Theater Begins Here

PlayLabs is a can’t-miss event for theater leaders and new play enthusiasts in the Twin Cities and across the country.  Three playwrights partner with teams of artistic collaborators for an extended workshop of exciting new plays. The festival also offers a showcase to our current fellows, giving them a chance to share excerpts of bold, brand-new work. 

We invite audiences into the development process through two in-person readings of each play and by making video recordings of the readings available online.

The Ruth Easton New Play Series is one of the most resource- and time-generous development opportunities in the field. Five writers will receive 35 hours of development time to explore, evolve, and experiment with their plays alongside their hand-selected teams of artistic collaborators. We invite audiences into the process of bringing these new plays to life through in-person and filmed readings.

In the Lab celebrates experimentation, and the playwrights who explore new forms and content and push theatrical boundaries. It recognizes that storytelling takes many forms, both creating and responding to the ever-shifting world in which we live.

Our Fridays@4 series invites audiences even deeper into the new-play development process. Four Core Writers will workshop new plays, and offer free public “readings+” accompanied by additional programming curated by the playwright. An event might include a lesson from a local craftsperson, an educator-led discussion, or other programming that embeds plays in context and deepens their resonance.

Over the course of the season we invite audiences into conversation with artists, offering unique, behind-the-scenes insight into playwrights, their work, and the new play development process. Participants are invited to go “off-script” to candidly share their thoughts on craft, the field, and the world.