Centre Stage to Open 24th Annual New Play Festival
The festival features staged readings of new works and will dedicate this year's event to the memory of Annette Elizabeth Garver.
Centre Stage invites audiences to experience new work in the making at its 24th Annual New Play Festival, October 22–24, 2026.
Featuring professional staged readings of three finalist plays, the festival offers three evenings of storytelling and an opportunity to be part of a play's journey toward production. All readings begin at 7:30 PM. Admission is free, with RSVPs requested.
Supporting new work means making room for stories to grow—and inviting audiences into that process. Each evening introduces a different play, giving theatre lovers a chance to discover new voices and experience the possibilities of a script brought to life. One of the three finalists will be selected as the festival winner and receive a production at Centre Stage during the following season.
This year's festival moves from small-town chaos to a deadly examination of power and an honest look at the creative life:
Thursday, October 22: The Sugar Mountain Methodist Women's Fashion Show by Laura King
Preparations for a church fashion show unravel amid gossip, electrical mishaps, questionable outfits, and a potentially deadly peanut incident, prompting a small-town community to reconsider its choices and dreams.
Friday, October 23: John Deserves to Die by Rachel Beth Greene
A campus staging of Oleanna becomes the catalyst for a dark exploration of ambition, consent, gender, and control as three students challenge who gets to tell the story.
Saturday, October 24: This Is the Subtext by Brian James Polak
An aspiring playwright's podcast interviews with accomplished writers bring his own insecurities into focus in this humorous memoir play about rejection, envy, and finding an artistic home.
FESTIVAL DETAILS
- Dates: October 22–24, 2026
- Times: Thursday–Saturday at 7:30 PM
- Admission: Free; RSVP requested
- Format: Professional staged readings of three finalist plays
- Location: Centre Stage, 501 River Street, Greenville, SC 29601
RESERVATION INFORMATION
The New Play Festival is free to the public. To RSVP, visit centrestage.org/events/24th-annual-new-play-festival/. For more information, contact the Centre Stage box office at 864-233-6733.
ABOUT CENTRE STAGE
Centre Stage is a year-round, 275-seat professional theatre offering musicals, comedy, drama, concerts, and special events. Located in downtown Greenville, Centre Stage is part of the city's thriving arts community, just steps from Main Street, the West End, and Falls Park on the Reedy.
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