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Get more New Play Festival information from the 2026 festival and more past festivals, including the guest artists, productions, reading series, and more.

Decades of playwriting + new work

Discover more about New Play Festival, a week-long festival centered on producing, reading, and discussing new scripts from the Iowa Playwrights Workshop.

Productions

Explore the three productions in the 2026 New Play Festival, written by MFA playwrights Poonam Dhir, Adrian Enzastiga, and Cianon Jones.

Reading Series

Explore the seven readings of new plays in our reading series for the 2026 New Play Festival. Each day features readings of full plays written by MFA playwrights.

Iowa New Play Festival 2027

Iowa New Play Festival promotional image

Iowa New Play Festival

Monday, May 3 to Friday, May 7, 2027 (all day)
Theatre Building
We are thrilled to present our annual Iowa New Play Festival in the Theatre Building, featuring full productions written by MFA playwrights. Plus, there are readings daily from new, full plays written by MFA and undergraduate playwrights.
Iowa New Play Festival promotional image

Iowa New Play Festival

Tuesday, May 4 to Friday, May 7, 2027 (all day)
Theatre Building
We are thrilled to present our annual Iowa New Play Festival in the Theatre Building, featuring full productions written by MFA playwrights. Plus, there are readings daily from new, full plays written by MFA and undergraduate playwrights.
Iowa New Play Festival promotional image

Iowa New Play Festival

Wednesday, May 5 to Friday, May 7, 2027 (all day)
Theatre Building
We are thrilled to present our annual Iowa New Play Festival in the Theatre Building, featuring full productions written by MFA playwrights. Plus, there are readings daily from new, full plays written by MFA and undergraduate playwrights.
Iowa New Play Festival promotional image

Iowa New Play Festival

Thursday, May 6 to Friday, May 7, 2027 (all day)
Theatre Building
We are thrilled to present our annual Iowa New Play Festival in the Theatre Building, featuring full productions written by MFA playwrights. Plus, there are readings daily from new, full plays written by MFA and undergraduate playwrights.
Iowa New Play Festival promotional image

Iowa New Play Festival

Friday, May 7, 2027 (all day)
Theatre Building
We are thrilled to present our annual Iowa New Play Festival in the Theatre Building, featuring full productions written by MFA playwrights. Plus, there are readings daily from new, full plays written by MFA and undergraduate playwrights.

Ticket Information

Tickets go on sale starting Monday, May 4, 2026 at noon, at the Theatre Building box office window. In-person, cash sales only.

There will be NO LATE SEATING for any of the productions. Due to the potential for sold out performances, all non-claimed tickets will be released 10 minutes before curtain time. This includes already purchased tickets.

Productions

UI Students (with ID) – Free, limit 1 ticket per student
General Admission – $5, cash only

Reading Series

UI Students (with ID) – Free, limit 1 ticket per student
General Admission – Free, but you must obtain a ticket

Box Office Hours

Monday, May 4, 2026

Noon - 1:30 p.m.
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Noon - 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Friday, May 8, 2026

4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Funding for the Iowa New Play Festival is provided by The David and Jean Schaal Fund for Theatre Arts.