The Southern Fried Bake-Off returns January 3 and 4, 2025 to start your year off right by having fun with folks from across our community, doing what we do best: making theater together.

New year, new home
Last year’s Bake-Off at CORE in Decatur was a hit. We literally had standing room only by showtime! So this year we’re thrilled to announce our move to a bigger venue: go ahead and block off Saturday evening January 4 and come spend it with us and this year’s producing partner, 7Stages!

New look,

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2024 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Essential Theatre Play Festival, and it has been a banner year.

From the Southern-Fried Bake-Off 24 Hour Play Festival in January, to our summer playwriting classes, to the array of panels and speaking events we presented or were invited to participate in, and of course our Celebration of Georgia Playwrights in April and the Silver Anniversary Play Festival in August, 2024 has been a year to remember and a powerful testament to the legacy of creativity, strength, and talent of Georgia playwrights.

In a retrospective article in ArtsATL, Luke Evans wrote, “Founding Artistic Director Peter Hardy’s goal to support Georgia playwrights from conception to full production has resulted in some of the best works of the last quarter century.”

Atlanta Magazine says,

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