Productions
Explore the four productions in this year's New Play Festival, written by MFA playwrights Derick Edgren Otero (MFA '24), Leigh M. Marshall (MFA '20), Christopher Lysik (MFA '24), and K.T. Peterson (MFA '20).

Reading Series
Explore the readings series for this year's New Play Festival. Each day features readings of full plays written by MFA writers, along with a selection of work by undergraduate playwrights.

Schedule Of Events:

Monday, April 29, 2024

11:00am to 12:00pm: Welcome Reception and Guest Panel
Join us for the Welcome Reception and Guest Panel for the kick-off of Iowa New Play Festival 2024!

1:30pm to 3:30pm: Forgottonia
Iowa New Play Festival – Reading Series Forgottonia By Eli Campbell Directed by Sarah Gazdowicz In 1987, the people of Forgottonia, Illinois are on the edge of poverty. In a last-ditch effort to save their town, they enter the Prison Sweepstakes, which would win them a government-funded prison (and all the jobs that come with it). But competing for a prison drags out more than they were bargaining for. Guest Roundtable to follow.

5:30pm to 7:30pm: Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties
Iowa New Play Festival – Production Series Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties By Derick Edgren Otero Directed by Meredith Healy Fourteen-year-old Cora calls upon all Swifties of the Internet to exact revenge upon Scott Brunner for his scathing review of Taylor Swift's least-acclaimed album, reputation (#JusticeForReputation). Even when Cora targets Scott's family, including his newborn child, Scott resorts to denial to protect his own reputation and sensitive ego.
Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties promotional image
Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties

9:00pm to 11:00pm: Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties
Iowa New Play Festival – Production Series Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties By Derick Edgren Otero Directed by Meredith Healy Fourteen-year-old Cora calls upon all Swifties of the Internet to exact revenge upon Scott Brunner for his scathing review of Taylor Swift's least-acclaimed album, reputation (#JusticeForReputation). Even when Cora targets Scott's family, including his newborn child, Scott resorts to denial to protect his own reputation and sensitive ego.

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

10:30am to 11:30am: Guest Roundtable | Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties
A roundtable discussion of Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties by Derick Edgren Otero.

1:30pm to 3:30pm: Leeches
Iowa New Play Festival – Reading Series Leeches By Adrian Enzastiga Directed by Natalie Villamonte Zito Leeches is a full-length play that takes place at an eviction court in an ambiguously Midwest post-pandemic U.S. city. The play explores the process of an eviction, the cycle of poverty, and the corrupt oppression of the American capitalist system: Eviction court is a no man’s land; tenants’ rights are crushed under landlord’s command, and social workers (can) do little to offer a hand...

5:30pm to 7:30pm: Spells for Going Forth by Daylight
Iowa New Play Festival – Production Series Spells for Going Forth by Daylight By Leigh M. Marshall Directed by Josh Turner Spells for Going Forth by Daylight follows Cleo, a former pharaoh of Egypt, immediately following her death. Cleo wakes up in the Egyptian realm of the dead having failed in her goal of annexing Egypt from the Roman Empire, and without her heart and book of the dead to help her navigate the realm of the dead. She tries to make her way through the realm of the dead...

9:00pm to 11:00pm: Spells for Going Forth by Daylight
Iowa New Play Festival – Production Series Spells for Going Forth by Daylight By Leigh M. Marshall Directed by Josh Turner Spells for Going Forth by Daylight follows Cleo, a former pharaoh of Egypt, immediately following her death. Cleo wakes up in the Egyptian realm of the dead having failed in her goal of annexing Egypt from the Roman Empire, and without her heart and book of the dead to help her navigate the realm of the dead. She tries to make her way through the realm of the dead...

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

10:30am to 11:30am: Guest Roundtable | Spells for Going Forth by Daylight
A roundtable discussion of Spells for Going Forth by Daylight by Leigh M. Marshall.

10:30am to 11:30am: Guest Roundtable | American Rusa?ki
A roundtable discussion of American Rusa?ki: a play with music by Christopher Lysik.

2:30pm to 4:30pm: And the Past Remains
Iowa New Play Festival – Reading Series And the Past Remains By Poonam Dhir Directed by Johanna Kasimow An exploration of kinship, commitment and recollection. Using non-linear etches in time and a series of shared moments, the story of a family and a childhood unfolds. A dramatic event grounds this vulnerable account. Through memory, witnessing and intimate encounters, And the Past Remains explores ideas of duty, devotion and belief. Guest Roundtable to follow.

6:30pm to 8:30pm: Well Spoken
Iowa New Play Festival – Reading Series Well Spoken By Alex Lead Directed by Søren Olsen An elderly gay moving out west rummages a nearby playground for a missing chunk of his brain. With the gate closing in two hours, he must convince the audience to watch his upcoming television show before he either loses too much blood or misses the plane. Whichever comes first. Performed by the author, Well Spoken is a meditation on the black diaspora, the queer diaspora, and ancestry. Guest Roundtable...

Thursday, May 2, 2024

1:00pm to 3:00pm: The Words of Ants
Iowa New Play Festival – Reading Series The Words of Ants By Xiaoyan Kang Directed by Nina Morrison The visit of an uninvited woman changes Y's life forever. As the last natural inheritor, Y embarks upon a journey to preserve an almost extinct language, but at what cost? Guest Roundtable to follow.

4:00pm to 5:00pm: Selections from the Undergraduate Playwrights Workshop
Iowa New Play Festival – Reading Series Selections from the Undergraduate Playwrights Workshop

5:30pm to 7:30pm: American Rusa?ki
Iowa New Play Festival – Production Series American Rusa?ki: a play with music By Christopher Lysik Directed by Kayla Adams Set in 1800s, rural New England, a small town on the outskirts of a forest find themselves at the center of a storm—facing consequences from a sin that plagued the lands long ago. As several townspeople find themselves facing terrible obstacles, they will soon discover exactly what they're willing to do for those they love.

9:00pm to 11:00pm: American Rusa?ki
Iowa New Play Festival – Production Series American Rusa?ki: a play with music By Christopher Lysik Directed by Kayla Adams Set in 1800s, rural New England, a small town on the outskirts of a forest find themselves at the center of a storm—facing consequences from a sin that plagued the lands long ago. As several townspeople find themselves facing terrible obstacles, they will soon discover exactly what they're willing to do for those they love.

Friday, May 3, 2024

1:30pm to 3:30pm: BirdWatching
Iowa New Play Festival – Reading Series birdWatching By Cianon Jones A nature documentary. Guest Roundtable to follow.

5:30pm to 7:30pm: Razor Creek: a folk-rock, sci-fi musical
Iowa New Play Festival – Production Series Razor Creek: a folk-rock, sci-fi musical Book & Lyrics by K.T. Peterson Music by K.T. Peterson and Paige Scott Directed and Choreographed by Michael C. Flores Razor Creek is a rock concert in coal-mining country, Kentucky. It is 1935, and residents get on best they can; fighting the devil, cracking jokes, staying alive, but when Razor Creek experiences an out-of-the-ordinary hardship, like the disappearance of a beloved invalid woman in town...

9:00pm to 11:00pm: Razor Creek: a folk-rock, sci-fi musical
Iowa New Play Festival – Production Series Razor Creek: a folk-rock, sci-fi musical Book & Lyrics by K.T. Peterson Music by K.T. Peterson and Paige Scott Directed and Choreographed by Michael C. Flores Razor Creek is a rock concert in coal-mining country, Kentucky. It is 1935, and residents get on best they can; fighting the devil, cracking jokes, staying alive, but when Razor Creek experiences an out-of-the-ordinary hardship, like the disappearance of a beloved invalid woman in town...

Saturday, May 4, 2024

1:30pm to 3:30pm: No Gun Salute for Ofeke

Iowa New Play Festival – Reading Series No Gun Salute for Ofeke By Sixtus Igbokwe Directed by Patrick Adu After his fourth and final attempt to be admitted into the Ikenga masquerade cult, Ofeke gives up his quest for true manhood which the cult confers on its subjects. His resignation from the pursuit is accompanied by a detest for it, for in his words, “They failed, not I.” But his sudden discovery of a personal secret of the cult leader, Obosi, offers Ofeke a real bargaining voice, but...

5:30pm to 7:30pm: This is Only a Test
Join us for This is Only a Test, a standup comedy showcase.

Ticket Information
Productions
$5 general admission
Free for UI students (with ID)

Date: April 29 - May 4, 2024

Location: Theatre Building, 200 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242

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