LAUNCH PAD Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Free Readings

Launch Pad continues its 20th anniversary celebration with its renowned Summer Reading Series. “Every summer we invite three professional playwrights to UCSB to develop their new works in collaboration with a team of talented students,” says Launch Pad Founder and Artistic Director Risa Brainin. “Each play goes through a highly energetic, evolutionary four-day workshop culminating in a reading for the public.”

This summer’s opener is Greek Tragedy by Lia Romeo, who is “known for her sharp wit, emotional depth and ability to capture the complexities of modern relationships,” says the Times Square Chronicles. Greek Tragedy centers on a famous influencer and her drab Best Friend. It’s a story about telling stories...and how to live our lives online.

Standing Still by award-winning playwright and performer Melinda Lopez kicks off week two. Set in a yoga studio, ordinary women are trying to get centered during a time of social unrest, and they each must decide what ‘living your truth’ actually means. A play about the cost of showing up. Co-commissioned by Launch Pad and the Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) in Lowell, MA, the preview production of Standing Still will be seen at UCSB in Spring 2026. 

The closing piece, The Wildes, is written by Louis Bayard who, for the first time ever, is adapting one of his novels for the stage. The Wildes is a tragicomedy about Oscar Wilde and the family that most people don't even know he had: his wife Constance and his two adored sons, who were all swept up in the same scandal that enveloped him and forced him into exile. The Library of Congress writes, “his penchant for weaving real people into fictional adventure is so distinctive that the NYTimes recently referred to it as ‘Bayardian.’” Award-winning actor and UCSB Professor Annie Torsiglieri joins the company for this reading to play Oscar Wilde’s eccentric mother.  

The Launch Pad Summer Reading Series is a favorite amongst audiences who enjoy being on the ground floor of new plays. “The plays are in constant evolution throughout the week, and there are always wonderful surprises,” says Brainin. “It’s a joy to be celebrating our 20th anniversary with this stellar line up of playwrights and plays.”

Readings are free and open to the public. 

Santa Barbara Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. SHREK (Central Coast Theatre Company)

22.2% of votes

2. LEGALLY BLONDE (Central Coast Theatre Company)

17.3% of votes

3. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Theatre Group at SBCC)

15.6% of votes

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