laken, two new pledges, look to be promising additions to the brotherhood that could right this ship. Miles, a triple legacy belonging to a storied low-country southern legal dynasty, wields power he doesn’t yet understand— while Laken, a black student also from the low-country of South Carolina, arrives with determination to get ahead as he plays a game historically rigged against him.
His search for an eventual seat at the table leads him to make deceivingly breakable bonds with unforgettable friends. Lies and tragedy can bond or break brothers for life, but how strong are these convictions when they are threatened with their names and reputations— a precious and fragile commodity in the South.

Supernova

by Colby Arshavir Poston

Synopsis

In 1980 Northern Virginia, April has just come home from summer camp, and everything is just as she left it: her mother, Anne, is still more concerned with dreams deferred than making dinner; her father, Eugene, is obsessed with work, while trying to outrun an inescapable guilt of home; and her brother continues to be a headache, as he isn't growing into the man his father had hoped for— untold truths and...

In 1980 Northern Virginia, April has just come home from summer camp, and everything is just as she left it: her mother, Anne, is still more concerned with dreams deferred than making dinner; her father, Eugene, is obsessed with work, while trying to outrun an inescapable guilt of home; and her brother continues to be a headache, as he isn't growing into the man his father had hoped for— untold truths and unresolved conflicts continue to be out of sight, out of mind.
April’s candor in her experiences forces her mother to confront her own past— a reality that cannot be fixed or numbed through writing. Eugene, on the other hand, is desperately trying to provide opportunities for his son that he mourns not having for himself. The family begins to implode as the parents are forced to reconcile their pasts while struggling to maintain control of the present, leaving April and her brother left to pick up the pieces of their shattered childhood.

Miss Psycho Killer Queen (Short)

by Colby Arshavir Poston

Synopsis

Paris is about to present her talent for the pageant, but Helen did something bad, and if Paris doesn't do something about it, Helen might do something worse.

Paris is about to present her talent for the pageant, but Helen did something bad, and if Paris doesn't do something about it, Helen might do something worse.

The Kids' Table (Short)

by Colby Arshavir Poston

Synopsis

The small, folding table in the corner, surrounded by the family’s youngest
members, is a familiar sight at any Thanksgiving dinner. But what really goes on at the
kids’ table? As the adults sip their coffee and drone about work and politics, Bea and
Birdie–two kid’s table regulars–impart their perspectives on wilting family relationships,
the realities of the generational gap, and the complexities of modern...

The small, folding table in the corner, surrounded by the family’s youngest
members, is a familiar sight at any Thanksgiving dinner. But what really goes on at the
kids’ table? As the adults sip their coffee and drone about work and politics, Bea and
Birdie–two kid’s table regulars–impart their perspectives on wilting family relationships,
the realities of the generational gap, and the complexities of modern adolescence.

Doc-in-a-Box (Short)

by Colby Arshavir Poston

Synopsis

A late night secret visit to the ER in a town predominately made up of Christian-Scientists

A late night secret visit to the ER in a town predominately made up of Christian-Scientists

Catching Icarus

by Colby Arshavir Poston

Synopsis

A concerned father contimplates his role in his son's life over a cup of coffee in a South Carolina Waffle House.

A concerned father contimplates his role in his son's life over a cup of coffee in a South Carolina Waffle House.

She's Got a Gun

by Colby Arshavir Poston

Synopsis

Two women: A convenience store owner/clerk and troubled teen are forced to share a room for 50 minutes after a failed armed robbery. As the truth comes out, pending condemnation turns into an attempt to save a life.

Two women: A convenience store owner/clerk and troubled teen are forced to share a room for 50 minutes after a failed armed robbery. As the truth comes out, pending condemnation turns into an attempt to save a life.

Regulars

by Colby Arshavir Poston

Synopsis

Jude is new to Restine, South Carolina, transferring to a small local university from an Ivy League school. As he stumbles upon The Roast, a dying local coffee shop, he befriends Jackie— an aspiring screenwriter, Stephen— a failed actor who settled for a job in insurance, now turned youth pastor, and Reese— the barista behind the counter.
An immense amount strain is added to the lives of the regulars; however...

Jude is new to Restine, South Carolina, transferring to a small local university from an Ivy League school. As he stumbles upon The Roast, a dying local coffee shop, he befriends Jackie— an aspiring screenwriter, Stephen— a failed actor who settled for a job in insurance, now turned youth pastor, and Reese— the barista behind the counter.
An immense amount strain is added to the lives of the regulars; however, they still come to argue and deal with their lives, desperately trying to keep the routine. Over the course of a year and the lens of over-the-counter conversation, Regulars breaks down the simplicity in everyday life and showcases the beauty of ordinary people living their lives with extraordinary purpose. Through the hardships encountered in life, Regulars reveals that everyday people looking out for each other can make life a little less isolating.