Long Beach Shakespeare Company Will Present 2026 NEW WORKS FESTIVAL
The festival will feature original works by playwrights including Joni Ravenna and Robert Weibezahl at Helen Borgers Theatre.
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The Long Beach Shakespeare Company will present its 2026 New Works Festival, a multi-weekend celebration of original storytelling spotlighting emerging and established playwrights.
The festival will take place at the Helen Borgers Theatre in Long Beach across three weekends: May 15-17, June 5-7, and September 18-20, 2026. Designed as a platform for developing new theatrical voices, the New Works Festival features staged readings and workshop presentations of original plays. Audiences are invited into the creative process, with many performances followed by talkbacks that allow for direct engagement between artists and attendees.
"By championing new work, we honor the legacy of theatre as a living, evolving art form-wheretoday's creations become tomorrow's unforgettable stories," said Artistic Director Holly Leveque.
The festival will showcase a diverse range of new plays, spanning genres and styles-from intimate, character-driven pieces to bold and imaginative works. For audiences, it offers a rare opportunity to experience stories at their earliest stages, while supporting the development of future productions.
May 15-17, 2026 with Hold On By: Robert Weibezahl, LUDLOW MASSACRE By: Darren Andrew Nash and A Wire In Mind By Michael J.M. Canas
June 5-7, 2026 will feature Department - Episode 2 - Anchor Store By: Christopher Bucca Taylor, Reflections in a D'Back's Eye By: Deanne Stillman, Life and Death in Cowboy Country By: Andrew Tyrell-Smith and The Deed By: Jessica Wienecke
September 18-20, 2026 will bring you TUCKED AWAY By: Joni Ravenna, The Ghosts of The Globe Theatre By: Arthur Allison and VECTORS By: Stephen Montagne and F3 by Bubba Proctor.
Part of the company's 2026 season, themed "The Stuff of Legends," the New Works Festival reflects Long Beach Shakespeare Company's ongoing commitment to fostering innovation while honoring the enduring power of storytelling.
Founded in 1990, Long Beach Shakespeare Company is Long Beach's only year-round classical theatre company, producing works that range from Shakespearean classics to contemporary and original productions, while advancing arts education and community engagement.
The Helen Borgers Theatre is located at 4250 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach.
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