GPTC Through the Years
The Great Plains Theatre Commons began in 2006 as the Great Plains Theatre Conference at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) under the leadership of Dr. Jo Ann C. McDowell, MCC President Emeriti. At the time, the concept of a national playwriting conference was uncharted territory for both the College and the Omaha community.
Over the years, the Conference as a resource both locally and nationally. Since its founding, the annual event has helped develop hundreds of new American plays. In 2020, the Conference was redefined as independent theatre nonprofit organization and renamed as the Great Plains Theatre Commons. This has facilitated significant expansion of year-round community programming and professional development opportunities for local playwrights and theatre artists.
The GPTC continues to honor the past and future of the American theatre community while increasing the scope of programs that serve the Omaha community year-round. In 2024/25, GPTC formally renamed the New Play Conference as the GPTC New Play Festival to more clearly define the event as an annual celebration of new theatre.
Below are a few of the many theatre artists who have joined us over the years:
Honored Playwrights
Edward Albee (2006-07)
Arthur Kopit (2007)
Doug Wright (2008, 2025)
Theresa Rebeck (2009)
David Lindsay-Abaire (2010)
Lee Blessing (2011)
Rebecca Gilman (2012)
Kia Corthron (2013, 2025)
Constance Congdon (2014)
GPTC 10th Anniversary (2015)
Naomi Wallace (2016)
Mac Wellman (2017)
Sarah Ruhl (2018)
Maria Irene Fornes (2019)
Guest Artists
Elena Araoz
Darin Anthony
Margaret Baldwin
Eliza Bent
Terry Brennan
Mark Bruckner
Kathleen Chalfont
Eugenie Chan
Denise Chapman
Walter Byongsok Chon
Bostin Christopher
Constance Congdon
Quinn Metal Corbin
Kia Corthron
Erin Courtney
Mary Beth Easley
Erik Ehn
Liz Engelman
Will Eno
Kim Estes
Kip Fagan
Meghan Finn
Michael French
Kim Gambino
Michael John Garces
Martine Kei Green – Rogers
D. Scott Glasser
Emma Goldman – Sherman
Tammy Grimes
Matthew Gutschick
Andrea L. Hart
Anne Hamilton
Josh Hecht
Heather Helinsky
Lynn Jeffries
Leonard Jenkin
Javon Johnson
Sonia Keffer
Sibyl Kempson
Michael Kinghorn
Kristen Kosmas
Maura Krause
Peter Ksander
Colby Kullman
Amy Lane
Bruce Lemon
Drew Lichtenberg
Romulus Linney
Khalid Yaya Long
Christopher Maly
Moira Mangiameli
Emily Mann
Ruth Margraff
Kip Marsh
Lara Marsh
Kristin Marting
Jody McAuliffe
Jared Mezzocchi
Megan Monaghan Rivas
Cindy Melby-Phaneuf
Anne G. Morgan
Bryan Moore
Lou Moreno
Mia Morris
Kari Mote
Patricia Neal
David Neumann
Kira Obolensky
Todd Olson
Jiehae Park
Doug Patterson
Katie Pearl
M. Michele Phillips
Jeanette Plourde
Alice Reagan
Gail Renardson
Thomas Riccio
Catherine Sheehy
Levy Lee Simon
Timothy Siragusa
Hanna Slattne
Kate Snodgrass
Max Sparber
Carla Stillwell
Ellen Struve
Caridad Svich
Justin Townsend
Rob Urbinati
Jane Unger
Homero Vela
Joel Vig
Mac Wellman
Josh Wilder
Lee Wochner
Samuel Brett Williams
Wai Yim
Ron Zank
Jack Zerbe