Playmakers Repertory Company Will Launch North Carolina Folk Play Project
Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch cites the legacy of the Carolina Playmakers as inspiration for the initiative.
PlayMakers Repertory Company has announced the launch of the North Carolina Folk Play Project, a new statewide initiative inviting writers and storytellers from across North Carolina to submit short plays exploring the stories, communities and experiences that make our state unique.
Beginning September 2, PlayMakers will accept submissions of 10-20-minute plays from writers across North Carolina. Several of these works will be brought together for live readings in Chapel Hill as part of Carolina Performing Arts' All. Together. Now. festival in February of 2027, and a selection of the plays will ultimately go on tour to communities around the state as part of PlayMakers' 2027-28 season.
'I'm so excited to hear from people of all generations about the place they call (or have called) home, the people who shape those communities and the multitude of different NC stories that deserve to be told,' said Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director.
The project draws inspiration from North Carolina's rich tradition of community-based storytelling, as well as the legacy of the Carolina Playmakers, which developed American folk drama as a genre starting in the early 20th century.
The Carolina Playmakers was founded at the University of North Carolina in 1918 under the leadership of Professor Frederick Koch. Koch encouraged his students to write what he called 'folk plays' - plays rooted in the lives, stories, traditions and communities they knew firsthand. The resulting works explored North Carolina from the mountains to the coast and were performed not only on campus but for audiences across the state and the nation.
More than a century later, the North Carolina Folk Play Project asks a new generation of North Carolinians: What are the stories of our state today?
'In PlayMakers' 50th season, the NC Folk Play Project is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our roots while opening the door to a new canon of 21st century North Carolina folk plays,' said Benesch.
Submission Details
North Carolina Folk Play Project submissions open September 1, 2026, and close November 15.
There is no fee to submit a play to the North Carolina Folk Play Project. Submissions must be original works rooted in North Carolina with a running time between 10 and 20 minutes.
Submissions may draw from family stories, local legends, community histories, contemporary life, cultural traditions, or entirely original stories inspired by life in North Carolina.
Plays incorporating songs or music are welcome, provided the total running time does not exceed 20 minutes.
Plays written in languages other than English are also welcome and must include an English translation as part of the submission.
Translations or adaptations of existing works by other writers will not be accepted. Submissions must not infringe upon the copyright or rights of another person or entity or contain defamatory material.
How to Submit
Further information, resources, complete submission guidelines and the electronic submission form are available at playmakersrep.org/NC-Folk-Play-Project.
About the North Carolina Folk Play Project
The North Carolina Folk Play Project is a statewide PlayMakers Repertory Company initiative celebrating the stories of North Carolina. Inspired by the folk play tradition of the historic Carolina Playmakers, the project invites contemporary writers and storytellers to create short theatrical works rooted in the people, places, histories, cultures and communities of North Carolina. Selected works will be presented by PlayMakers and tour communities across the state in 2027.
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