SEVEN DEVILS PLAYWRIGHTS CONFERENCE Unveils 2025 Playwrights And Event Lineup

Amidst a national funding crisis, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference will return to McCall, Idaho June 2-14 to celebrate its 25th year with a powerful lineup of new plays and events.

Hosted in partnership with the Alpine Playhouse, the Conference continues its long-standing tradition of nurturing new voices in American theater through two weeks of free public events, workshops, and readings.

The 2025 Playwrights - Davis Alianiello, Weston Gaylord, Tate Elizabeth Hanyok, Mary Lynn Owen, and 4 Seasons Resident Playwright, Megan Tabaque - come from across the country and join an illustrious list of Seven Devils playwrights. Some notable successes developed in McCall include MacArthur "Genius" Grant recipient and Idaho native Samuel D. Hunter, whose play The Whale (2012 7D Conference) is now a major motion picture featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Brendan Fraser; Eric Coble's The Velocity of Autumn, which went to Broadway (2010 7D Conference); and Jennifer Blackmer's I Carry Your Heart With Me (2022 7D Conference) received a 2024 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation.

"Celebrating 25 years is an extraordinary achievement. I have been coming to McCall since year one of the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference," says Managing Director, Paula Marchiel. "McCall and the Alpine Playhouse continue to be a generous, inspiring home for playwrights to take their plays to the next stage in their process."

In addition to the four plays selected to receive staged readings (from 740 submissions) the Conference will feature a free playwriting workshop led by 4 Seasons Resident Playwright Megan Tabaque, open to writers of all experience levels, and a Master Class playwriting workshop featuring new work by students from McCall-Donnelly High School.

Seven Devils has collaborated with McCall-Donnelly High School students on their plays since its inception. "This program is one of the cornerstones of our work here," says Co-Artistic Director Adrian Centeno. "Through our Master Class, students experience what it means to be part of a professional creative process - it's an investment in the future of American theater."

This year's playwrights are bringing powerful, timely, and deeply human stories - and by joining us, the audience becomes part of the creative process. Conference regulars and first-time attendees will discover a vibrant company of actors, directors, and theater artists from across the country - many of whom are returning familiar faces - all gathering in the heart of McCall to bring these new plays to life.

"We're deeply grateful to the McCall community for stepping up when we needed them most," says Mallory Metoxen, Co-Artistic Director. "Without NEA funding, we were facing the possibility of drastically scaling back the Conference. Instead, we've had over 100 supporters and counting show up for us when we need them most."

Join us and be a part of the process. Celebrate 25 years of storytelling, community, and bold new voices shaping the future of American theater.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS - 2025 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference

All events are free and open to the public, with a 7:30pm start at the Alpine Playhouse unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, June 4: Master Class with McCall-Donnelly High School (Start time: 7:00)

Company members meet with students from the McCall-Donnelly High School drama program to learn about the development process by working on plays written by the students as part of their drama class. Join the fun and get a behind the scenes look at the play development process.

Friday, June 6: SALVAGE by Mary Lynn Owen

Six months after Father's death, Mother sends an ALL-CAPS email to her adult children, ordering them home to collect their things. Brother and Sister, each with their own ALL-CAPS agendas, arrive to find the stuff of their childhood crammed into boxes, Father's belongings in a box in the corner, and Grandpa just as surprised as they are to learn that Mother is tossing in the towel and "heading west" the very next day. In the twenty four hours that follow, this interracial, intergenerational family will face what they've each boxed up throughout the years: things said and unsaid, grief borne alone, and the wonder of Stevie Wonder. As they fight to let go and fight to hold on, what can they find worth saving?

Saturday, June 7: THE MAILROOM by Davis Alianiello

In a collapsing near-future Boston, filmmaker Nadia hides behind the anarchist persona Uncle_Hogshit, broadcasting cryptic political missives to desperate, isolated followers. When she takes a job in the mailroom of an ad agency that peddles false hope to a dying world, Nadia discovers that her coworker Mikey is, in fact, her most devoted fan. As their friendship develops, Nadia must decide whether to trust Mikey with the explosive truth about her alter-ego. But Mikey's radical devotion to her online movement has shocking consequences, and Nadia is forced to reconcile the digital world she's created with the real one that's crumbling around her.

Friday, June 13: WORD OF MOUTH by Weston Gaylord

Cat needs something to believe in. Robin wants to be reminded she's alive. Ayala seeks solace after a tragedy. Orson avoids talking about his past. Each has been handpicked, from a waitlist of hundreds, for an elaborate dinner in Leo's converted loft apartment. But as Leo attempts to orchestrate the perfect dining experience, he and his guests confront the deeper hungers and fears that eat away at them. What is it about eating together that so effectively opens strangers' hearts to each other? Where is the line between nourishment and consumption? And what is waiting in the dark, empty space beneath this apartment?

Saturday, June 14 (at 11 AM): A PLAYWRITING WORKSHOP: Trusting the Narrative Subconscious with Megan Tabaque (11am-2pm at MD High School)

Join us at McCall-Donnelly High School for a free playwriting workshop hosted by 4 Seasons Resident Playwright, Megan Tabaque, exploring how to begin a new play when you're all out of ideas!

No experience is necessary, but space is limited. Email: paula@sevendevils.org to reserve your spot.

Saturday, June 14: DOG MOM by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok

Liz is fresh off a divorce and on a mission to reclaim her life. She may be lost but this tough-as-nails New Yorker knows one thing-- Liz is NOT a dog person. But when a scruffy stray pooch shows up on her stoop-Liz is thrust into a new kind of identity crisis: accidental Dog Mom. She's soon unleashed into a whirlwind of unsolicited advice from strangers, dog park people, and the gnawing fear that she's doing it all wrong. In this story of unexpected friendship-- walk by walk, Liz is tugged into a new kind of love and finds that the most surprising part of being a Dog Mom... is just how much her heart needed it.

More information about schedules, events and travel can be found at: sevendevils.org

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS

Davis Alianiello is a playwright from Providence, RI. His play Snake was a second place recipient of the 2024 Paula Vogel Award in Playwriting from the Kennedy Center, and was a 2025 State Winner of the Clauder Competition. His one act plays are published by Playscripts, Inc., and have been performed by schools and colleges in twenty-four states, as well as in Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has developed new work at SoHo Playhouse, the Boston Center for the Arts, The Wilbury Group, Playhouse on Park, and Stone Oven House in Rorá, Italy. He lives in New York, where he teaches high school and college students. He is a recent graduate of the Hunter College Playwriting MFA. davisalianiello.com

Weston Gaylord is a playwright and librettist based in Los Angeles. His plays have been featured in the Ashland New Plays Festival, Boston Court Pasadena New Play Reading Festival, and New Roots Theatre Festival. He has been a member of The Geffen Playhouse Writers' Room, Circle X Evolving Playwrights Group, The Vagrancy Playwrights Group, and a recipient of the Humanitas PLAY LA fellowship. He has also developed new work with TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, SFBATCO, Z Space, and Outside In Theatre. Finalist: O'Neill National Music Theatre Conference, Lucille Lortel 121 Project, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. Weston has written and developed immersive and mixed-reality theatrical experiences with Disney Imagineering, Meta, Madison Wells, FX, and Spy Brunch, and his work has been presented in Games For Change, The Latest Draft podcast, A Little New Music, and the Future of Storytelling Festival. westongaylord.com

Tate Elizabeth Hanyok is a screenwriter, actress, and playwright celebrated for her bold, female-driven comedies, as well as her nuanced take on themes of awkward displacement, the strength and magic of community, and the relentless resilience of the underdog. A self-taught writer with no formal training, Tate was named one of the Moviemaker Top 25 Writers to Watch and one of Tracking Board's Top 100 Emerging Writers on the Young and Hungry List. Hailing from Virginia, Tate's storytelling journey began on stage, where her firsthand experience as a performer shaped her unique, protagonist-centered approach. Her genre-spanning portfolio includes the teen romantic comedy Sex APPeal, which she wrote and produced for Hulu, as well as Love and Baseball, a romantic dramedy she produced, starred in, and adapted for HBO MAX, and the rom-com feature The Pet Nup, coming soon! She was also tapped to adapt two YA novels into motion pictures. In the thriller realm, Tate's Forgotten Abduction became an international hit and she continues to explore new territories with the elevated horror feature Zeus. You may have seen her on an episode of The Office, and having done nearly 100 commercials, she might have sold you a car, a burger, or dental insurance. Dog Mom is her first play, and she is delighted to make it full circle-- returning to her home on the stage and to be so warmly welcomed into the playwriting community by Seven Devils.

Mary Lynn Owen is an Atlanta-based playwright, actor, and teacher whose award-winning play, Knead, received its world premiere at The Alliance Theatre in 2018 and a second full production at The Aurora Theatre in 2024. Knead, winner of The Reiser Award from The Alliance Theatre and The Gene Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award, follows Mary Lynn's relationship with her Cuban American family as she makes four loaves of bread onstage. Additional full-length works include Salvage, a 2025 finalist for the American Blues Theatre Blue Ink Award, a 2025 selection for the Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights at The Barter Theatre, and a 2022 Finalist for the O'Neill National Playwright's Conference; and Lady Parts, featured in the Theatrical Outfit's 2020 Unexpected Play Festival. Her shorter works have been performed in the MoJo Theatre Festival, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's "22 Homes" Project, and the Hedgebrook Playwrights Showcase at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Mary Lynn is a 2024 finalist for the Dramatists Guild National Playwriting Fellows Program, the 2022 Travis Bogard Artist in Residence at the Eugene O'Neill Foundation, and the recipient of the Carey Perloff Fellowship. Her writing residencies include Cottages at Hedgebrook in Langley, WA; The Eugene O'Neil Foundation in Danville, CA; and The Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, GA. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild, Working Title Playwrights, Actors Equity Association, and SAG-Aftra.