In 2010, Samuel D. Hunter, a then-nascent playwright from New York, took a transformative step in his career through a pivotal opportunity in Philadelphia. Thanks to PlayPenn, his play was read aloud by professional actors, receiving real-time audience feedback that would shape its future.
This experience ultimately culminated in the creation of “The Whale,” which, by 2022, became an award-winning film grossing $57.6 million globally.
Now, PlayPenn is set to excite audiences once more with its New Play Development Conference running from July 5 to July 20. Artistic Director Che’Rae Adams emphasizes the importance of the creative process, stating, “Audiences love process.” Participants will have the chance to attend free readings of seven plays in development, giving them the unique opportunity to be involved in the initial stages of what may become future Tony or Pulitzer Prize-winning works.
The lineup features a diverse selection of stories, including themes of motherhood set against the backdrop of Miami, a World War II propaganda tale focusing on Black POWs, and the lives of three aging aerialists. Additionally, an author confronts the inspiration behind her hit debut novel, while a political farce involving a pet iguana explores the concept of an anti-empathy factory. There is also a dystopian tale set in a food desert.
One of the highlights of this year’s conference is “Field of Flowers,” a play centered on painters Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, written by Bee Kanofsky, a recent high school graduate participating through a collaboration with Philadelphia Young Playwrights. Kanofsky’s works have already graced various theater stages.
According to Adams, this is an unparalleled chance for playwrights, who often write in isolation, to experience their scripts performed by professional actors. They can also gauge audience reactions and feedback, making it an intense yet invaluable experience.
Adams shared her admiration for the audience’s intelligence, noting that their feedback tends to be both insightful and constructive. For those who may feel shy, there are options to submit thoughts anonymously through written feedback or via email.
Most readings will occur in Center City at InterAct Theatre Company’s stages, which were repurposed from a former ballroom in the Drake apartment building. To celebrate PlayPenn’s 20th anniversary, some readings will be hosted in various neighborhoods, including the Esperanza Health Center in North Philadelphia and the Painted Bride Art Center in West Philadelphia.
Adams stressed the importance of outreach to diverse communities, explaining that sharing audiences is vital, especially as the arts face challenges in the current landscape shaped by factors such as the cuts from the Trump administration and the rise of at-home entertainment options like Netflix.
This year’s conference adopts an innovative format, with actors presenting three of the plays twice: once at the beginning and again toward the end of the event. In between these presentations, playwrights will be hard at work refining their scripts based on audience feedback, allowing attendees to witness the evolution of the plays over the conference timeline.
The three plays featured in this dual-reading format have been meticulously selected from over 200 submissions, which were read multiple times before the final choices were made. PlayPenn actively recruits screening readers, primarily from partner theater groups such as the Wilma Theater, Theatre in the X, and Power Street Theatre, as well as the Philadelphia Theatre Company and InterAct.
To maintain objectivity and minimize implicit bias during the selection process, Adams revealed that the first two rounds of screening involve readers who share demographic characteristics with the playwrights, although the writers’ identities remain unknown to them.
This careful selection process effectively narrows down the submissions to a handful, from which the PlayPenn staff and experts in new play development select the three plays they believe are poised for future production.
Among the works to be featured is “Ama. Egg. Oyá.” by Lori Felipe-Barkin, a powerful play that weaves Cuban culture, Miami, and Santería with themes centered on motherhood and fertility. This piece will be read at the Esperanza Health Center on July 12 and at InterAct’s Drake on July 18.
Another intriguing selection is “hand foot hand” by L.M. Feldman, chronicling the lives of three elderly aerialists. This play will first be read at the Wilma Theater on July 12 before returning to InterAct’s Drake on July 19.
Andrew Saito’s play, “Harlem Canary/Tokyo Crow,” which focuses on a Japanese World War II propaganda initiative utilizing captured Black POW soldiers, will be read at the Painted Bride Art Center on July 13 and again at the Drake on July 20, in collaboration with Theatre in the X.
The final three plays represent the culmination of The Foundry, a three-year initiative aimed at nurturing emerging playwrights in Philadelphia, developed through a partnership between PlayPenn and the Philadelphia Theatre Company.
According to co-artistic director Tyler Dobrowsky, this partnership aims to create a supportive environment for Philadelphia writers. The Foundry plays include “I’ll Eat You Whole” by Chaz T. Martin, about the dynamic between an author and her muse; “Talking to Og” by Zahra Patterson, a political farce featuring the anti-empathy factory; and “The Company” by Lex Thammavong, exploring themes of community activism and puppetry.
With the legacy of Hunter’s success with “The Whale,” PlayPenn remains hopeful that one of this year’s readings will capture similar acclaim. While the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Fat Ham” by Philadelphia playwright James Ijames was never workshopped at PlayPenn, three of his other works have, including “The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington,” which is scheduled for production next season at the Wilma Theater.
Both Hunter and Ijames serve on PlayPenn’s advisory board and will lead workshops for theater professionals during the upcoming conference.
PlayPenn’s 20th anniversary conference promises to be an engaging and inspiring event for aspiring playwrights and theater enthusiasts alike, reaffirming its role as a catalyst for new voices in the arts.
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