Arkansas New Play Festival 2026 at TheatreSquared

The Arkansas New Play Festival was launched in 2009 and has since helped incubate the development of more than 50 plays. The playwright-focused festival links authors with a director, dramaturg, and professional cast for an intensive two- to three-week laboratory process, culminating in staged reading performances. Staged readings have been held in venues throughout Fayetteville, Bentonville, Little Rock, and—in 2020—streamed online. Through the Arkansas New Play Festival, TheatreSquared seeks to give voice to playwrights whose timely and relevant stories resonate with the moment we live in—in Arkansas, in mid-America, and as a nation.