Interview: Sean Boyd of THE 4TH ANNUAL NEW WORKS FESTIVAL at Trinity Theatre Company
The 4th Annual New Works Festival is running from April 30th to May 1st.
The 4th Annual New Works Festival returns April 30 through May 3 with an impressive statistic that says it all: 1,011 submissions, 10 selected, 4 nights. Produced by Trinity Theatre Company, the festival is a celebration of emerging playwrights and the collaborative spirit of San Diego artists, with each staged reading brought to life by local directors and performers. Whether you’re a seasoned theatre-goer or simply curious about what’s next, this festival offers a rare chance to experience new stories at their very beginning—raw, immediate, and full of possibility.
Artistic Director Sean Boyd spoke about this year’s festival, the power of new works, and why audiences play such a vital role in the process.
With over 1,000 submissions and only 9 selected, Boyd explained that the guiding idea behind this year’s lineup was intentionally open-ended.
“We approached this festival with the theme: ‘Share Your Story’. Very vague for a group of storytellers, but that was by its design. We wanted honest representations of life from as many corners of the world as we could get. And that's exactly what we got!”
That sense of discovery carries directly into the rehearsal room, where the work is still evolving.
“This is the exact passion behind the New Works Process! For us, it is so exciting to see what resonates and lands with actors and directors. But those conversations are just the tip of the iceberg. While it's not particularly common for us to make immediate changes, we take all of the feedback and continue conversations with the playwrights to support their work, long after the show has happened.”
At the heart of the festival is collaboration—bringing together dozens of local artists with playwrights whose work is still taking shape.
“Exciting, always, is the community PASSION. We bring over 50 individual artists together for very short periods of time and say, ‘let's read some plays!’. They do it with such love and conviction, a desire to bring their best foot forward, and in service to the stories they are telling. At the first rehearsal, everyone seems shy, afraid to do the wrong thing. But working on a new work is very different than a published play, starting with...it's not finished. So, the playwrights thrive when the team shares opinions and thoughts. Work becomes clearer, and the most precise and deliberate language can be used. After that first rehearsal, that collaboration clicks, and it's really fun to see.”
Photo Credit: Susan Clausen
For audiences, that unfinished quality is part of the magic.
“These are very much readings. Actors stand in front of music stands, read words on a page. Lights are minimal, sets are nonexistent. It asks the audience to use their imagination and create the world of the play using nothing but the spoken words from the page.
The audience plays a critical role in this process. They are the first people to hear the words out loud without any preconceived notions of what to expect. If the show resonates with that audience....we're in a great place. If not, it's still a great place, but it leaves us with a lot more questions. What's missing? What parts of the story aren't gelling. How do we continue to refine the story so that WHEN it's presented as a full-commissioned play, it best serves the audience and the community it's speaking on behalf of. That preliminary feedback is critical to any long-term success of a story, and that first audience...they are the ones making magic!”
Looking ahead, Boyd hopes both artists and audiences walk away with a renewed sense of purpose.
“I hope we all remember that we have a story to tell. Last year, we had just over 500 submissions. This year, 1,011. That's not an accident. There are so many individual voices, all with a story to tell. I'm grateful we are taking the opportunity to listen to those stories and provide a platform to share at least a few of them with a wider audience.”
This year’s lineup spans four days of readings:
Thursday, April 30, 2026
7:00pm – Helping Hand by John Busser, directed by Sean Libiran
7:30pm – De La Casa by James Selledy, directed by Mia Spencer
Friday, May 1, 2026
7:00pm – Out of the Woods by Robert Weibezhal, directed by Tim Baran
7:30pm – Date Play by Ashley Siflinger
Saturday, May 2, 2026
2:00pm – Shadows Dark and Deep by Sara Ilyse Jacobson, directed by Vivian White
4:30pm – Spin Cycle by William Keenan, directed by Sean Libiran
6:00pm – Moon Rock by Steven Oberman
Sunday, May 3, 2026
2:00pm – Double Shot by Maxine Levaren, directed by Vivian White
2:30pm – Nothing But the Truth by Connie Terwilliger, directed by Mia Spencer
For anyone curious about where theatre is headed next, this festival offers a front row seat—and, as Boyd makes clear, a chance to be part of the journey.
How To Get Tickets
The 4th Annual New Works Festival is running from April 30th to May 1st. For ticket and specific show information, go to https://trinityttc.org/fourth-annual-new-works-festival/
Photo Credit: Trinity Theatre
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