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The Growing Stage presents 2026 New Play-Reading Festival

Saturday, April 25, 2026 @ 7:00pm



The Historic Palace Theatre
7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, NJ 07857

THIS EVENT HAS PASSED

Our festival is open to any unpublished and unproduced Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) scripts to be considered as one of four plays to be featured in the New Play-Reading Festival this coming season at The Growing Stage Theatre – The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey.

The New Play-Reading Festival is a wonderful opportunity for artists to have their unpublished works presented before an audience, in a play-reading scenario, by a cast consisting of both professional and amateur actors on two separate rounds during our season (Spring/Summer 2021).  

Plays include:

Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm -> Snapped by Martin Follose | Oregon; directed by Nikole Rizzo

Friday, April 24 at 7:30pm -> The Wind In The Wildflowers by Grace Ward & Elke Myers | Idaho; directed by Jeorgi Smith

Saturday, April 25 at 4:00pm -> Timmon and the Magic Shoes by Jeff Jenkins | Illlinois; directed by Natalie Kane

Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm -> My Tree by Samara Siskind | Florida; directed by Sara Giacomini

After each reading, there is a dialogue among the audience, performers and playwright, if present. After 2nd Round of play readings, one of the four scripts are then selected to be presented as a fully mounted production in The Growing Stage’s 2021-2022 season!

Admission: Suggested Donation $10

Our New Play-Reading Festival features four brand new plays for young audiences, chosen from the over 100 submitted works biennially. Each piece is carefully read by a select committee comprised of directors, performing and teaching artists, educators and young people. The four finalists are provided two readings during the season, read by professional and community artists in a casual setting. Following each reading a discussion of the work with our professional team and the playwright. Lastly, one of the four plays will be selected to become a fully mounted production the following season.




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EVENT PREVIEWS

Princeton

Princeton Summer Theater Announces 2026 Season

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Princeton Summer Theater has unveiled its 2026 subscription season which will run from June 11th to August 1st, featuring an exciting lineup of three mainstage pieces and a family-friendly musical. Productions include Barefoot in the Park, The 39 Steps, True West, and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.



Crossroads

Crossroads Theatre Company presents "Sizwe Banzi Is Dead"

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Crossroads Theatre Company presents Sizwe Bansi Is Dead from May 19 - June 14, 2026 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. This is a powerful, funny, and deeply moving story about identity, survival, and the extraordinary ingenuity of ordinary people navigating an unjust system.



Zoopraxic

Zoopraxic presents "In the Devil's Hands" by Helen Banner

(LONG ISLAND, NY) -- In the Devil's Hands, Helen Banner's riveting new play will extend its run to 21 performances running between May 20 and June 14, 2026. Set in the Channel Islands in the 1940s, this intimate and immersive production will have its world premiere at the new micro theatre space Zoopraxic in Long Island City (first stop in Queens).



"Slanted

"Slanted Floors" returns to its Greenpoint Apartment

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Following critical acclaim and sold-out performances, Slanted Floors — hailed by the Daily Beast as "one of New York's most unique and exclusive pieces of theatre" — returns for a strictly limited five-week engagement in its original Greenpoint apartment setting. Performances will run May 26 through June 26, 2026, with 150 seats available.



Arden

Arden Theatre Company presents "Dear Evan Hansen"

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- Arden Theatre Company brings the Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen, to the F. Otto Haas Stage this spring. Featuring a book by Steven Levenson and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the production is directed by Terrence J. Nolen and co-conceived by Jorge Cousineau and Nolen. Performances begin May 21, the show opens May 27, and runs through July 5, 2026.






 

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