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2024 General Auditions

Now through April 16, submit your video submissions for our General Auditions! 

Submit your video audition to [email protected] by April 16, 2024. Auditions should consist of two contrasting monologues with a total length of no more than four minutes.

Please use subject line: [YOUR NAME] GENERAL AUDITION.

PLEASE NOTE: The 2024 Essential Theatre Play Festival will take place August 9 – September 1, 2024 at 7 Stages Theatre in Atlanta, GA. Rehearsals will take place in various locations in the metro area, generally during weekday evenings and weekend days, in July and August.

The Festival will feature a repertory of two full productions – the World Premieres of Peter Hardy’s The Other Part of the Picture (winner of playwriting prizes from New York Script Awards and Best Script Awards – London) and Emily McClain’s The Rock & The Hard Place (winner of the 2024 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award), as well as staged readings of other new Georgia-written plays. Actors cast in the full productions will be paid a salary and actors in the readings will receive a stipend.

Our two full productions have the following casting requirements:

The Other Part of the Picture by Peter Hardy
Setting: A university town in 1978 and 1979.
With some doubling involved, four female-identified actors and three male-identified actors will play a variety of characters, all of them college students, both graduate and undergrad.
All ethnicities will be considered and are encouraged to apply.

The Rock & The Hard Place by Emily McClain
Setting: Georgia, 2019
ALAN TULLY, an inmate on death row, 50s
ELSIE TULLY, Alan’s daughter, 20s
RUSSELL WYATT, Elsie’s friend, a nerd that owns a gun, 20s
JEREMY HOLLINGBROOK, a lawyer, 40s
LAUREN JACOBSON, a real-estate agent, 40s
RASHIDA MAHMOUD, a woman of color, attorney, 40s
LANCE MATTHEWS/GUARD, a tech entrepreneur doubling as a guard at Telfair prison, 30s
Where unspecified, all ethnicities will be considered and are encouraged to apply.

Other Opportunities
We will also be casting for staged readings that are still being identified, so any actors are welcome to submit general auditions.

2024 Celebration of Georgia Playwrights

Join Essential Theatre on Sunday April 28 for a Celebration of Georgia Playwrights!

Meet the 2024 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Winner, Emily McClain, and celebrate Essential’s – and Georgia’s – rich theatre tradition and the community in which our playwrights grow and thrive.

At our Celebration of Georgia Playwrights Event, you’ll get to:

Mix and mingle with folks who, like you, are proud of the literary and dramatic heritage of the place we call home. 

Meet the 2024 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award winner, Emily McClain, and hear about her show, which we’ll be premiering at the 2024 Essential Theatre Play Festival this summer.

Purchase your Festival Pass if you haven’t already, and be first in line to get tickets to the 2024 Essential Theatre Play Festival!

Celebrating 25 years of the Essential Theatre Festival, during which we’ve produced or presented 45 new works by 36 different Georgia playwrights, with readings of over 50 more.

*Please note: this event is free to attend. Food and beverage orders are the responsibility of the party placing the order. As always, remember to tip your hard-working servers generously and well!

2024 Festival Passes now on sale!

Now through April 30, purchase a Two-, Four-, or Eight-Ticket Festival Pass to guarantee priority access to your preferred dates for this summer’s shows. 

Festival Pass holders will have 48 hour early access on July 1 and 2 to redeem your pass for individual tickets and ensure you get seats according to your preferred schedule before tickets become available to the general public on July 3.

Our Silver Anniversary Festival is shaping up to be the most jam-packed festival yet, so don’t miss out on this chance to immerse yourself in the best of Georgia’s theater scene this summer!

Silver Anniversary Festival Lineup

We’re excited to announce the lineup for the 25th Annual Essential Theatre Play Festival, which will be running from August 9 – September 1 at 7 Stages!  For our Silver Anniversary Festival we will continue our long tradition of bringing new work by Georgia playwrights to the stage by producing a repertory of two World Premiere productions, along with staged readings and other special presentations.

Opening the Festival on August 9 will be The Other Part of the Picture, a comic drama about a group of students who find a mysterious batch of old letters in the house two of them are living in. Written by Essential’s Founding Artistic Director Peter Hardy, it’s won playwriting prizes from the New York Script Awards and the Best Script Awards – London. It was also chosen for the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, where it was given a staged reading. This will be the play’s World Premiere production.

Entering the repertory on August 16 will be Emily McClain’s The Rock & The Hard Place, a powerful drama about a young woman’s desperate efforts to free her innocent father from Death Row. Emily’s play is the winner of the 2024 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award, the competition that is exclusively dedicated to the work of Georgia writers, with the winner getting both a full production and a cash prize of $1,000.

The Festival will also feature three evenings of staged readings of new Georgia plays in our Bare Essentials series,  a partner presentation with Hush Harbor Lab, Atlanta’s Black play development company, and other special presentations which will be announced soon.

The Essential Theatre is the longest-running company dedicated to the work of Georgia playwrights – Giving Georgia a Voice and Bringing Atlanta What’s New since 1999.

Announcing the 2024 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Winner, Emily McClain!

We are pleased and excited to announce that the 2024 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award winner is Emily McClain, with The Rock & The Hard Place! Her play will receive a full production in this summer’s Festival as well as a $1,000 cash prize. The 2024 Award is sponsored by Could Be Pretty Cool, our Playwriting Award Sponsor since 2021. Emily will be honored at this year’s Celebration of Georgia Playwrights event in April – plan to join us and show your support for Emily and your appreciation for Georgia’s rich dramatic heritage!

This is McClain’s second Essential Theatre Playwriting Award, the first being for her very first full-length play, Slaying Holofernes, which was co-winner of the 2019 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award and received its world premiere production in the 2019 Essential Theatre Play Festival.

“After the amazing experience that I had in 2019 when Essential produced Slaying Holofernes, I feel very confident that my play will be in great hands having its world premiere with Essential. I appreciate the quality of artists and theatre makers that Essential brings into their productions too because they are always people who value high-quality art and storytelling. Additionally, The Rock & The Hard Place is set in Georgia and addresses topics that are important conversations for audiences to have, and I think that Essential has the community-minded focus to tap into and guide those conversations,” said Emily of winning the 2024 Playwriting Award.

“I consider the playwriting contest to be one of the most important parts of our artistic ecosystem here in Georgia,” she says. “I encourage all Georgia playwrights to submit, because developing new work is the lifeblood of this art form.”

About Emily McClain

Emily McClain is a professional playwright, theatre educator and a member of WriteStuffATL and the Dramatists Guild. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, she currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia where she teaches theatre at School of the Arts @ Central Gwinnett.

Since her first production with Essential in 2019, she has become quite prolific and accomplished, with later plays being produced and earning accolades locally, nationally and abroad, from a Synchronicity Theatre Stripped Bare grant here in Atlanta to the Risk Theatre International Competition and the William Faulkner Literary Prize. 

About The Rock & The Hard Place

This play follows Elsie Tully as she is driven to extreme lengths in her attempts to exonerate her
father, who is on Death Row, condemned to be executed for a crime she’s sure he didn’t commit. The play began as a single scene commissioned for the Courtroom Drama Series at Actor’s Express, a series that addresses ethical questions as part of lawyers’ continuing education accreditation. “The idea that attorney-client privilege exists even after the death of the client, and even when sharing information could free an innocent man (as was the case in the circumstances that inspired this play), is a thorny ethical dilemma I wanted the audience of lawyers at the Courtroom Drama Series to wrestle with,” shares McClain. “Currently, twenty-seven states maintain Death Row and execute people in this country, and the majority of those are in the South, so this is an issue that we must grapple with more intensely than in other parts of the country…I hope that this story will prompt audience conversation about the death penalty, the difficulty in exonerating innocent people, and the responsibility we have as a society to build a system of true restorative justice.”

About the Celebration of Georgia Playwrights

Join us on Sunday April 28 for our annual Celebration of Georgia Playwrights! The Celebration will take place from 4-6pm at Manuel’s Tavern. All who are interested in supporting the Arts in Georgia are invited to attend. Admission is free but RSVP is requested

About the 2024 Essential Theatre Play Festival

The 2024 Essential Theatre Play Festival will take place August 9 – September 1, 2024, at 7 Stages in Little Five Points. This summer marks the 25th Anniversary for the Essential Theatre Play Festival, which began in 1999 and since its inception has brought Atlanta audiences productions of 45 new works by 36 different Georgia playwrights and readings of over 50 more, many of which have gone on to publication and future productions around the country.

About the playwriting competition

Started in 2001, this is the only competition of its kind, exclusively dedicated to the work of Georgia playwrights, with the winner receiving both a cash prize and a full production. Playwrights must be residents of the State of Georgia. There are no entry fees and no restrictions as to style, length or subject matter, though previously unproduced plays that would run an hour or more in performance are preferred. The deadline for the 2025 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award competition is April 23, 2024. Past Essential Theatre Playwriting Award winners include Karen Wurl, Karla Jennings, Vynnie Meli, Lauren Gunderson, Topher Payne,  Valetta Anderson, and John Mabey. For more information or to submit your play, visit EssentialTheatre.com/Playwriting-Competition. The 2024 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award is sponsored by Could Be Pretty Cool Productions, who has been the Award’s Sponsor since 2021.

Playwright Lineup for the 2024 Southern Fried Bake-Off

Great News! We have selected our 7 playwrights for the First Annual Southern Fried Bake-Off taking place on January 5-6, 2024 at Core Dance in downtown Decatur!

Congratulations to John Mabey, Victoria Nation, R.P. Singletary, Hank Kimmel, Nathan Jerpe, Diane Dierks, and Marita A. McKee! Follow us on social media to find out more about each of these talented folks.

Don’t miss out on this fun and creative way to jumpstart your new year. Tickets to the 7pm public performance on January 6 are NOW available at EssentialTheatreSouthernFriedBakeOffJan2024.eventbrite.com

Y’all come play with us and watch creativity unfold! Witness the magic firsthand as playwrights, actors, and crew collaborate for an exhilarating 24 hours to create brand-new plays inspired by a Bake-Off theme and a list of “ingredients.”

*proudly brought to you by Essential Theatre, in partnership with Core Dance and the Decatur Arts Alliance

First Annual Southern Fried Bake-Off (January 2024)

Read the press release

Join Essential Theatre on January 5 and 6 as we launch a new 24 Hour Play Festival at Core Dance in downtown Decatur! A variation on past Atlanta 24 hour play festival formats, the Southern Fried Bake-Off will be an exhilarating 24 hours where participants write, rehearse, and perform brand new plays based on a Bake-Off theme and a list of “ingredients.”

“We want to come together and create new work just for the fun of it,” shares Bake-Off co-creator Emily McClain, “and the Bake Off model allows for maximum creative challenge in a short time frame like a 24 hour plays festival.”

The Concept: Using the Paula Vogel Bake Off model, a group of playwrights will come together and write individual plays that are inspired from a central piece of art/theme and list of “ingredients” that must be present in their plays in some way. Pieces are written and produced in a workshop-production style within 24 hours. 

The Mission: To create new works in a short time in a manner that fosters collaboration and builds community between theatre artists and playwrights from various backgrounds and experience levels. To have fun creating something together without the pressure of “polishing.” 

The Goal: To start the year off right, by having fun with friends, doing what we do best! To come together and have some fun with folks from across our community.

The Tagline: Y’all Come Play! Let’s tell some stories that weren’t here yesterday!

The Team: Brought to you by Essential Theatre, in partnership with Core Dance and the Decatur Arts Alliance

red and black block text reading, "Core Dance"
decatur arts alliance logo

Playwright Lineup:

Just announced! Congratulations to John Mabey, Victoria Nation, R.P. Singletary, Hank Kimmel, Nathan Jerpe, Diane Dierks, and Marita A. McKee! Read more…

Questions? Email us at [email protected] 

2023 Essential Theatre Play Festival: A Look Back

With a SOLD OUT closing weekend and rave reviews for the record 15 new plays by Georgia playwrights that audiences saw at the Festival this summer, thank you for a fantastic Festival experience that reminds us of all the reasons why we do what we do. Thanks to everyone — onstage, offstage, and in the audience — who turned out to make the 2023 Essential Festival one to remember. 

…Now to start planning for our 25th Anniversary Festival next summer!

The Manuscript, by Matthew Hoffman

Enthusiastic praise for The Manuscript:

“The play is just beautiful. I was truly so impressed and moved. Remarkable performances.”

“an intimate portrait of love from different angles & understanding” 

“Please make plans to see this play. The incredible performances of Hannah Morris and Laurie Beasley are so raw and vulnerable as they navigate some of the messiest of all human emotions: grief. I was deeply moved.”

“The play unfolds beautifully, and I love the way the second act has us second-guessing our first act partiality…Just a terrific night at the theatre that we need right now.” 

2023 Essential Playwriting Award Winner The Manuscript by Matthew Hoffman is a compelling psychological drama about what we owe to those we’ve lost.

CAST: Hannah Morris, Laurie Beasley, Luke Lew (U/S George Kotler-Wallace), Charis Sellick, Eleanor McClain

The Wishing Place, by Beverly Austin

Audiences loved The Wishing Place: 

”The play is just beautiful. I was truly so impressed and moved. Remarkable performances.”

“An excellent performance. Both plays this year are exceptional.”  

“It was wonderful!”

2020 Essential Playwriting Award Co-Winner The Wishing Place by Beverly Austin is a poetic drama about two families in 1960s rural Georgia, one black and one white, trying to find their path and keep their dreams alive. 

CAST: David Rucker III, Terry Kiser, Sheri Wilson, Caleb Wilkinson, Aliya Kraar, Nancy Powell, and George Kotler-Wallace

A moving experience with Walk With Me:

“Through her personal journey and touching storytelling, Carolyn shed light on the realities of dementia. Her performance was not only informative, but also filled with valuable resources for anyone affected by this condition. The after show discussion about positive caregiving with social worker Anne McSweeney, owner of CEU Creations was very helpful.”

“Such a beautiful piece, written & performed by an equally beautiful person!!”

“Amazing one woman show written and performed by Carolyn Cook. A special and loving tribute to mothers and caregivers.”

Yanni Stone and the Honeypot Trap by Anterior Leverett, presented in partnership with Hush Harbor Lab

SOLD OUT Hush Harbor Lab reading for the second year in a row

Director: Jade Lambert Smith
Dramaturg: Dalyla McGee
SM: Jasmine Waters

CAST: Charity Irby, Ebony Jerry, Azhane Kennedy, Carlette Jennings, Kaleb Mitchell, and David Wilkerson.

Four new plays by Georgia playwrights:

Water Boyz by Kwik Jones, directed by Damian Lockhart

The Rock and the Hard Place by Emily McClain, directed by Kyle Brumley

Pas de Deux by Sarah Swiderski, directed by Kati Grace Kirby

The Other Bones by Beverley Sylvester, directed by Julia Barton

“Stage readings are key for me because they help me hear and see the story. I can sit and listen and learn…My experience with this reading has been nothing but first class. The director Damion Lockhart has been nothing but spectacular. The actors…give this story so much life so much character. I’ve heard the play read before, but this is the first time I’ve heard the play. Bravo Gents.”

-Kwik Jones

10 Minute Play Bootcamp Showcase

Audience turned out on August 12 to see seven brand new 10-Minute Plays by Bootcamp playwrights Amanda Vick, Annaliese Grace, Erin Moore, Katherine Brokaw, Linda Green, Rosalyn Grimes, and Thom Stanley:

Southern Fried Bake-Off: The 24 Hour Play Festival is back in town!

Essential Theatre brings back the 24 Hour Play Festival this January, in partnership with Decatur Arts Alliance and Core Dance

December 2023 – Essential Theatre hits the ground running for their 25th Anniversary season on January 5-6, 2024 with the first annual Southern  Fried Bake-Off, a 24 Hour play festival where playwrights, actors, and crew come together at Core Dance in downtown Decatur for an exhilarating 24 hours to write, rehearse, and perform brand new plays based on a Bake-Off theme and a list of “ingredients.”

“What better way to kick off the new year than getting together with people we like to do something we enjoy, be creative and just have fun together?” asks Elisabeth Cooper, one of the theater’s Education Associates and a long-time Atlanta theatermaker.

“The Bake Off model allows for maximum creative challenge in a short time frame like a 24 hour plays festival,” explains Bake-Off co-creator Emily McClain.

The event promises to be a good time for everyone involved, thanks to partner support from the Decatur Arts Alliance and Core Dance.

“We’re so excited to be a part of this event,” shares Core Dance’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Labe-Webb. “Process and experimentation are essential to an artist’s life,” she continues, “and partnerships like this fit our commitment to making space for making art.”

“DAA is thrilled to help coordinate this exciting new 24-hr play festival with Essential Theatre,” shares Angie Macon of the Decatur Arts Alliance, “Everyone mark your calendars for the January 6th performances – Let’s kick off 2024 with exciting theatre opportunities in the city of Decatur!”

The Concept: Using the Paula Vogel Bake Off model, a group of playwrights will come together and write individual plays that are inspired from a central piece of art/theme and list of “ingredients” that must be present in their plays in some way. Pieces are written and produced in a workshop-production style within 24 hours. 

The Mission: To create new works in a short time in a manner that fosters collaboration and builds community between theatre artists and playwrights from various backgrounds and experience levels. To have fun creating something together without the pressure of “polishing.” 

The Goal: To start the year off right, by having fun with friends, doing what we do best! To come together and have some fun with folks from across our community.

The Tagline: Y’all Come Play! Let’s tell some stories that weren’t here yesterday!

The Team: Brought to you by Essential Theatre, in partnership with Core Dance and the Decatur Arts Alliance

To participate: Submit your name for consideration by December 8. Playwrights and performers will be selected by random lottery and notified by December 11. https://forms.gle/ixpcUjFC1m3xnad78 (Playwrights), https://forms.gle/DoqFs3W2vZmHNmow6 (Performers)

To purchase tickets: EssentialTheatreSouthernFriedBakeOffJan2024.Eventbrite.com

For more information and the latest updates, join our newsletter, follow us on FacebookTwitter, or Instagram, or check out our website at www.EssentialTheatre.com

# # #

For media inquires: 
Jennifer Kimball, Managing Director
[email protected]

Calendar Listing
Southern Fried Bake-Off 24 Hour Play Festival
January 5-6, 2024
The Essential Theatre at
Core Dance
133 Sycamore Street, Decatur GA 30030
Tickets: EssentialTheatreSouthernFriedBakeOffJan2024.Eventbrite.com

GA Gives 2023

Giving Tuesday is a worldwide day of giving that takes place each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, a global day of generosity where people and organizations unite to impact their communities. GA Gives is a statewide movement within that, to highlight Georgia-based causes and organizations, and you can see our involvement with that movement here!

Essential Theatre has been supporting Georgia playwrights and presenting new plays to Atlanta audiences since 1999. In fact, we are the longest-running theatre exclusively dedicated to supporting the work of Georgia playwrights. Since the first Essential Play Festival in 1999, we’ve produced or presented 43 new works by 36 different Georgia playwrights, with readings of over 50 more. Our very first Essential Theatre Playwriting Award winner, Lauren Gunderson, has been the most-produced living playwright in America for several years running!

Essential’s dedication to creating opportunities for Georgia’s playwrights is unwavering, and we are committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our audience to connect with them and be a part of their creative process. Please show your support of Essential by contributing to our GA Gives Day campaign. Help us continue to create new opportunities for Georgia’s playwrights.

https://www.gagives.org/organization/Essential-Theatre Thank you for giving a gift today!