The Season

Florida Rep is committed to nurturing new plays and playwrights in its 6th Annual PlayLab Festival of New Works and Emerging Voices. Chosen from over 50 submissions, these 6 plays and playwrights will enjoy an intensive weekend of workshopping, discussion, and development with a cast of professional actors and directors in a creative laboratory setting. Each play will have a reading and a talkback with Florida Rep audiences and staff. Tickets will be available shortly!

Festival Generously Sponsored by Lee Moore and Dee Whited.

Good Americans by Bruce Graham│ May 9 at 7pm
Sponsored by Noreen Raney
In 1949 America, a film director attempts to protect his actors from the Red Scare. They realize they’re in over their heads when a government agent arrives and reveals a secret that none of the Western movie stars could have anticipated. Bruce Graham’s play Gary was read in the 2018 PlayLab.

Death of a Driver by Will Snider │ May 10 at 4pm
An American engineer moves to Kenya to build a road and befriends her charismatic African driver. When a dispute over a local election lands him in jail, she questions the integrity of their alliance. A powerful and unexpected thrill-ride.

The Last Buckley by Nathan Cann │May 10 at 8:30pm
Sponsored by Judy Weiner
One of the country’s most prominent political families is gathered to celebrate their son’s birthday on the eve of his first congressional race. When a long-buried secret is brought to light by a tenacious reporter, the family is shaken to their foundations and the future of their political dynasty in question. Nathan Cann’s play, A Pier at the Edge of the World was read in the 2016 PlayLab.

Loving and Loving by Beto O’Byrne │May 11 at 2pm
Sponsored by Guy Almeling and Linda Sebastian
Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple from Virginia, were arrested in 1958 for being married. Beginning in the present day and flashing back to the 1950’s and  60’s, this historical story is told from a 21^st Century perspective and puts a human face on this famous court case and the impact it had on the arc of history.

Keynote Address by Susan Gurman and Playwrights’ Panel │ May 11 at 7pm
This year’s keynote speaker is powerhouse agent and giant in the literary and talent management community. Susan Gurman is the head agent of Gurman Agency LLC, a theatrical literary agency that represents playwrights, composers, lyricists, directors, and designers all over the world. Notable clients of Gurman’s include Mark St. Germain and Audrey Cefaly – both PlayLab alumni playwrights!

Refugee │ Special Command Performance
Adapted by Eric Coble | From the New York Times Bestseller by Alan Gratz
Commissioned by Florida Rep’s Education Department, Refugee is a world-premiere adaptation of a novel for teens that swept the nation in 2017. This powerful story tells the story of three different refugees – separated by time – who are fleeing for their lives in search of the same thing: home. On tour now to schools across Southwest Florida, PlayLab audiences will get a special look at the FULL PRODUCTION of this important new play!

The Circle Game │ May 12 at 2:30pm
Conceived and Arranged by Victoria Casella | Book by Michael Bias
A loving and touching musical about family, young love, growing old together, and new beginnings, featuring pop music that defined the Baby Boomer generation. The first musical to be workshopped in the PlayLab, The Circle Game was conceived and arranged by Vicki Casella, whose work was an arranger and musical director has been seen in Fascinatin’ Gershwin and Night and Day!

 Safety Net by Daryl Lisa Fazio│ May 12 at 5:30
Sponsored by Emily Eason & Cos
Chris Dove is the first-ever female fire captain in an Alabama town at war with opioids. When a childhood friend and recovering addict, Val, drifts back into her and her spit-fire mother’s lives, they find themselves at a tipping point between what’s safe and what saves. Daryl Lisa Fazio’s plays Split in Three and The Flower Room were seen in the 2014 and 2017 PlayLab festivals – and Fazio was the 2018 Keynote speaker.

Tickets $20/reading • $99 All Access Pass ($140 value)
$125 PlayLab VIP Package:
See all six readings + Keynote with reserved seating!

To sponsor a play reading, contact Brendan Powers by clicking here!