The Play Lab, started in 1995, features developmental readings of scripts from 20 minutes to 2 hours in length.
2025 VTC Play Lab Selections
Below are the 60 plays that have been invited to present in the Play Lab at the 2025 Valdez Theatre Conference. Three international playwrights have been invited (from the UK and Canada). Not surprisingly, the largest geographic source is New York, with 17 writers. California has 8 and Illinois has 6, largely coming from Chicago. Alaska has 8 writers in the mix, coming from Anchorage, Homer, Fairbanks, Kenai, and Valdez itself. The remaining writers come from 13 other states.
The list will be regularly updated. There are also 8 alternate selections that will be added if space in the schedule permits.
John Adams’ Some Specter (Overland Park KS)
Brianna Allen & the Momologue Collective’s Momologues (Homer AK)
Brysen Boyd’s A naked man in his early 80s stands in the center of the stage (Seattle WA)
Paul Braverman’s Plan Z (Freemont CA)
Eleanor Burgess’ The Ingenue (Brooklyn NY)
John Busser’s Hanging on for Near Life (Avon OH)
Christine Benvenuto’s 750% (Shutesbury MA)
Connor Casey’s Under the World Tree (Montpelier VT)
DC Cathro’s Lang Noir (Chicago IL)
Myles Chandler’s Obligation (Los Angeles CA)
Allison Reeger Cook’s Tower: From the Major Arcana Archives (Lake Stevens WA)
Tim Crawford’s Faith Lester is Married, comma, Happily (Springfield IL)
Kara Lynn Davidson’s Welcome to Happiness (Chicago IL)
Emma Durbin’s overgrown (Chicago IL)
Evan Edwards’ Stand Naked in the River of Shame (Astoria NY)
Daniel Emlyn-Jones’ Lady Olympia’s Legacy (United Kingdom)
Eleanor Evans-Wickberg’s He’s Not Like That (Brooklyn NY)
Cherielyn Ferguson’s A Girl Who Acts Like That (Piedmont CA)
Thea Belle Flanzer’s Scouts (Quogue NY)
Heidi Franke’s The Menacer (Valdez AK)
Erik Gernand’s Prayer Circle (Chicago IL)
Dante Giannetta’s Fit Together (New York NY)
David Adam Gill’s In the Garden of the Hesperides (Brooklyn NY)
Maximillian Gill’s Corrector (New York NY)
Franky D. Gonzalez’ Happy Together (Frisco TX)
Atar Hadari’s Waiting for Morrison (United Kingdom)
Jon Herbert’s God Sighs (Winston-Salem NC)
Rachel Heron’s Reformer (New York NY)
Cassie J. Jeremias’ Take My Advice (Anchorage AK)
Ali Keller’s (un)conditional (New York NY)
Kevin King’s Welcome to Herbalicious (Kansas City MO)
Nina Kissinger’s I Wasn’t Planning on Saying Anything (Brooklyn NY)
Heidi Kray’s Take Me Away (Boise, ID)
Eric Lane’s Critters (Woodside NY)
Shanice Lawton’s What Happened to Angela? (Anchorage AK)
Francis Madi’s The Box (Queens NY)
Melissa Maney’s HUNGRY WOMEN (Belle Mead NJ)
Helen Cheng Mao’s Happy Anniversary, Sweetie! (Olney MD)
Aleks Merilo’s TEOTWAWKI (Tacoma WA)
Danielle E. Moore’s Merely Players (New York NY)
Tom Moran’s When To? (Fairbanks AK)
Jessica Moss’ Thank You For Your Order (Toronto ON)
Marjorie Muller’s HypergaMater (Chicago IL)
Phanésia Pharel’s DEAD GIRL’S QUINCEAÑERA (San Diego CA)
Leah Plante-Wiener’s Tilly Birdbones (Brooklyn NY)
Beth Polsky’s LUCY (Santa Monica CA)
Charlie Probus’ Guilty Pleasure (Durham NC)
Kate Rich’s The Creel (Homer AK)
Kristen Ritter’s The Land of Shakespeare (Anchorage AK)
Greg Romero’s Jean Yeets Her Hawaiian Shirt into the Ocean (Houston TX)
Kathryn Ryan’s An Order Of Redemption With A Side Of Fries (Bronx NY)
Steven J. Satta’s The Raft (Perry Bay MD)
Dana Schwartz’ The Grotto (Los Angeles CA)
Fernando Buzhar Segall’s The World’s Most Boring Murder (New York NY)
Sanjit Sengupta’s The Promise (Walnut Creek CA)
John Spellos’ Switcheroo (Montebello NY)
Raleigh Van Natta’s The Shepherd, the Ravens, and the Bear (Kenai AK)
Elijah Vazquez’ KNOT (Orlando FL)
Anna Watts’ Tamara and Dick Look at the Stars (Los Angeles CA)
Lily Welsh’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl (New York NY)
Philip Middleton Williams’ Watercolors (Palmetto Bay FL)
Actors are sent scripts a month prior to the Conference. The readings receive one rehearsal the day before their performance, with the playwright acting as the director. The readings are then responded to by a three-person panel, and the audience gives their feedback as well. Additionally, authors have a private meeting with one of their panelists to further discuss the script.
Currently the Lab presents readings of 45-50 plays per year. Panelists include nationally acknowledged playwrights, director, designers, and dramaturgs, as well as some of the leading figures in Alaska’s theatre.