Join us on August 16 at 2pm for the dramatic conclusion of this year’s 10-Minute Play Bootcamp, a public showcase of brand new 10-Minute Plays sure to delight and entertain!
Featuring brand new 10-Minute Plays by our Bootcamp playwrights read by local Atlanta actors.
Join us on August 12, 19 and 26 at 7:30pm for developmental readings of three new plays.
All readings in the Bare Essentials series are free and open to the public. Be sure to stay after for exciting conversation with the director, cast and playwright!
The 2025 Bare Essentials Play Reading series will feature three new plays by Georgia playwrights:
Aug 12 – LADIES OF THE by Hailey Sipe, directed by Kati Grace Kirby
Aug 19 – SNOWBLIND by Laura King, directed by Kyle Brumley
Aug 26 – THE INTERIM by Caroline Donica,
Day is one woman’s deeply funny journey through traumatic grief, chronic illness and the untamable joy discovered while she huddled in the darkest recesses of her worst nightmares. Through clowning, storytelling, archival recordings and family interviews, Emma Yarbrough crafts a moving offering to the memory of her Aunt Day, her familial soulmate who she lost to a shocking act of violence, all while coping with her own life-changing health diagnosis and the legacy she shares with Day—a family curse/blessing of exceptionality, of laughing through tears at the absurdity and breathtaking beauty of it all.
Advisory: Discussion of sexual matters and family trauma
Performance Schedule
One performance only!
A VERY famous pop musician asks a writer to create a musical. What happens next is a wild ride. Both hilarious and horrifying, I’m Not Supposed to Talk About This is a story based entirely on a true-life tale.
Advisory: This show is best for ages 13 and up.
Performance Schedule
One performance only!
Monday, August 25 7:30pm
In The Press
Coming Soon
Audience response
“The incredible true story Lee Nowell tells in I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT THIS is both heart-rending and hilarious,
⭐️ Presented in partnership with Out of Hand ⭐️
How to Make a Home follows Antonio, a single father, as he navigates Atlanta’s Continuum of Care system to secure stable housing for himself and his 10-year-old daughter. Antonio contends with the frustrations of bureaucratic obstacles and daily life stressors, striving to maintain hope while providing for his child. Through his story, the play offers an emotional insight into the realities of homelessness and highlights available services for those in need.
Performance Schedule
A one-performance-only encore presentation!
Saturday, August 23,
An aging Vietnam veteran struggles with flashbacks, fantasies and health issues as his daughter tries to move him into assisted living. Also, he keeps talking to a dead bear.
Performance Schedule
One performance only!
Monday, August 18, 7:30pm
In The Press
Coming Soon
Audience response
Coming Soon
Meet the Playwrights: Larry Larson and Carol Larson
Coming Soon
This monologue is about an actor in search of himself. His career embodies my convictions about acting as a craft, a way of life, and an existential perspective. The storytelling is autobiographical and fictional, comical and philosophical.
Performance Schedule
One performance only!
Monday, August 18, 7:30pm
In The Press
Coming Soon
Audience response
Coming Soon
Meet the Playwright: Tim McDonough
Tim McDonough has acted 100+ roles. Awards: Best Actor, 1982, Boston Theater Critics Circle; Citation for Career Contributions, 1983, New England Theater Conference; Critic’s Choice for Best Actor,
🌟2025 Atlanta Fringe Festival Homegrown Award Winner 🌟
Reese’s childhood took an unexpected turn when her parents abandoned her in a Red Lobster, leaving her with a lifelong struggle to bond with others – especially her older, seemingly perfect sister, Margot. When Margot reveals her long and difficult battle with infertility, Reese seizes the opportunity to mend their fractured relationship by offering to be her surrogate in this hilarious and innovative one-woman play.
The show was previously performed at the NYC Fringe and the Atlanta Fringe, where it won a NYC Fringe audience choice award, ATL Fringe audience choice award,
The world premiere production of the 2025 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award winning play, A Very Special Hospital by Matthew Hoffman, opens August 8.
A dark comedy about healthcare with a piercing family story, this is Hoffman’s second full-length play, the first being The Manuscript which premiered at the 2023 Essential Theatre Play Festival to popular and critical acclaim.
Advisory: Discussion of family and childhood trauma.
Performance Schedule
Thursday August 7 (8pm Preview)
Friday August 8 (8pm Opening)
Saturday August 9 (8pm)
Sunday August 10 (2pm)
Monday August 11 (8pm Industry Night)
Friday August 15 (8pm
Saturday August 16 (8pm)
Sunday August 17 (2pm)
Friday August 22 (8pm)
Saturday August 23 (8pm)
Sunday August 24 (2pm)
Friday August 29 (8pm)
Saturday August 30 (8pm)
Sunday August 31 (2pm)
In The Press
Coming Soon
What Audiences Are Saying
Coming Soon
Cast:
Sarah: Hannah Brumley
Robbie: Louis Kuiper
Dr.
