George Salazar, Jason Butler Harner & More to be Featured in OCP's 29th Annual New Works Festival
Kat Foster, Brandon Gill and more will join readings of five new plays in Ojai, CA.
Ojai Playwrights Conference revealed the full roster of artists for its 29th Annual New Works Festival to be held July 30 - August 2 in Ojai, CA. Playwrights and their plays to be presented in the Festival are Jaclyn Backhaus, The Collectivists; Keith Bunin, The Loyal Opposition; Grace McLeod, Closing Costs; Harrison David Rivers, Except That It Is God, and Mat Smart, The Last Nun at Lake Leaf Monastery.
Prior to sharing their new plays in public readings at the Festival, the playwrights participate in the Conference, a one-week workshop to develop their new work with directors, dramaturgs, and OPC artistic staff. They are then joined by professional actors, stage managers, and production teams who help bring each playwright's vision to life for Festival audiences.
OPC's Writers-in-Residence also receive new play development support at the Conference, and participate in the Festival as part of the artist community. 2026 Writers-in-Residence will include celebrated playwrights Juliette Carrillo, Zola Dee, and Gregory S Moss.
Directors for the Festival include: Jaime Castañeda (The Last Nun at Lake Leaf Monastery), Irvin Mason Jr. (Except That It Is God), Hannah Wolf (Closing Costs), Jennifer Chang (The Loyal Opposition), Andrew Scoville (The Collectivists).
Dramaturgs include: Sonia Desai (The Last Nun at Lake Leaf Monastery), Amani Starnes (Except That It Is God), Olivia O'Connor (Closing Costs), Gabriel Greene (The Loyal Opposition), Annie Jin Wang (The Collectivists), Jeff Liu (Writers-in-Residence Dramaturg).
The Festival's company of actors includes stars from film and television such as Ozark, Superstore, Fire Country, Chicago P.D., Mozart in the Jungle, Here and Now, Snowfall, Orange is the New Black, 'Til Death, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU, Grey's Anatomy, Quantum Leap, Top Gun: Maverick, and Broadway hits including Be More Chill, A Christmas Carol, Good Night, and Good Luck, and Holler if Ya Hear Me.
The full company includes: Elizabeth Alderfer, Ananya Badami, Imani Branch, Anne Gee Byrd, Tré W. Davis, Karo Dzhgalian, Kat Foster, Brandon Gill, Jason Butler Harner, Carter Hudson, Adrian Javier, Meera Rohit Kumbani, Raymond Lee, Kasey Mahaffy, Emma Maltby, James Morrison, Alexander Neher, Colby Nixon, Elliot Sagay, George Salazar, Courtney Sauls, Kimberly Scott, Alex Song-Xia, Zach Villa, KT Vogt, Christine Woods, and Jacqueline Wright.
In addition to the five new plays, the Festival will include an evening celebrating new work by artists across the OPC community, including the 2026 Writers-in-Residence and students in the Youth Workshop and Intern programs. The weekend will also include a conversation with the playwrights, led by OPC Producing Artistic Director, Jeremy B. Cohen.
Festival Passes
Festival passes and single tickets are available now. Festival Passes range from $80 - $400; all passes include preferred seating and meal options. Single tickets are general admission and donation-based (pay what you can). Schedule, play descriptions, and ticket/pass info at: https://www.ojaiplays.org/new-works.
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