ANPF 2025 Fall Festival at Ashland New Plays Festival

Ashland New Plays Festival will be holding its annual Fall Festival next month, October 15-19, 2025 at SOU’s Main Stage Theater, located in the theatre building at 491 S. Mountain Ave. in Ashland, OR. ANPF's Fall Festival is the culmination of a year-long process choosing 4 winning plays from a pool of 350 submissions, then bringing together artists to present dramtic readings of each play. The Festival is an opportunity for playwrights to workshop their scripts with professional actors and directors, often for the first time. It is also a chance to connect with audience members during talk-backs following each reading, where patrons can share their thoughts directly with the artists to help continue the growth of their work. These talk-backs are led by ANPF’s Host Playwrights; this year, former winner E.M. Lewis (Song of Extinction, ANPF 2008) returns as a Co-Host playwright, joined by past winning playwright Victor Lesniewski (The Hunt for Benedetto Montone, ANPF 2022; Cold Spring, ANPF 2018). "This year’s winning plays share a common perspective, one of empathy and compassion. From feuding meat factory coworkers to hungry children playing games in the woods, these stories blend the familiar with the existential. I am eager to welcome our four winning playwrights to Ashland this October and to see their compelling stories brought to life.”- ANPF Artistic Director Jackie Apodaca

The 2025 Winning Plays and their Playwrights

"In Case of Bruising"- Kamila Boga is an LA & NYC-based director, playwright, and actor. Focused on expressive, ensemble-driven work, Boga approaches projects with curiosity and the intention to “turn tension into art." In Case of Bruising is a lyrical exploration of childhood, danger, and the many faces of pain.

"Better"- Vince Gatton is a New York-based playwright and Drama Desk-nominated actor. His work has appeared in the Samuel French OOB Festival and Motolla Theatre Project’s annual Cherry Picking at the Wild Project. His play Better is a darkly comic drama about personal and systemic resistance.

"Tipping Point"- Naya James Sonnad writes plays and films, and is also an actor and producer in New York City. Her work questions what it means to belong, to be other, and to be an American. Tipping Point explores changes--of the climate and the heart--and prompts audiences to consider the value of one human life.

"Pretend It's Pretend"- Emma Watkins’ plays have been published by Concord Theatricals/Samuel French and Routledge. Pretend it’s Pretend was named Runner-Up for the 2024 Princess Grace Award from New Dramatists. It is a play about learning, growing up, and how grown-ups might need to learn to play.

You can learn more on our website at ashlandnewplays.org/fall-festival/