Centre Stage proudly invites you to our 24th Annual New Play Festival, where innovation, creativity, and storytelling come to life. Be part of the journey as we spotlight three exceptional finalist plays, handpicked for their originality and compelling narratives. Each of these works will receive a professional staged reading, providing an exclusive opportunity to experience new voices shaping the theatre landscape.

And here’s the most exciting part: One of the three finalist plays will be selected as the winner and receive a production at Centre Stage during the following season. Be among the first to witness this extraordinary work before it takes its next big leap onto our stage!

This event is free to the public. Please RSVP Below.

October 22 at 7:30 PM: The Sugar Mountain Methodist Women’s Fashion Show

As the men and women of a small town prepare for the annual church fashion show, they are faced with town gossip, faulty wiring, bad fashion choices, and a peanut-induced involuntary manslaughter attempt. As the fashion show preparations spin out of control, everyone is forced to examine their past decisions, present circumstances, and future dreams.

October 23 at 7:30 PM: John Deserves to Die

A college production of Oleanna ignites jealousy, exposes dangerous secrets, and blurs the line between art and life. In this decidedly murderous exploration into the devilish intricacies of sex, power, consent, and gender politics in academia, three students take control in asking: If Carol was telling the story, wouldn’t John deserve to die?

October 24 at 7:30 PM: This is the Subtext

A funny, candid memoir play about Brian, a struggling playwright whose podcast about successful writers forces him to confront envy, rejection, and what it truly means to belong as an artist