The Playwrights' Center

06/17/2026

Playwrights’ Center continues its generative partnership with the Minnesota-based McKnight Foundation, and today is thrilled to announce the six recipients of its three fellowships supported by the Foundation each year.

During the 2026-27 season the Center will welcome McKnight Playwriting Fellows Rachel Lynett and MK Tuomanen, along with McKnight Theater Artists Sarah Bahr, Jason Hansen, and Will Sturdivant. McKnight National Residency and Commission recipient Andrea Assaf will complete this exceptional cohort.

Read our full announcement and get to know the artists: https://pwcenter.org/announcing-the-2026-27-mcknight-fellows-in-playwriting-theater-artist-fellows-and-national-residency-commission/

06/15/2026

Join us for a pre-show chat tonight, June 15, before the reading of Amy Berryman’s THE TREATMENT!

During this Prologue, hear the conversation between Core Writer Amy Berryman and McKnight Fellow in Playwriting Gemma Irish, then join us in the theater for the reading.

The pre-show chat will start at 6:15 p.m. before the reading begins at 7:00 p.m.

Reserve your spot for the reading on our website: https://pwcenter.org/event/the-treatment-june-15/

05/29/2026

Deadline extended to apply for our summer masterclass! Applications are now being accepted through June 12.

Are you ready to play with us? https://pwcenter.org/event/online-masterclass-playyourwriting-exploring-game-writing-as-a-medium/

Applications for our summer masterclass PLAY(your)WRITING: Exploring Game Writing as a Medium will now be accepted through June 12!

In this class led by Core Writer Whitney Rowland, you will flex new storytelling muscles, learn the basic tenets of game writing, and leave with a draft of a short text-based game or interactive fiction, as well as several written samples that can serve as the start of your own game narrative portfolio.

Online June 30–September 1

Sign up for this course and let’s PLAY!

Apply: https://pwcenter.org/event/online-masterclass-playyourwriting-exploring-game-writing-as-a-medium/

05/26/2026

Stream THE MERRY WIVES OF FOGO ISLAND by francisca da silveira online for one week only June 1–7!

(formerly titled THE MERRY WIVES OF GRENOBLE)

Check out these behind-the-scenes photos of the workshop this month, and be sure to sign up to watch the reading on our website: https://pwcenter.org/event/watch-online-the-merry-wives-of-grenoble/

05/20/2026

Join us here at Playwrights’ Center for an evening of new works-in-progress from our 2025-26 McKnight Theater Artist Fellows: Peter Morrow, Isabel Nelson, and Mikell Sapp!

Reserve your spot for June 22 at 7:00 p.m.: https://pwcenter.org/event/mcknight-theater-artists-present-works-in-progress-2/

Isabel Nelson will present THE STORYTELLING RITE (working title), with collaborators Chris Fausto Cabrera, Adana Patrice, and Walken Schweigert. They will use the process and performance to deepen their sense of creative partnership through the creation of a shared ritual that centers personal storytelling.

Peter Morrow will present an excerpt of a new work in collaboration with Theo Langason.

Mikell Sapp will present MIKELL’S TWIN CITIES GAME NIGHT.

Watch this space for more info to come on the works to be shared!

05/14/2026

Join us for the final reading of this season’s Ruth Easton New Play Series: THE TREATMENT by Core Writer Amy Berryman!

About the play:
A newly-released treatment ends human aging and, presumably, death by natural causes. Will is the first to sign up, but, after tragic side effects are revealed, his relationship with his daughter falls apart. Through decades and generations, THE TREATMENT takes a speculative look at a medical marvel’s impact, asking how you take the measure of a life if that life never ends.

From Amy:
“I am so excited to share this play with the world! The idea was percolating for about two years before I got it down on the page, and this opportunity to have it as a part of Playwrights’ Center’s public season is thrilling. It’s a play that is exploring an incredibly heavy topic—death—but with a bit of a sci-fi edge to it, and a lot of humor. I hope people walk away with a feeling of deep appreciation for the time we have here on earth.”

In-person readings June 15 & 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Watch online July 6-12

Reserve your spot: https://pwcenter.org/series/ruth-easton-new-play-series/

*This reading was rescheduled from its original date in February. If you had a reservation for that date, you will need to make a new reservation.

05/05/2026

Don’t miss the last reading of our Fridays@4 series:

THE QUILTED HEART
By Andrew Lee Creech
Core Writer

About the play:
Three women, connected across time, fight to keep their family heirlooms and history from falling into the wrong hands. Stitching together 160 years of one family’s ancestral memory, THE QUILTED HEART weaves a modern tale of legacy, survival, and the things we pass down.

In-person event June 5 at 4:00 p.m.

Reserve your spot: https://pwcenter.org/event/the-quilted-heart-june-5/

About Fridays@4:
In this series, four Core Writers will workshop new plays and offer free public “readings+” events accompanied by additional programming curated by the playwright. These events might include a lesson from a local craftsperson, an educator-led discussion, or other programming that embeds the play in context and deepens its resonance.

So come by for a free, intimate, informal Friday afternoon gathering that will include an excerpt of a play, thoughts from the playwright, and participation from related artists or experts illuminating the topics or issues the play addresses. Each Fridays@4 is an expansive, inclusive invitation from a playwright to join the conversation around their play.

05/03/2026

Join us for a pre-show chat on May 11, before the reading of francisca da silveira’s THE MERRY WIVES OF GRENOBLE!

During this Prologue, hear the conversation between Affiliated Writer francisca da silveira and Many Voices Fellow Bianca Nkwonta, then join us in the theater for the reading.

The pre-show chat will start at 6:15 p.m. before the reading begins at 7:00 p.m.

Reserve your spot for the reading on our website: https://pwcenter.org/event/the-merry-wives-of-grenoble-may-11/

05/02/2026

Only 2 days until A Night for Playwrights! The excitement is growing, the drinks will be flowing, and the house is almost full. But we still have a seat for you.

Starting at 6:30 p.m. at Playwrights’ Center, guests will enjoy hearty bites from:

-James Beard Award®-winning chef Sean Sherman of Owamni
-Travis Serbus-White and Ben Siers-Rients of Lynette (formerly of Lyn 65)
-Eric Pham of the Star Tribune’s Best New Restaurant of 2025 Khue's Kitchen

Encounter art everywhere in our beautiful light-filled filling, including readings from some fabulous Center-developed plays by:

-Paul Kruse
-Katie Bender
-Larissa FastHorse
-JuCoby Johnson
-Carson Kreitzer

Bid on auction items like:

-A week-long Caribbean getaway in a gorgeous villa on a U.S. Virgin Island.
-A collection of memorabilia from the off-Broadway run of THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW, donated by Tom Hanks himself
-The chance to interview a playwright in front of a live audience
-A “commissioned” micro-play written on-the-spot, just for you, by Jeffrey Hatcher or Harrison David Rivers

Then at 8:30 p.m. we’ll move up the block to the after-party hosted by our neighbors at Dual Citizen Brewing Company. DJ Tricky Miki will be spinning and everyone can join the celebration.

Attendees of the main event will enter for free, new arrivals can get tickets on our website or at the door. You’ll enjoy more snacks and drinks (try the special Playwrights’ Center brew named in our honor) and bid on silent auction items (including scripts signed by your favorite playwrights).

It’s going to be a joyous evening of food, fun, and fundraising for the incredible artists we support.

See you there!

04/30/2026

We're excited for this writing intensive with Idris Goodwin starting next week! Limited spots available.

Sign up here: https://pwcenter.org/event/online-writing-intensive-write-the-room-site-specific-playwriting/