Highlights from the 2023 New Play Conference

Video by ThinkMotion Video

The GPTC New Play Festival

Save the Date for the 20th New Play Festival! May 25th – 31st, 2025

The New Play Festival was founded in 2006 by Metropolitan Community College, and continues, now that the GPTC is its own nonprofit, as a vibrant community partnership between the two organizations. The festival takes place each spring at the Swanson Conference Center on MCC’s historic Fort Omaha Campus. (Map)

Each year, the Festival helps to develop a group of new plays that are selected from a pool of around 1000 submissions. During the Festival, local and national playwrights, actors, directors, dramaturgs, designers and Omaha community members, share a week of stories, workshops, readings, meals, performances and celebrations. All public festival events are free to attend.

  • Theatre WorkShops, Luncheon Panels and daily PlayLab Series readings comprise the foundation of the Festival.
  • Dramaturgy is provided by national dramaturgs for each playwright, to providing support before, during and after the Festival
  • PlayFest is our season of new works and seeks to give voice to the stories that have the power to unite and inspire diverse audiences.
  • Design Wing brings five emerging designers from across the country to become immersed in the play development from a visual perspective.
  • Young Dramatists Fellowship Program provides local high school playwrights with access to some of the country’s top plays and playwrights.

GPTC invites and welcomes a number of distinguished and nationally known playwrights, directors and actors each year. These guest artists are in place to nurture and mentor new and emerging playwrights and Festival attendees through various workshops, PlayLab feedback sessions and seminars.

Click here for more information about submitting your play to the New Play Festival.

Click here for information on past years.