2025 Festival

August 8-31,
at 7Stages in Little Five Points

For more than 25 years, Essential Theatre has been bringing new work by Georgia playwrights to the stage, and the 2025 Essential Theatre Festival will continue this long tradition.

Opening the Festival on August 8 will be A Very Special Hospital by Matt Hoffman, winner of the 2025 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award. 

The Festival will also include more than a dozen other staged readings and special presentations of new plays by Georgia playwrights.

Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Winners Lauren Gunderson and Topher Payne
Emily McClain holds up her 2019 Playwriting Award Winner t-shirt
Avery Sharpe
Marilyn and Sharon, authors of Memory Lane
Natalia Naman, 2015 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Winner
Partner Juneteenth Panel with Synchronicity Theatre, Impact Theatre, and Hush Harbor Lab
Big smiles at the Bootcamp Showcase
Playwright Kwik Jones
2020 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Co-Winner Beverly Austin
2020 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Co-Winner Beverly Austin
Matthew Hoffman
Anthony Lamarr White
2021 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award co-winner Anthony Lamarr White
Shelby Hofer
Shelby Hofer, creator of High Risk, Baby!
Erin Considine, co-winner of the 2021 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award
2021 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award co-winner Erin Considine
Playwright: Hannah Manikowski
Playwright Abraham Johnson
Playwright Abraham Johnson
Playwright Thomas Brazzle
Thomas Brazzle, Playwright

Showcasing Georgia’s Best Playwrights

Get your Festival Pass before June 30 for exclusive priority access to individual tickets to the 2025 Essential Theatre Play Festival:

Get Your Festival Pass

*Reservations are required. Tickets are subject to availability at the time of reservation.
To redeem your Festival Pass, email [email protected]
Questions? EssentialTheatre.com/festival-pass-faq