The Next Step Festival is a brand new celebration of storytelling, collaboration and the messy, magical process of making theatre. Founded by a conglomerate of playwrights from across the country, this inaugural festival brings together emerging playwrights, directors and creatives to take the “next step” in their work. With community at its core, the festival is a hub for writers looking to workshop, grow and connect with like-minded makers.
Highlights include:
Apples for August
?Written and performed by Anushka Kar
Between the branches of an orchard, love and identity collide. Set in a sun-drenched apple orchard, two teenagers navigate the beauty and pitfalls of young, interracial love. Written and performed by Anushka Kar, this poetic and intimate new work explores the complexity of being truly seen.
The Curse of Batvia (Concert Reading)
?Book, music and lyrics by Katherine Burger
A gothic musical comedy where cursed wer-beasts, romantic entanglements and off-stage gore come together in one fast-paced, hilarious romp. Gilbert & Sullivan meet The Mystery of Irma Vep with a heavy dose of English manor house mystery in this original, four-character musical comedy, a Gothic romp about an ancient wer-beast curse and those caught in its jaws. It involves much convoluted wordplay, silly folkloric dancing and sillier songs, with no agenda except entertainment.
The Glitch
Written by Kipp Koenig
Directed by Ann Cooley
What if AI could help you meet your future child? A love story wrapped in ones and zeroes. In this forward-thinking, emotionally resonant new play, a woman secretly visits an AI lab to meet the hypothetical daughter she might one day have—and gets more than she ever expected. Written by Kipp Koenig and directed by Ann Cooley, The Glitch brings a warm, human heart to the cold world of technology.
The Guest at Central Park West
Written by Levy Lee Simon
Directed by John Ewing III
A chance encounter unearths hidden truths about privilege, power and the price of peace. Audelco-Award-winning playwright Levy Lee Simon brings us a searing portrait of race, privilege and legacy in modern-day America. When Professor Charles Watts, a modern-day disciple of Dr. Martin Luther King and recent Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is visited by a homeless man from his past, an elegant dinner party unravels into a confrontation with buried truths and societal contradictions.
Hollywood Treatment: A Feel Bad Comedy
Written and directed by Lara McCarthy and Greg McCarthy
Must love be sacrificed on the altar of success? This glitzy, dark comedy peels back the red carpet to reveal the emotional fallout of fame. As a rising star's new role causes chaos in her personal life, everyone ends up on the therapist’s couch—including the therapist herself. Will anyone's relationship survive—or must love be sacrificed on the altar of success?
