Long Beach Playhouse New Works Festival

This year, the Long Beach Playhouse celebrates its 34th New Works Festival, a national competition for plays which have never been produced. Scripts are submitted and read by members of the New Works committee. The committee ultimately selects two plays which are presented as staged readings. There is one local winner from California, and a non-local winner with no location restrictions.

This year’s staged readings will be presented on March 29 and 30. Following the readings, a moderated talkback session allows the audience to ask questions of the actors, director, and if attending, the playwright. The winners also receive a written critique from Cecilia Fannon, a professional theater critic. Playwrights receive a copy of the recorded reading and a $100 cash prize.

2024 New Works

Playwrights, Directors and Actors

First Aid by Jeff Kaufman

Kaufman directed, produced, and wrote the Emmy-nominated American Masters’ documentary “Terrence McNally: Every Act Of Life” (with Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep, Nathan Lane, Christine Baranski, and Billy Porter), and the Critic’s Choice-nominated “Nasrin” (narrated by Olivia Colman) about Iranian human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh, plus “The Savoy King” (with John Legend, Billy Crystal, and Tyne Daly), and short films for Amnesty International and Time Magazine. He also contributed cartoons to The New Yorker and illustrations to The Los Angeles Times, wrote for The Washington Post, CNN, and Ms. Magazine, hosted an Associated Press Award-winning daily radio talk show in Vermont, and exhibited paintings in several Los Angeles galleries.

Directed by: Jason Edward Brown

Cast:
Alison Boole - Pat
Phoebe Ray McHenry - Cat
Christopher Hutchinson - Pizza Delivery Guy
Dustin Ehlrich - Boyd
Dianna Beckman - Jess
Jack Murphy - Frank
Melissa Adylia Calasanz - Stage Direction Narrator

Tickets: Free