Vanguard Theater Reveals Lineup For 2026 Illuminating New Voices Festival
AIRBORNE, RED, BREATHE, and five more original works will be staged at the Montclair, NJ venue
Vanguard Theater has announced the return of its Illuminating New Voices Festival, a dynamic celebration of new work and the artists shaping the future of storytelling. Rooted in a commitment to amplifying diverse voices and expanding access to the arts, the festival creates space for emerging playwrights and multidisciplinary artists to develop and share original stories that reflect the world we live in-and the one we hope to build.
A cornerstone of Vanguard's 2026 season, the festival will take place over two weekends, May 2-3 and May 8-9, spanning four nights and featuring eight original works in development. This year's curated lineup showcases bold new perspectives, inventive theatrical forms, and deeply human storytelling.
Selected works for the 2026 Illuminating New Voices Festival:
- The Milk of Human Kindness by J. Thalia Cunningham
- In Emily's Words by Jessy Tomsko
- THE CAPTIVES by Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich
- Airborne: The Bessie Coleman Musical
- Book by Beau Dixon, Lyrics by Jewelle Blackman
- RED: A New Musical by Lawrence Dandridge
- THERESA by Naomi Lorrain
- BREATHE by Cynthia Grace Robinson
- The Habit by Cynthia Cleto
"Our Illuminating New Voices Festival is a cornerstone of this season, shining a spotlight on emerging playwrights and bold new works," said Artistic Director Janeece Freeman Clark. "The festival gives rise to stories that demand to be told-stories that challenge what we think we know, expand the narratives we inherit, and invite us to imagine new communities together."
Festival producers Lenyx Rose and Imani Nyame reflect on the connective thread across this year's works:
"Each of these works found its way to Illuminating New Voices for different reasons. Some are funny, some are deeply introspective, some are unsettling. But in spending time with them, a shared thread began to emerge: an exploration of what happens when who we are becomes something outside of our control and the ways we attempt to reclaim ourselves.
Each story grapples with autonomy, identity, and resistance. What connects us to each story is knowing that, similarly to each character, we are in constant discovery as we continue to peel back the layers to our own humanity."
Tickets for the Illuminating New Voices Festival are now on sale. Audiences are invited to experience these exciting works in development and engage with the next generation of storytellers.
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A Beat of Our Own McCarter Theatre Center (10/07-10/25) |
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Pipeline Vanguard Theater (10/08-10/25) |
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Opening Weekend: Beethoven's "Emperor" & Schubert's "Great" State Theatre New Jersey (10/25-10/25) |
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Handel's Messiah Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart (12/20-12/20) |
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We Declare: Words That Shaped A Nation The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (10/26-10/26) |
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Inaugural Light Opera of NJ Youth Ensemble Concert St. Mark's Episcopal Church (10/10-10/10) |
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Midnight at the New Dawn Kelsey Theatre (10/16-10/18) |
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Gil Shaham Plays Dvořák Count Basie Center for the Arts (2/20-2/20) |
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Neruda Songs and Poulenc's Gloria New Jersey Performing Arts Center (4/17-4/17) |
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Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini New Jersey Performing Arts Center (1/22-1/22) |
