The William Inge Center for the Arts, in partnership with the Kansas Arts Commission of the Kansas Department of Commerce, proudly announces the selected playwrights for the 8th Annual New Play Lab at the 42nd William Inge Theatre Festival, taking place April 17-19, 2025, in Independence, Kansas.
The New Play Lab provides a platform for emerging and established playwrights to present their work in a professional setting. Each selected playwright will receive a staged reading of their play on the main stage of the William Inge Theatre, guided feedback from national theatre professionals, exclusive masterclasses with festival guest artists, and valuable networking opportunities with industry leaders.
This year’s selected playwrights and their plays are:
- Paula Fell and Janyth Fell – Sweet Revenge or Pass The Aggressive Please
- Emma Goldman-Sherman – The Slap of 1973
- Conor LaRocque – The Sylvan Tollway
- Katherine Swan – Blue Eyes
- Chelsea Sutton – I Say Running is like Breathing
- Peter Anderegg – Toe to Toe
- Jason Rainey – Missouri Waltz
- Eric Lane – Riverbed
- Damian Hawkins – Leaves
- Shayne Kennedy – Violation Cygnus
- Noah T. Parnes – Rubato
- Shannon Chinn – Ronnie, Rosie, and the Feminine Mystique
- John Mabey – The Shape Of Goodbye
- Debra A. Cole – Song and Dance Man
Selected playwrights will attend the festival in person, where they will participate in readings, workshops, and networking events. The festival offers an immersive experience celebrating the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright William Inge while fostering the development of contemporary theatrical voices.