The following playwrights have been invited to present their work in the Play Lab at the 34th Annual Valdez Theatre Conference. They come from 18 different states, led by 18 from New York, 9 from California, and 10 from Alaska, including writers from Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Sitka, Valdez, and Wasilla
Brianna Allen’s Mom, Look! (Homer AK)
Jesse Alleva’s CLASSIFIED (San Francisco CA)
Ashade Altine’s Beloved Etienne (Orlando FL)
Eli Barraza’s Clear Beam of Light (Los Angeles CA)
Jeanne Beckwith’s The Natural Correction (Roxbury VT)
Ezekiel Blackwell’s Sclerotic (Sitka AK)
Donna Boyd’s The Perfect Guests (Berkeley Heights NJ)
Paul Braverman’s Snap (Fremont CA)
John Busser’s A Higher Power (Avon OH)
Caitlin Buxbaum’s People-Eating Dream Girl (Wasilla AK)
Micharne Cloughley’s He’s Actually a Really Nice Guy (Jersey City NJ)
Samantha Cocco’s Whatever You Conceive Him to Be (Cleveland OH)
Benjamin Connor’s The Pretentious Maidens (New York NY)
John De Herrera’s Sapience (Santa Barbara CA)
Claire Dettloff’s The Last Sundae (Phoenix AZ)
Barry Dougherty’s They Done Her Wrong (New York NY)
Nicholas Dunn’s The Resurrection Men (Salt Lake City UT)
Daniel Emlyn-Jones’ Fabulously Divine Comedy (Oxford UK)
Emily Elyse Everett’s The Quakers (New York NY)
BZ Florida’s The Cat (Chicago IL)
Kiley Gaddis’ The Daily Grind (Brooklyn NY)
Ruth Geye’s How Can I Help You? (Brooklyn NY)
Marshall Logan Gibbs’ The Moth Man Cries (Baltimore MD)
David Adam Gill’s Flying Away (Brooklyn NY)
Cody Goulder’s Sex and Donuts (Phoenix AZ)
Sarah Groustra’s A Room With A View (Brooklyn NY)
Beth Harpaz’ Lafayette Travels Through Time (Brooklyn NY)
Nicholas Walker Herbert’s Satori (Sacramento CA)
Rand Higbee’s Rice, Sam (Yachats OR)
Craig Houk’s Smoking Fags On A Rooftop (Washington DC)
Kenneth Jones’ Hut, Hut, Hike (Sunnyside NY)
Nina Kissinger’s Sorry We’re Open (Brooklyn NY)
Heidi Kraay’s TrapDoor: A multi-dimensional romp across space/time (Boise ID)
Eric Lane’s Kings Highway (Woodside NY)
Caroline Lapinsky’s REALLY?! THIS IS IT! (Scranton PA)
Katy Laurance’s Don’t Sleep With Me (Anchorage AK)
Judy Lawrence’s Boy Crush (Chicago IL)
Erin Mallon’s Out of the Woodwork (Maplewood NJ)
Greg Mandryk’s The Shill (Cleveland OH)
Tom Moran’s Finisher (Fairbanks AK)
Jonathon Morgan’s Experts in a Dying Field (Cleveland OH)
Erin Moughon’s Failing (New York NY)
Michael C. O’Day’s The Rebellious Angels Enjoy Malört (Brooklyn NY)
Drew Paryzer’s Offshoot (Los Angeles CA)
Jason Peck’s The Safe Space (Palm Beach Gardens FL)
Kristen Ritter’s Save Game (Anchorage AK)
Lavinia Roberts’ Fast Forward (Lawrence KS)
Mindy Roll’s Grandma’s Confession (Houston TX)
Greg Romero’s Zöe Through the Subway Dog Door (Bastrop TX)
Lauren Rotante’s Yes I Will Marry You (after I take a shower) (Eagle River AK)
Kathryn Ryan’s It’s About Time (Bronx NY)
Sache Satta’s Ben and Ray (Perry Hall MD)
Jesse Saywell’s The Babysitter (Manchester NH)
Louise Schwartz’ When the Lights Go Out in Georgia (New York NY)
Fernando Buzhar Segall’s The Lobster War (New York NY)
Sanjit Sengupta’s Curbside Correlation (Walnut Creek CA)
Mary Sheppard-Fries’ The Rosary (Homer AK)
Michael Stewart’s The Name of the Devil (Anchorage AK)
Mike Teverbaugh’s Memento Mori (North Hollywood CA)
Lisa VillaMil’s Alpha (San Diego CA)
Kyle Walker’s A Glacier Strider (Valdez AK)
Sam Walsh’s This House is For Laughing (New York NY)
Caitlyn Waltermire’s anode/cathode (a Great Man play) (Austin TX)
Philip Middleton Williams’ Swimming Off the Big Dock (Palmetto Bay FL)
- Dylan Zwickel’s The Smuggler, or A New Jane (New York NY)
Alternates – 20
Richard Fulton’s Bank Heist Shenanigans (Anchorage AK)
Christine Kulcheski’s My Turn to Drive (Homer AK)
Vicky Warren’s Choices (Anchorage AK)
Raleigh Van Natta’s Thanks for Nothing (Kenai AK)
The Play Lab, started in 1995, features developmental readings of scripts from 20 minutes to 2 hours in length. Selections for this year’s Lab will be posted here by February 13, 2026.
Actors are sent scripts a month prior to the Conference. The readings receive one rehearsal the day before their performance, with the playwright acting as the director. The readings are then responded to by a three-person panel, and the audience gives their feedback as well. Additionally, authors have a private meeting with one of their panelists to further discuss the script.
Currently the Lab presents readings of 45-50 plays per year. Panelists include nationally acknowledged playwrights, director, designers, and dramaturgs, as well as some of the leading figures in Alaska’s theatre.