Carlsbad Playreaders

Carlsbad Playreaders Presenting plays that seek to explore the human condition and, thereby, enrich the lives of audience Gartner Cultural Endowment Fund

The Carlsbad Playreaders is a project of the Carlsbad Playhouse. This program is funded in part by the City of Carlsbad's Cultural Arts Office as well as the Robert H.

Thank you to this wonderful creative team for a lovely reading of Lanford Wilson’s The Fifth of July! What a great way t...
06/02/2026

Thank you to this wonderful creative team for a lovely reading of Lanford Wilson’s The Fifth of July! What a great way to start our summer. Mark your calendars for Aug 31 for our next reading- All The Natalie Portmans, by CA Johnson and directed by Bryan Barbarin.

Not too late to see this beautiful cast read an American Classic! 7pm at the Dove Library. Tickets are Pay What You Can ...
06/01/2026

Not too late to see this beautiful cast read an American Classic! 7pm at the Dove Library. Tickets are Pay What You Can at the door.

Say hello to the cast of The Fifth of July! 🎆🏡 Introducing Wil Bethmann as Kenneth Talley Jr., Kaia Bulger as Jed Jenkin...
05/27/2026

Say hello to the cast of The Fifth of July! 🎆🏡 Introducing Wil Bethmann as Kenneth Talley Jr., Kaia Bulger as Jed Jenkins, Linda Libby as Sally Talley, Alyssa Anne Austin as June Talley, Steven Lone as John Landis, Faith Carrion as Gwen Landis, Audrey Deubig as Shirley Talley, and Eli Wood as Weston Hurley 🪻 Don’t forget to join us on June 1st! 🌟🎇

Introducing the Director of Fifth of July, Allen “Lucky” Weaver 🎆🏡•Allen Lucky Weaver (he /they) is unique to say the le...
05/20/2026

Introducing the Director of Fifth of July, Allen “Lucky” Weaver 🎆🏡
•
Allen Lucky Weaver (he /they) is unique to say the least. He was born and raised outside of Los Angeles, grew up in an artistic family, and went to study Musical Theater at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he received a BFA in Theater Arts. As a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association, Lucky has had the privilege to perform on stages all over the United States. Lucky is also the Casting Director of Cygnet Theatre in San Diego, and East West Players, the Nation’s largest and longest running Asian American Theater, in Los Angeles. He has extensive stage experience from principal roles, ensemble roles, to understudying, and dance captain experience. Lucky offers many skills depending on the production / project including independent castings, assistant directing, directing, and choreographing. His home base is in Southern California with his fiancé David, where he is looking into branching out into Film / TV / Voiceover world, along with pursing his passion of storytelling.

Catch this production on June 1st! 🌟

Coming up next, The Fifth of July 🏡🎇 Join us on June 1st for a bittersweet, postwar, reckoning of a show! 📖 The Fifth of...
05/08/2026

Coming up next, The Fifth of July 🏡🎇 Join us on June 1st for a bittersweet, postwar, reckoning of a show!

📖 The Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson

📣 Allen Lucky Weaver

🗯️ About the Show: The scene is a sprawling farmhouse in rural Missouri, which is home to Ken, a legless Vietnam veteran, and his lover, Jed, a horticulturist. They are visited by Ken’s sister, June, and her teenage daughter, and by Gwen and John—the former a hard-drinking, pill-popping heiress who aspires to be a rock star, the latter her wary-eyed husband and manager. All are old friends from college days, and former activists who agitated for what they hoped would be a better world. The action centers on Gwen’s offer to buy the farm, which she plans to convert into a recording center, and on Ken’s Aunt Sally, who has come to the family homestead to scatter the ashes of her late husband. Their talk, as the play progresses, is sharp and funny and, in the final essence, deeply revealing of lost hopes and dreams and of the bitterness that must be fought back if one is to perceive the good that life can offer.

Another standing ovation! What a lovely reading of Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane. Bravo to the whole team!
05/05/2026

Another standing ovation! What a lovely reading of Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane. Bravo to the whole team!

Introducing the cast of Mary Jane! 🌸💐 Featuring Kelsey Venter as Mary Jane, Dagmar Fields as Ruthie/Tenkei, Erika Beth P...
04/23/2026

Introducing the cast of Mary Jane! 🌸💐 Featuring Kelsey Venter as Mary Jane, Dagmar Fields as Ruthie/Tenkei, Erika Beth Philips as Brianne/Chaya, Lyric Boothe as Amelia/Kat, and Monique Gaffney as Sherry/Dr.Toros 🌷 Join us on May 4th, you won’t want to miss it! ✨💌

Introducing the Director of Mary Jane, Sandy Campbell! ✨🌸💌•“Sandy is delighted to be working with CarlsbadPlayreaders ag...
04/16/2026

Introducing the Director of Mary Jane, Sandy Campbell! ✨🌸💌
•
“Sandy is delighted to be working with Carlsbad
Playreaders again. Recent acting credits here
have been Fun Home and Little Women the
musical. Directing credits include Good People at
Oceanside Theatre Company and Assistant
Director for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet
of 1812 at Cygnet. She is currently Assistant
Directing A Room in the Castle at Moxie Theatre.
A multi award winning actor, Sandy is an
Associate Artist at Lamb’s Player Theatre and a
Resident Artist at Cygnet Theatre. Recent shows
include Follies (Sally), Parade(Lucille), Master
Class (Maria Callas ), How to Succeed ...( Miss
Jones), Beautiful ( Genie) , Into the Woods ( Jack’s
Mother). Thank you for supporting Carlsbad
Playreaders.”

You won’t want to miss this one; join us on May 4th! 🗓️⏰

12/31/2025

Thank you to all of our creative artists and our audiences for making 2025 a great year! Here’s to 2026!

The holidays came early!Announcing our 2026 Season!Carlsbad Playreaders’ next season blends sharp comedy, inventive stor...
12/23/2025

The holidays came early!
Announcing our 2026 Season!

Carlsbad Playreaders’ next season blends sharp comedy, inventive storytelling, and heartfelt drama. There is truly something for everyone!

Taken together, these works are an exploration of what it means, in all its
complexity and wonder, to be human and all are Playreaders premieres!

February 2, 2026
California Suite
by Neil Simon
Directed by AJ Knox

A classic comedy filled with sharp humor and relatable relationship mishaps from one of America’s most beloved playwrights.

March 2, 2026
The Lifespan of a Fact
by Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell
Directed by Coleman Ray Clark
A fast-paced and timely play that dives into the tension between truth, facts, and storytelling.

April 6, 2026
anthropology
by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Linda Libby
A grieving woman creates an AI version of her missing sister—only to discover it may know more than she programmed it to.

May 4, 2026
Mary Jane
by Amy Herzog
Directed by Sandy Campbell
A deeply human and compassionate look at caregiving, community, and quiet strength.

June 1, 2026
Fifth of July
by Lanford Wilson
Directed by Allen “Lucky” Weaver
A modern American classic exploring family, identity, and life after war.

August 31, 2026
All the Natalie Portmans
by C.A. Johnson
Directed by Bryan Barbarin
A lyrical and powerful play examining race, colorism, and self-identity.

October 5, 2026
Underdog: The Other Other Brontë
by Sarah Gordon
Directed by Kim Strassburger
A smart, funny, and feminist take on literary history that shines a spotlight on an often-overlooked Brontë sister.

November 2, 2026
Side by Side by Sondheim
by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Hannah Meade
A lively musical r***e celebrating the wit, heart, and genius of Stephen Sondheim to honor the 5th anniversary of his passing.

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1775 Dove Lane
Carlsbad, CA
92011

Opening Hours

Monday 7pm - 10:30pm

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