Mark Sherstinsky: 2025 Hitchcock Christmas Playwright Interview
Welcome to the third installment of our Playwright Spotlight series – Holiday Edition! Today we’re featuring PlayGround-LA alum Mark Sherstinsky and his play Shadow of an Uncle Nick (Inspired by Shadow of a Doubt), one of five plays being presented as a part of PlayGround’s 4th annual A Very Hitchcock Christmas, running at Potrero Stage and Simulcast, December 6-7 at 7pm. Advance reservations are required: visit playground-sf.org/hitchcockchristmas for details.
What was the impetus for your Hitchcockian/Christmas mash-up?
I love Hitchcock. I love Christmas. I love the opportunity to mash them up!
Give a teaser for your play.
Uncle Nick pays Mary a visit for Christmas, bearing some sinister gifts
Generally speaking, are you more of a Hitchcock fan or Christmas fan? Tell us why!
Christmas. I’m Jewish, and grew up jealous of my friends that got to celebrate Christmas.
Can you imagine a 2-hour version of your play? What might that look like?
Nope. A 2-hour version might start to look too much like Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt.
What’s your favorite film? Tell us what you love about it!
I don’t think I could possibly choose one. Can anyone?!?
If you could pick the next iconic director/holiday mash-up as a prompt for PlayGround, what would your combination be? Tell us why!
David Lynch & Halloween: there’s too much material to work from in that one!
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Mark Sherstinsky is a Los Angeles-based playwright who most recently completed his full-length play The Mission (PlayGround-LA People’s Choice commission). His latest staged plays include The Sound of Invasion (Towne Street Theatre, Los Angeles); The Things We Do for Love (Strange Rx, San Francisco); and The Valley (Pittsburgh New Works Festival). Mark’s radio play No Tree aired on Shoestring Radio Theatre (KXSF, San Francisco) and his short play Silver Linings was published in RipRap Journal.
A VERY HITCHCOCK CHRISTMAS was created from submission by playwright alumni in each of PlayGround’s four regions (SF, LA, NYC, and Chicago). Over the last three years, A VERY HITCHCOCK CHRISTMAS reached nearly 2,500 audience members, in person and online. The 2025 production includes two audience favorites from previous years, The Birds is Coming by Jonathan Josephson from 2024 and How the Bates (Almost) Stole Christmas by J.S. Puller from 2023; and three world premiere short plays: Dial M for Merry by Christian Wilburn, Fool Proof by Kimberly Ridgeway, and Shadow of an Uncle Nick by Mark Sherstinsky. The plays are in conversation with the Hitchcock films The Birds, Psycho, Dial M for Murder, Strangers on a Train, and Shadow of a Doubt. Visit playground-sf.org/hitchcockchristmas for details.