The Playwrights' Center

09/02/2026

In partnership with Northern Stage (Vermont) and supported by the Helen Gurley Brown Theater Ventures Fund, please join us for a free staged reading of M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A by A. Van Jordan, adapted by abigail jean-baptiste.

Playwrights’ Center is proud to provide this valuable artistic support and development resources for theaters across the country to develop and refine new work for their stages.

Reserve your spot: https://pwcenter.org/pwc-events/

About the play:

M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A
by A. Van Jordan
adapted by abigail jean-baptiste
dramaturgy by Sam Morreale

They say MacNolia Cox almost won The National Spelling Bee in 1936. They say this 13-year-old black girl from Akron, Ohio didn’t stand a chance in a segregated D.C. They say she died September 12th 1976, left discouraged and unmotivated by her loss. But what would she have to say about her own life and legacy? An ensemble of Black women and femmes gathers to imagine MacNolia’s perspective. A collaging of the award winning poetry collection by A. Van Jordan, this new play explores how we can be ready to spell our futures on our own terms.

09/01/2026

Fall classes are here! We’re so excited our new space allows us to offer in-person classes and seminars alongside our online options this season.

Classes start in just a few weeks with online class Crafting a Musical Theater Treatment with Aaron Ricciardi and in-person class Jokes for Plays with Paul Kruse.

Explore all posted classes on our website, and be sure to register soon before they fill up! https://pwcenter.org/classes/

08/25/2026

Today's the day! Join us in offering a warm welcome the Playwrights' Center!

After taking a year’s hiatus to open their new building, we’re so excited to welcome back the Playwrights’ Center fellows for their 13th season at the lake!

Playwrights’ Center focuses on both supporting playwrights and promoting new plays to production at theaters across the country. Artists will arrive to restore, relax, and (of course) play and create!

We hope this lucky number 13th season at Tofte is the best one yet!

08/20/2026

Our first event of the 2026-27 season will feature the incomparable Ruben Santiago-Hudson in an extra-special Artists in Conversation event to benefit Playwrights’ Center!

Santiago-Hudson will be in the Twin Cities this fall directing The Guthrie’s production of John Kani’s Kunene and the King, and he’ll stop by Playwrights’ Center on September 23 at 7:30 p.m. to talk with Producing Artistic Director Nicole A. Watson.

This event will require a paid ticket to attend. Pricing accommodations will be made for artists and community members:

General Admission: $100 (includes $75 donation to Playwrights’ Center)
Artist Ticket: $25 (for playwrights and theater artists)

Get your tickets on our website: https://pwcenter.org/event/artists-in-conversation-ruben-santiago-hudson/

08/13/2026

New free article in the learning library! https://pwcenter.org/article/30-writing-prompts-and-exercises-to-jump-start-your-next-writing-session/

Did you know Playwrights' Center members get exclusive access to every single playwriting resource in our online library? Learn more about membership: https://pwcenter.org/membership/

Writing prompts and exercises written for playwrights.

08/10/2026

Playwrights’ Center is thrilled to announce the writers who will complete this season’s cohort of some of the most exciting playwrights in the field.

We welcome playwrights Blossom Johnson, JuCoby Johnson, and Christina Pumariega as Playwrights’ Center Core Writers who will be with us through the 2028-29 season. We also welcome 2026-27 Core Apprentice Liggera Edmonds-Allen.

Producing Artistic Director Nicole A. Watson shares, “These playwrights are exceptional writers, all with a commitment to their craft, each with a distinct voice. We can't wait to support and nurture their artistry.”

Read our full announcement and get to know the artists on our website: https://pwcenter.org/playwrights-center-welcomes-newest-core-writers-core-apprentice/

08/04/2026

Playwrights’ Center joins the whole of the theater community in mourning the loss of the extraordinary Kate Sutton-Johnson. Kate brought her design genius and collaborative spirit to the Center in 2019-20 as a McKnight Theater Artist, and returned often to lend her singular world-building gifts to the development of new plays.

Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown recalls, “Kate’s fellowship application was so strong, and she was so generous and open, that we partnered with Springboard for the Arts to create a work sample class so other potential applicants (and artists anywhere) could learn from her example and her process.”

Here at Playwrights’ Center we can sincerely say that we appreciate Kate every day, thanks to her contribution to our home in Saint Paul. As we were designing a new building to serve the needs and dreams of artists, Kate’s expansive and human-centered perspective was our North Star.

In the words of Director of Administration Emily Matthees, "Kate was integral in solving the unique challenges that come with an adaptive reuse project. Her wealth of knowledge about artists' needs, our community, and the Playwrights' Center mission made an incredible difference in the day-to-day experience of 710 Raymond. We think of her often in this space."

Our hearts are with Kate's husband Grant and the vast community of family, friends, and collaborators whose worlds were made bigger and more beautiful by her vision.
Image Descriptions:
Photo 2: Kate Sutton-Johnson talks through designs of the new Playwrights' Center building during a tour before renovations.
Photos 3-6: A presentation of SOUNDS INSIDE by Kate Sutton-Johnson during the 2022 McKnight Theater Artists Works-in-Progress event.

08/03/2026

Affiliated Writer Andrew Lee Creech wrote a wonderful article about the time he spent at Playwrights' Center in May and the lessons he learned workshopping his new play THE QUILTED HEART.

Check it out:

7 Lessons from Workshopping a New Play

07/27/2026

A cool write-up about building our home in Saint Paul!

Three aging buildings, one bold vision, and a construction team willing to work below the water table. The renovation of Playwrights' Center's new St. Paul headquarters is as compelling a story as anything staged inside it.

07/02/2026

Community Conversation and Plan for Action Regarding Our Theatre Community!

Our theater institutions are at a precarious moment as funding is shrinking, press coverage is disappearing, venues are disappearing, and theaters are producing smaller and fewer works as they manage their budgets. We have learned what we're capable of when we care for the whole of our community. This is not a moment of despair, but of exploring ways of taking action to shore up our ecology.

Please join us for a lively discussion with local arts leaders including Mark Valdez (Mixed Blood), Wendy Knox (Frank Theatre), Signe Harriday and Noel Raymond (Pillsbury House + Theatre), Leah Cooper (Wanderlust), Fran DeLeon (Theatre Mu), Nicole Watson (Playwrights' Center), Kelli Foster Warder (Artistry), and others!

This event is open to the entire theater community (artists, audiences, board members, funders, scholars—everyone)!

Wednesday, July 8
6-8pm
Mixed Blood Theatre
1501 S Fourth Street