The 16th annual Summer Playwrights Festival is now one of the largest staged reading festivals in the nation, with playwrights from across the country and around the world participating. Each reading is followed by a talk-back with the playwright and director. All play readings will be held at the Road Theatre’s Magnolia Theatre at the NoHo Senior Arts Colony.

Schedule of Events:

11:00 AM: Hope is a Bird by Dave Carley
Directed by Stephen Tobolowsky

A shared obsession has led Katherine and Julius to career disaster. Katherine has lost a professorship. Julius is being hounded by animal rights activists. Now, the unlikely duo is hiding out in Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, awaiting the arrival of a bird long believed to be extinct – the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

2:00 PM: Color Blind by Oren Safdie
Directed by Carlos Lacamara

Color Blind is a fictitious reimagining of the architecture jury that was tasked with selecting an architect to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC in 2009. The jury chose six finalists, each presented a design for the site on the Washington DC Mall.

7:30 PM: This is an evening of one-act play readings

Copernicus, Darwin and Freud Walk into a Bar by Dan Borengasser
Directed by John Gowans

Maude’s closing her pub for the evening, when Jack, a struggling playwright, stops by. As he’s telling Maude about his writing frustrations, Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud enter. Upon hearing of Jack’s writer’s block, they admit that it may actually be their fault, but perhaps they can offer him a solution.

Fragile by Dana Leslie Goldstein
Directed by Lara Gold

Rennie is on the verge of losing his beloved comic book shop. When Alana walks in, everything starts to change. Secret identities are revealed, but it’s going to take more than super-strength to forge a new origin story.

Learn to Live by David J. Valdez
Directed by Brian Ramian

Tom and Mike meet annually in secret, sharing a brief escape from their everyday lives. When Mike reveals life-changing news, their fragile arrangement begins to crack. As emotions rise, they must confront the truth about their connection—and whether desire alone is enough to sustain it.

Liver and Onions by Bebe Katsenes
Directed by Emily Jerez

Two ex-best friends have dinner, but something weird is on the menu… Bon appetit!

Girl Knocking by Ellen Davis Sullivan
Directed by Jen Bloom

A robotics engineer discovers that a robot they purchased for their lab has started knocking on wood, a sign she’s turning human. The engineer conspires with the seller of the robot to keep their discovery secret, but the robot has plans of her own, including saving the planet.

A Long Road by Yaz Canli
Directed by Cathleen Young

A Long Road revolves around two sisters, Arah and Lule, who navigate their contrasting life choices and unresolved emotions over the course of one late night together. The sisters wrestle with the complexity of their family dynamics, personal identity, and the struggle to define one’s own happiness.

The Belly of The Beast by Ken Henry
Directed by Darryl Johnson

Living on the Oregon Coast, a family anticipates the possibility of a tsunami sweeping away their existence. This force of nature combined with surfing, grief, and family tensions, creates a story of human transformation. Facing disaster, sometimes the only thing one can do is ride the wave and hang on.

Ticket Prices:

Buy a festival pass for only $75.00 to experience 23 shows! Individual play tickets are suggested donation of $15. No donation is too small, but if you can’t afford to donate at this time we understand. Please come anyways and enjoy some live play readings!

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