Home Is Where the Art Is
Playwrights' Center's 2022–23 public season is only one piece of the holistic support that the Center offers to playwrights, but it serves as an opportunity for the writers we are currently supporting to share their work with audiences, and as an opportunity for theater-lovers around the world to gain access to some of the most exciting new plays. This season features a return to in-person programming, but we will continue to invite remote audiences to be part of bringing these new plays to life by also making filmed performances available online.
Ruth Easton New Play Series
Now in its 18th year, the Ruth Easton New Play Series occurs monthly from October to February and gives five playwrights 35 hours of development time to explore, evolve, and experiment with their new plays. The featured writers hand-select their own teams of artistic collaborators to workshop their plays-in-progress and share them through public readings.
One of the most resource- and time-generous development opportunities in the theater field, this series is made possible by the Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation. More than half of the plays developed through this series have gone on to full productions at theaters around the world.
The 2022–23 Ruth Easton Series will feature the following plays:
DRIVE by Deborah Yarchun
In-person readings: Monday, October 10 & Tuesday, October 11 at 7 p.m.
Filmed presentation available online: October 20–26
INSTRUCTIONS FOR A SÉANCE by Katie Bender
In-person readings: Monday, November 7 & Tuesday, November 8 at 7 p.m.
Filmed presentation available online: November 17–23
WHITTIER by TyLie Shider
In-person readings: Monday, December 5 & Tuesday, December 6 at 7 p.m.
Filmed presentation available online: December 15–21
THA CHINK-MART by Ray Yamanouchi
In-person readings: Tuesday, January 17 & Wednesday, January 18 at 7 p.m.
Filmed presentation available online: January 26 – February 1
THE BROKEN'HEARTS OF A CORRUPTED WHITE HOUSE by matthew paul olmos
In-person readings: Monday, February 6 & Tuesday, February 7 at 7 p.m.
Filmed presentation available online: February 16–22
In The Lab
The newest addition to Playwrights’ Center’s public season, In The Lab is in its third year of supporting artists as they develop experimental new works in a multitude of forms. Playwrights’ Center launched this online development and performance project series in 2020 to meet the changing needs of artists exploring new theater pieces and new ways of working.
The program features two writers who create, explore, test, and try again, as they push the boundaries of form and content. Audience members are invited into the experiment for an open rehearsal presentation followed by a conversation with the artists on the process. These innovative pieces of theater demonstrate the need for the type of flexible new play development opportunity that In The Lab provides.
Taking place in March 2023, In The Lab will support:
THE SPEED OF LIFE by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen
In-person presentation: Friday, March 10 at 7:00 p.m.
THE USSES by Drew Paryzer
In-person presentation: Friday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m.
PlayLabs Festival
PlayLabs, one of the nation’s most comprehensive new play festivals, welcomes three playwrights, working with artistic collaborators of their choosing, for an extended workshop, two public readings, and time for rewrites in between. The festival closes with a showcase of scenes from plays-in-progress by ‘22–’23 Playwrights’ Center Fellows. This year’s showcase will feature works by Jerome, Many Voices, and McKnight Playwriting Fellows.
The Center hosts artistic leaders from theaters across the country during PlayLabs, inviting them to spend time with festival playwrights and get to know their work, with the goal of moving more new plays to production.
This season’s 39th annual PlayLabs Festival will take place from April 24–30, 2023 and will feature:
THAT MUST BE THE ENTRANCE TO HEAVEN by Franky D. Gonzalez
In person readings: Monday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m. and Friday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m.
A WALLESS CHURCH: THE BLACK WOMAN'S GUIDE TO MAKING GOD by AriDy Nox
In person readings: Wednesday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 29 at 8:00 p.m.
STOCKADE by Andrew Rosendorf
In person readings: Tuesday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m and Saturday, April 29 at 1:00 p.m.
PLAYLABS FESTIVAL FELLOWS SHOWCASE
In person reading: Sunday, April 30 at 1:30 p.m.
Filmed readings of each PlayLabs play and the Fellows Showcase will be available online from May 15–21, 2023.
Artists in Conversation
Playwrights’ Center will again present its Artists in Conversation series, offering a uniquely intimate look at playwrights and their process. This online series brings audiences together with artists who share their behind-the-scenes thoughts on their craft, the field, and the world. Held entirely over Zoom, these conversations are open to all and provide an exciting opportunity to hear directly from exceptional playwrights and theater artists. Participants, topics, and times will be announced throughout the year.