PLAYWRIGHTS' REVOLUTION Festival to Return to Capital Stage
THE ABUNDANCE by Chelsea Sutton is among four finalists chosen from hundreds of submissions.
Capital Stage has announced the four finalists for its 13th Annual Playwrights' Revolution New Play Festival, with one-night-only staged readings of each selected work taking place August 12–15, 2026, as the company concludes its 21st season.
Presented as part of Capital Stage's ongoing commitment to developing new plays and supporting emerging and established playwrights, Playwrights' Revolution began accepting submissions in January. Within one week, the Sacramento theatre company received the maximum of 350 new play submissions. Over the following months, a team of readers led by Literary Manager K. Kevyne Baar, Ph.D., evaluated each script before Artistic Director Michael Stevenson selected this year's four finalists.
The festival opens Wednesday, August 12, at 7:00 p.m. with The Abundance by Chelsea Sutton, directed by Anne Mason. The play follows a struggling young mother who, after relocating to a suburban neighborhood, is drawn into a multi-level marketing scheme by charismatic neighbors and a mysterious bottle of tonic. Faced with the choice of climbing the pyramid or walking away, she must decide what she's willing to sacrifice to survive.
Sutton is a Los Angeles-based writer and director, PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow, Humanitas Play LA Award winner, and Artistic Director of Rogue Artists Ensemble. She co-wrote the Emmy-nominated Welcome to the Blumhouse Live and is the author of the novella Krackle's Last Movie.
On Thursday, August 13, at 7:00 p.m., audiences can experience Lumin by Emma Gibson, directed by Elyse Sharp. Set within a contemporary cult on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert in Texas, the play examines belief, community, and the increasingly blurred line between faith and delusion as one family struggles to hold itself together.
British-born playwright Emma Gibson is based in Philadelphia and has earned recognition through The Women's Prize for Playwriting, the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Princess Grace Award, Blue Ink, and numerous other development programs. Her work has been produced and developed both nationally and internationally.
The festival continues Friday, August 14, at 7:00 p.m. with The Storm by Sarang Shah, directed by Ian C. Hopps. The political drama centers on an investigative reporting team at a London newspaper as they grapple with whether to publish explosive findings about an increasingly authoritarian prime minister while weighing the personal and professional consequences.
Shah is a first-time playwright whose background spans journalism, law, politics, acting, directing, and playwriting, having trained through Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and Studio A.C.T.
Closing the festival on Saturday, August 15, at 7:00 p.m. is Species of Least Concern by John Yunker, directed by Anthony D'Juan. The play begins when an entomologist discovers a bumblebee believed extinct before suffering a life-changing accident. As questions surrounding the missing evidence and a series of attacks on mountain bikers unfold, the story explores science, environmental conservation, suspicion, and human relationships.
Yunker is an award-winning playwright and novelist whose work frequently examines the relationship between humans and the natural world. His plays have been produced across the United States, and his forthcoming novel The Standing Dead is scheduled for publication in 2027.
Individual tickets for each staged reading are $20, while Capital Stage subscribers receive discounted admission for $15. Tickets are available through Capital Stage.
Listings
Lumin
By Emma Gibson
Directed by Elyse Sharp
Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
The Storm
The festival continues Friday, August 14, at 7:00 p.m. with The Storm by Sarang Shah, directed by Ian C. Hopps.
The political drama centers on an investigative reporting team at a London newspaper as they grapple with whether to publish explosive findings about an increasingly authoritarian prime minister while weighing the personal and professional consequences.
Shah is a first-time playwright whose background spans journalism, law, politics, acting, directing, and playwriting, having trained through Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and Studio A.C.T.
Listings
The Storm
By Sarang Shah
Directed by Ian C. Hopps
Date: Friday, August 14, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Species of Least Concern
Closing the festival on Saturday, August 15, at 7:00 p.m. is Species of Least Concern by John Yunker, directed by Anthony D'Juan.
The play begins when an entomologist discovers a bumblebee believed extinct before suffering a life-changing accident. As questions surrounding the missing evidence and a series of attacks on mountain bikers unfold, the story explores science, environmental conservation, suspicion, and human relationships.
Yunker is an award-winning playwright and novelist whose work frequently examines the relationship between humans and the natural world. His plays have been produced across the United States, and his forthcoming novel The Standing Dead is scheduled for publication in 2027.
Listings
Species of Least Concern
By John Yunker
Directed by Anthony D'Juan
Date: Saturday, August 15, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Festival Information
Playwrights' Revolution 2026
Venue: Capital Stage
Dates: August 12–15, 2026
Tickets: $20 regular admission; $15 for Capital Stage subscribers. Available at capstage.org/playwrights-revolution.
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