Jersey City Theater to Host Garden State New Play Festival

Jersey City Theater Center, in partnership with the The New Jersey Play Lab, will present the return of the Garden State New Play Festival, an innovative three-week celebration of new theatrical works and emerging voices. Now in its second year, the festival will take place May 1–17, 2026, with staged readings, discussions, and community engagement events presented at White Eagle Hall, Nimbus Arts Center, and Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City.

The Garden State New Play Festival brings together playwrights, dramaturgs, artists, and audiences to explore stories that address pressing social issues while celebrating the craft of new play development. Through staged readings followed by audience discussions, the festival invites the community into the creative process—creating a dynamic space where theatre becomes a catalyst for dialogue, reflection, and connection.

The festival is guided by four core pillars: Community and Advocacy, Awareness and Connectivity, Artistic Equity and Exchange, and Craft and Excellence. These principles shape a development process that emphasizes collaboration, dramaturgical rigor, and the importance of diverse perspectives in contemporary storytelling.

The 2026 Garden State New Play Festival will feature a diverse collective of playwrights from New Jersey, New York, and beyond, including artists from Jersey City, Newark, Bayonne, East Windsor, Madison, and New York City, as well as international voices.

Festival Schedule

Friday, May 1 at 8:00 PM — White Eagle Hall

Eight-Hand Jig by MC Crosby (New York, NY)
Can a dancing Irish banshee banish the patriarchy? A moving and magical tale of family, autonomy, and motherhood.

Sunday, May 3 at 3:00 PM — Nimbus Arts Center

The Cigar Factory by Palesa Mazamisa (South Africa)
Five powerful women must negotiate the fate of humanity during a global collapse—inside a cigar factory

Sunday, May 3 at 7:00 PM — White Eagle Hall

Columbus: Our Idiot Hero by Amanda Faye Lacson (New York, NY)
A surreal afterlife comedy in which Christopher Columbus confronts the myths and truths of his legacy.

Friday, May 8 at 8:00 PM — Nimbus Arts Center

Admissions Tour by Nancy Méndez-Booth (Jersey City, NJ)
In March of 1989, each member of the Méndez family was desperate to escape public housing. A play about big dreams and their consequences.

Saturday, May 9 at 3:00 PM — Nimbus Arts Center

Short Plays by College Students Andy Bentley (Drew University), Emmanuel Ebba III (Montclair State University), and Victoria Lenga (Hudson County Community College).

Saturday, May 9 at 8:00 PM — Nimbus Arts Center

P. Pan et al. by Danielle Frimer (Hudson Valley, NY)
A bold re-examination of inherited stories and cultural mythology and erasure.

Friday, May 15 at 8:00 PM — Grace Church Van Vorst

Drapetomania: A Negro Carol by M. D. Schaffer (Houston, TX / New York, NY)
During the pandemic and racial justice protests of 2020, a young father is visited by revolutionary figures from history.

Saturday, May 16 at 8:00 PM — Grace Church Van Vorst

Cruelty by Sam Sultan (Jersey City, NJ)
A dark comedy examining food justice, capitalism, and the ethical boundaries of “the greater good.”

Sunday, May 17 at 3:00 PM — White Eagle Hall

Short Plays by community writers, educators, and activists Alia Berry (Newark, NJ), Aaron Morrill (Jersey City, NJ), and Tracie E. Morrison (Newark, NJ). The festival concludes with a discussion and reception following the readings.

Each staged reading will be followed by a post-show audience discussion, offering a unique opportunity for community members to engage directly with playwrights and artists about the ideas and themes explored in their work.

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