Florida Repertory Theatre's PlayLab Festival of New Works Set for May
Events will run from May 1-4.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 14, 2025
Florida Repertory Theatre's PlayLab Festival of New Works will take place May 1– 4 in the Historic Arcade Theatre. The 2025 PlayLab lineup includes five plays reflecting Florida Rep's mission to produce a wide variety of work by emerging and well-established writers. The plays were chosen from an open call for submissions to literary agents and playwrights - some affiliated with the National New Play Network, of which Florida Rep is an Associate Member.
Tickets are $35 per reading and $25 for the playwright panel session, or patrons may take advantage of an all-access pass for $170 that includes admission to all five readings plus the playwright's panel. A VIP all-access package is also available for $185 and includes complimentary concessions at each reading.
Selected works include a humor-laced, unconventional family drama “Why We Go To Florida,” by Kenneth Jones (author of last year's PlayLab selection, “Ten Minutes On A Bench”); “Dalloway: Summer at Bourton,” a delightful romance and pop-period prequel to Virginia Woolf's famous novel by Lindsay Joelle; “Swiped,” a thrilling drama by Samara Siskind, explores themes of privilege and implicit bias; “1999” a drama posing questions about artistic production, academic freedom/danger, and power by Stacey Isom Campbell; and “Lemonade,” a fresh-pressed musical adventure about growing up, friendship, grief, and communicating with others even when you don't see eye to eye – with book, music, and lyrics by Jesse Corbin.
Eighty-eight plays were read and evaluated by Florida Rep's reading committee for consideration. In addition to the five selected works, Florida Rep is pleased to honor eight more plays and playwrights as finalists for the 2025 PlayLab: “Remember,” by Jeffrey Binder; “Mrs. Einstein,” by Kathleen Cahill; “Hiding in Plain Sight” by Ed Friedman; “Midnight at Pricklemore Mansion,” by Uma Incrocci; “Stauss's Houses,” by Jerry Polner; “Heartbeat,” by Alex Riad; and “Where Dead Women Go to Dance,” by Stephen Spotswood.
During the intensive weekend festival, playwrights work with a professional director and a cast of actors from the local area and from across the state. Each play rehearses and performs for a combined 15 hours to workshop and develop their piece. Each play is considered for a future production in a subsequent Florida Rep season. The festival culminates with a playwright panel session moderated by Jason Parrish, Florida Rep's associate artistic director, and Nan Barnett, the executive director of the National New Play Network.
“Each reading performance includes a talk-back and a discussion with the playwrights, directors, and actors,” said Jason Parrish, the festival organizer. “Audience feedback is instrumental in the development process and helps the playwrights perfect their scripts and helps guide Florida Rep as it decides whether to include one of these plays in a future season.”
Examples of past plays selected for production by Florida Rep include Mark Shanahan's plays “A Sherlock Carol” produced in 2023 and “The Dingdong” in 2016, “Damascus” by Bennett Fisher produced in 2018, “Alabaster” by Audrey Cefaly produced in 2019, and “Split in Three” by Daryl Lisa Fazio produced in 2015.
Lee Moore and Dee Whited are grand sponsors of the 2025 Festival, with major support from playwright sponsor Darlene Arnold, networking sponsor Nomi Bloom. Other sponsors include Catherine Grega & Douglas Albert, and Judy Weiner.
More about the 2025 PlayLab Festival of New Plays and Emerging Voices
"WHY WE GO TO FLORIDA"
by Kenneth Jones
Thursday, May 1 | 7 PM
In the dead of winter, Henry flies from New York City to Southwest Florida to offer condolences at the funeral of a man he never knew — his late partner's father. But as the booze flows at the wake, will the widow, Constance, and her grown daughter, Amy, raise a glass to the unexpected guest? Set in 2012, somewhere between the dusk of the worst days of the AIDS crisis and the dawn of marriage equality, Why We Go to Florida is a humor-laced drama exploring guilt and grief, perceptions and prejudices, show tunes, silence and survival.
Kenneth Jones returns to PlayLab after his appearance in the 2024 Festival with the romantic comedy, Ten Minutes on a Bench.
“DALLOWAY: Summer at Bourton”
by Lindsay Joelle
Friday, May 2 | 7 PM | Sponsored by Judy Weiner
Clarissa, a clever Victorian teen, is on a mission to save her family from financial ruin by auditioning a string of wealthy, potential suitors. But when she falls for a daring, free-spirited suffragette, everything she thought she knew about love and life is upended. Dalloway is a fresh, delightfully feminist love story blending humor, heart, and romance in a pop-period prequel to Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway.
“SWIPED”
by Samara Siskind
Saturday, May 3 | 2 PM
Are first impressions ever reliable? A young black man strikes up a conversation with a young white woman in the food court of a suburban shopping mall. What she initially believes to be a random pick-up attempt becomes much more complicated. It turns out they're not strangers after all. Swiped is a thrilling drama that explores themes of privilege and implicit bias where characters fight to form human connections as they confront their pasts, and their own ingrained prejudices.
“1999”
by Stacey Isom Campbell
Saturday, May 3 | 7 PM
Emma is a renowned film producer and college professor. When a student complains about her decision to include a film produced by a #MeToo-outed man in the course curriculum, Emma must interrogate her own guilt for something she did in 1999. The play explores the intersection of three women's lives in the wake of trauma and grapples with what to do with the films of the 90s in light of recent sexual allegations, posing questions about artistic production, academic freedom/danger, and power.
“LEMONADE”
A Fresh Pressed Musical by Jesse Corbin
Sunday, May 4 | 4 PM | Sponsored by Catherine Grega & Douglas Albert
“Lemonade” is a fresh musical adventure about growing up, friendship, grief, and communicating with others even when you don't see eye to eye. 15-year-olds Timmy and Squeeze are best friends, and the proud owners of a lemonade stand they've been operating since they were young – with help from Timmy's late father and his secret lemonade recipe. Now a freshman in high school, Timmy is feeling pressure from to move on from such “kid stuff” – and on top of that, their lemonade stand faces new trouble from city council and Timmy's self-centered, wealthy neighbor, Katie, who reveals she' opening a new cookie cart right across the street!
PLAYWRIGHTS' PANEL
Sunday, May 5 | 7 PM
Following the final reading of the 2025 PlayLab, audiences will hear from all of the festival playwrights in a roundtable discussion. Moderated by Associate Artistic Director, Jason Parrish, the playwrights will talk about their plays, their work as writers, and what it takes to make a living as a playwright in the American Theatre. The panel includes special guests from the literary world and the National New Play Network!
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