Headlined by two new plays that haven’t previously found their way from script to stage, this 12-day intensive theatre adventure will be a great intellectual journey for our festival goers. Two playwrights with beautiful scripts will see their work on stage for the first time and will be working frantically to rewrite and fine tune as they learn more about their scripts by watching them come to life. Festival passes will include admittance into the two initial readings of the plays, a working rehearsal for each play as well as a final staged performance of each, so you can watch the works transform from words on a page to actions on the stage. It also includes a joyful, touching production of short scripts by local teens, performed by professional actors.

Featured Plays in the 2019 Playwright Festival

After Owen
By Jay Koepke
When recently-married David loses his celebrity chef husband, he is suddenly widowed and alone before the age of 30. Meanwhile, Owen’s spirit won’t let David rest until he has finished repairing Owen’s relationships with his ex-wife and child. By asking us to suspend our disbelief, After Owen leads us to deeper truths about growing up, fortitude, and forgiveness as David takes ownership of his new life.

See in the Dark
By Heidi Kraay
When a young girl shows up in the desolate village that Juneau, Alaska has become, the surviving community embraces her as their new hope. That is, until a boy is found hunting her down with brutal accusations. Set in a future Juneau, after all the glaciers have melted, the ice fields have vanished and nothing is recognizable, see in the dark is a mythic look at the value of compassion over suspicion.

Additional plays

Adrift
By Jay Keopke
In the middle of the night at the end of a disaster of an anniversary cruise Deb is pushed to the brink as she refuses to face the reality of her failing marriage. She meets a local friendly bartender Jake who is hiding from issues of his own. Can two strangers save each other’s lives?

The Oak Tree
By Jay Keopke
A first date between two ten-year-olds gets off to a rocky start with an unexpected third wheel.

How to Hide your Monster
By Heidi Kraay
Three women break through the secrets that distanced their family from each other their whole lives, only to discover that the biggest hidden monster is lodged within the youngest daughter, and it’s bringing on a storm that will destroy everything they’ve known. This unexpected reunion will make them face themselves, each other and their personal histories in a whole new way.