The Wordshop

A month-long workshop and celebration of new scripts! Get a look at brand new plays!

During the month of November, four new works will be given a development process with The Plagiarists that will culminate in a weeklong workshop and public staged readings at Jarvis Square Theatre. The goal is to offer playwrights some of the most precious things in storefront theatre: space, time, collaborators, and an audience. Each week, new projects will take the stage, offering audiences a season’s worth of new shows in the space of a few weeks and playwrights a chance to have their work seen and heard. After a few years of online interaction, we believe that time spent in the room together - with both collaborators and audiences - is invaluable.

 All tickets are Pay What You Can! ($10 suggested)

***All Performances are BYOB, so feel free to bring a beverage to enjoy during the reading!***
 
Schedule of events:
 

WEEK ONE
Elephant by Leah Roth Barsanti

In 1927, an open air train station, in Spain, Phillip gives Jig a choice: have an abortion and continue to travel the world with him as his wife and muse, or keep the baby at the expense of the relationship.
This feminist adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," explores the two futures associated with Jig's two options. One leads to a future as a wife in America, the other as a mother in Italy. However, both options leave her unfulfilled. Ultimately, this play is about the choices women have, the way we are represented in literature, and our ultimate search for happiness and autonomy.

Friday, November 3 - 8 pm
Saturday, November 4 - 8 pm
Sunday, November 5 - 2 pm
 
 

WEEK TWO
Shadows of Truth by Jillian Leff

Katie and Evey are best friends that run a small, religious, charter school in Sugarland, TX. After getting in trouble one day, Mary, a problem student who is also a major donor's daughter, accuses Katie and Evey of being in a secret lesbian relationship. The fallout leaves Katie and Evey with no one left but each other, and wondering whether there might be hidden truths about their friendship that they've never considered. Drawing inspiration from Lillian Hellman's "The Children's Hour," , the play explores how far LGBTQ+ liberation has come, while at the same time still feeling like we are still trapped in the 1930s.

Friday, November 10 - 8 pm
Saturday, November 11 - 8 pm
Sunday, November 12 - 2 pm
 

WEEK THREE
Work in Progress by Alexander Utz

Judy, an illustrator, arrives at an artist residency in the middle of a beautiful state park. It's her first residency and she's hoping to work on her art, to make connections with the people she meets, to feel like she's actually an artist. But something's holding her back - whether that be the podcast about hustle-culture creativity she's constantly listening to, the strangely aloof park director, or a simmering tragedy she's avoiding back at home. A play about artistry, imposter syndrome, and healing that explores how we can be better to ourselves and each other.

Friday, November 17 - 8 pm
Saturday, November 18 - 8 pm
Sunday, November 19 - 2 pm
 

WEEK FOUR
Akiko and The Unknown by Devon Hayakawa

With nods to the whimsy and wonder that Studio Ghibli films encapsulate, and classic stories of fantastical worlds such as Peter Pan or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Akiko and the Unknown is the adventurous tale of three siblings who fall up into the sky one stormy night, and find themselves instantly wrapped up in a foreboding prophecy concerning the vast darkness consuming a kingdom in the clouds.

Friday, December 1 - 8 pm
Saturday, December 2 - 8 pm
Sunday, December 3 - 2 pm