The New Jersey Play Lab presents All Exits! - A statewide play reading series

Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 09/29/2026

The New Jersey Play Lab presents All Exits! - A statewide play reading series which will take place in Cape May, Beach Haven, and Milford from October to November 2026.

The mission of All Exits! is to serve playwrights who are outside the major urban areas of NYC or Philadelphia by providing these playwrights with professional support for their playwriting pursuits.

For this inaugural 2026 All Exits! Statewide Play Reading Series, three plays have been selected to have dramaturgical support and a professional reading at one of three professional theatres: Surflight Theatre Company (Beach Haven), Cape May Stage (Cape May), and River Union Stage (Milford).

On Monday, October 12 at Cape May Stage (405 Lafayette Street in Cape May), honeysuckle, brutal & breaking by Brandon Monokian will be read at 7:00pm. This play follows a group of teens sitting on top of a hill in Southern New Jersey in the year 2000, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer, as the annual summer carnival plays out below. The play examines the consequences of the suppression of desire as we see childhood games of spin the bottle meet whiskey soaked confessions as they each test the limits of what they will do to get what they want, causing their relationships to become brutal battlegrounds as they seek to come into their own as 18 year old adults.

Brandon Monokian is an Ocean City, New Jersey based playwright. His play Let’s Summon a Demon at Debbie’s has enjoyed productions throughout the US and UK, including a sold out run at the 2024 Twin Cities Horror Festival. The play is published by 1319 Press. His play Echo & Narcissus Blast Third Eye Blind Outside a Diner in New Jersey at 2AM had a run in New York for The Tank’s PrideFest and is also published by 1319 Press. He wrote and appeared in the feature film Happy Yummy Chicken. His creative work is dedicated to Suzzanne Douglas.

Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info

On Saturday, October 24 at Surflight Theatre (201 Engleside Avenue in Beach Haven), One Great Song by Hope Kobus will be read at 7:00pm. This is a coming-of-age story about the struggle of being true to one’s family while trying to be true to oneself at the same time. At the height of the rock music era, 20-year-old Missy dreams of becoming a musician. She and her childhood best friend Jimmy form a musical partnership, but when disaster strikes the family, Missy feels she must choose between her dreams and her responsibilities.

Hope Kobus is an actress and writer based in Toms River, New Jersey. A recent graduate of Belmont University, she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Theater Performance. Outside of her theatrical endeavors, Hope has performed with a popular Jersey Shore band throughout the tri-state area. Hope is passionate about all forms of storytelling. She strives to create compelling narratives that evoke a deep emotional connection between her characters and her audience. She is excited for her play One Great Song to debut with the New Jersey Play Lab’s AllExits! Statewide play reading series.

On Saturday, November 7 at River Union Stage (34 Bridge Street in Milford), Dubai Chocolate by Sarah Congress will be read at 7:00pm. This new work follows Holly, a former runway model turned influencer, who falls in love with her neighbor Wesley, a furloughed airline pilot. As their relationship develops, the play explores issues of cancel culture, in-person dynamics, and intimate relations in the age of AI, political turmoil, and economic uncertainty.

Sarah Congress is a comedic playwright and script doctor for film/TV represented by Anthony Tall. Her vampire comedy Not Gucci was selected as a “top 30 play” for Centre Stage’s 24th Annual New Play Festival in Greenville, South Carolina. Her romantic period piece Last Sunrise was produced by NYLon Fusion Theatre Co. in their Gilded Cage play festival June 2025 at TADA theatre. In 2023, Sarah’s play Overdose won 2nd place for BEST SHORT at Playwrights Horizons in the Downtown Urban Arts Festival. She is a proud Jersey Girl and delighted to be a part of All Exits! NJPL Statewide Play Reading Series!

Submissions for the 2027 ALL EXITS! will open in late spring/early summer of 2027. Please see guidelines below.

Playwrights who reside in the counties surrounding each venue will be eligible to apply for the series.

NJ Playwrights who reside in Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland counties are eligible to apply for a reading at Cape May Stage.
NJ Playwrights who reside in Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren and Mercer counties are eligible to apply for a reading at River Union Stage.
NJ Playwrights who reside in Atlantic, Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington counties are eligible to apply for a reading at Surflight Theatre Company.

(If you are a playwright who resides in Atlantic County, please choose the venue that is closest to you.)

NJ Playwrights of any experience level are welcome to apply. Selected playwrights will be provided with dramaturgical support through the collective at New Jersey Play Lab and a minimally rehearsed, in-person reading with semi/professional actors. In-person readings will be followed by a dramaturg-led talk back, designed to help the playwright take the play to the next level.

For more information visit https://njplaylab.org/all-exits/

The New Jersey Play Lab is a collective of dramaturgs who are committed to collaboration, methodology, and excellence in their work.