(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Art House Productions presents the 2025 INKubator New Play Festival from April 28 - May 7. This year's playwrights are Phillip Gregory Burke, Sarah Cuneo, Molly Horan, Frank Murdocco, and M. D. Schaffer. Audiences who attend the festival will have the opportunity to participate in conversations with the writers, directors, and actors following each performance. All readings are free to attend, but advanced registration is required.
INKubator is a year-long generative process for a select group of playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. During the program, playwrights meet on a monthly basis alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. The program culminates in the INKubator New Play Festival, where the playwrights work with professional directors and actors to hear the play read aloud for the first time.
"INKubator is something really special in the theatre community,” says program director Alex Tobey. “Nowhere else do playwrights get this level of resources and support at the earliest stage of development, and nowhere else do audiences get the invitation to join their process prior to a first draft even being complete! All of these remarkable plays will be read out loud for the first time ever. I’m so proud of what these writers are creating and can’t wait to share this exclusive sneak peek with Art House audiences.”
FULL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Monday, April 28 at 7:00pm - I Want the World (And When I Get It, I'll Want Something Else) by Frank Murdocco, directed by Alex Tobey. After fourteen seasons on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Rebecca Delucci has embarrassed herself, and her future on the show hangs in the balance. After fourteen years growing up on TV, Rebecca's son, Madison, has written a tell-all memoir–one that makes his mother's contract renewal all the more tenuous. Now, the two must duke it out in the only way they know how: like the cameras are rolling. Inspired by Chekhov's The Seagull, I Want the World examines that innate human need for attention (and affirmation) in the crucible of reality TV.
Tuesday, April 29 at 7:00pm - Trad by Sarah Cuneo, directed by Emilia Lirman. OnlyFans model Maisie wants to reinvent herself as a trad wife influencer, but there’s just one problem: she has no idea how to cook, bake, or take care of a home. Enter Sam, a no-nonsense baker from the local farmer’s market who secretly does the cooking while Maisie plays the perfect homemaker on camera. What starts as a business arrangement quickly turns into a tangled push-and-pull between two women. Sharp, funny, and deeply relatable, Trad explores ambition, authenticity, and the performance of femininity in the digital age.
Monday, May 5 at 7:00pm - Paradise Estate by Phillip Gregory Burke, directed by Brandon Alvión. For over a century, the Rawlins family home, Paradise Estate, has successfully operated as a major Underground Railroad stop at the Canadian-American border. But when the War of 1812 couples with a mysterious new arrival, division threatens their already fragile household. With their way of life and work at risk, the liberators are compelled to either adapt to a world promising to marginalize them or carry the culture from a past only they can curate. Paradise Estate is play 3 in Phillip Gregory Burke's ten-play cycle chronicling the sociology of the African Diaspora.
Tuesday, May 6 at 7:00pm - Communication by M. D. Schaffer, directed by Ava Elizabeth Novak. For her doctoral dissertation, Psychology major Olivia Hardgrove invites her long-term client, Reed Erwin, and Reed's mother, Delilah, to participate in a public therapy session that's mediated using tarot cards. However, as the cards are pulled and the mother and child relive fraught memories, they find that the only way to salvage their relationship is by reckoning with their past to build their future.
Wednesday, May 7 at 7:00pm - Let Go by Molly Horan, directed by Anne DeMelo. High schoolers and aspiring filmmakers Bridget and Kelly know that the only way to get ahead in the industry is to make connections. Which is why, for their high school film showcase, they've decided to make a shot-for-shot recreation of the 2004 film Garden State in the hopes that Zach Braff, who just happens to be from their hometown, will see the film and reward their creativity and business savvy with a production deal. Weeks into the process, a car crash leaves Bridget with a traumatic brain injury, and the girls have to figure out how to adapt as artists, collaborators, and best friends.
ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES - Art House Productions is dedicated to providing an inclusive experience for all. Accessibility features include: Wheelchair-accessible seating; ASL interpretation upon request (2 weeks' notice required); Audio description for blind and low-vision patrons upon request (2 weeks' notice required); Service animals welcome; and Fully accessible restrooms.
For specific accommodations, contact us at 201-579-0532 or email Meredith Burns at Meredith@arthouseproductions.org. They are there to help ensure your visit is comfortable and enjoyable.
Art House Productions is a nonprofit organization committed to developing and presenting performing and visual arts in Jersey City, New Jersey. Art House offers theater, visual art exhibitions, arts festivals, and adult and youth art classes.
Art House Productions is grateful for support from Hudson County Cultural Affairs, the Exchange Place Alliance, RWJ Barnabas, NJ State Council on the Arts, HDSID, Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, Jersey City Health and Human Services, Panepinto Properties, Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund, SILVERMAN, Super Buy Rite, Tito’s, and many other generous donors and sponsors.
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