June 11-14, 2026
THE DISTILLERY
NEW WORKS FESTIVAL
2026 Passes on sale NOW!
The Distillery New Works Festival is a weekend-long celebration of emerging theater. It features exciting new plays from local and national playwrights. The readings conclude with a discussion of the play, giving writers the chance to receive feedback from Seattle audiences (like YOU!) and providing a platform to help shape new works in progress.
Join us for the staged readings of 7 New Plays, June 11-14, 2026.
BLOOD/SUCKER
By Anamaria Guerzon
Directed by Sophia Franzella
Thursday, June 11th, 2026 at 7 PM
Mr. Galay is fighting to save his Asian American history class for next semester, while students Elias and Abby are just fighting to graduate. But there is something hungry lurking in the walls, watching them...BLOOD/SUCKER is a bloody political satire/horror play about the public school system, and those it feeds off of.
The Ballad of the Unfallen
By Maggie Lee
Directed by Amy Poisson and Alanah Pascual
Friday, June 12th, 2026 at 7 PM
For generations, the Temple of the Lightning Eel has been a legendary school for the fighting arts, but also a safe haven from the outside world, where old rivalries between clans threatens to start a new civil war. But when a desperate young woman surviving an unthinkable tragedy seeks refuge at the temple, it threatens to tip the delicate balance of neutrality and plunge them into the heart of the conflict. Meanwhile, an earnest bard struggles to record the truth of the events through her song, faced with the harsh reality that history can be skewed by whoever shouts the loudest. A new play with music and movement, set in the fantastical world of Sheathed.
The Holy Blessed Mother Lover Orphanage for Unwanted Girls
By Shanna Allman
Directed by Melanie Godsey
Saturday, June 13th, 2026 at 11 AM
It’s 1981 at the Holy Blessed Mother Lover Orphanage for Unwanted Girls where headmistress Ms. Wimple shepherds her horde of disposable darlings into womanhood - that is, until the wealthy and recently widowed Mrs. Teeters arrives and determines that it is in fact her calling to mentor the girls. Will Ms. Wimple realize her dream of one day sipping Mai Tai's on the beach? Will Mrs. Teeters' achieve her lasting legacy? And what about the girls' dreams? Never fear, my little cavities, it's the 1980s and women can be president, too! - theoretically speaking.
If nobody does remarkable things
By Emma Gibson
Directed by Amanda Rountree
Saturday, June 13th, 2026 at 3 PM
2016: Anna is a rising climate activist. But as the world turns orange and the birds begin to retreat, so too does Anna, to a rural cottage by the sea, to mourn both the death of her mother and the loss of her one great love. 2030: in the middle of a category 6 dust storm, a cargo ship takes refuge in the local harbor. Joel is on board and he needs somewhere to stay. Anna thinks they should rescue him but Paul’s not so sure. Not after what Joel did 14 years ago. A fierce new play about forgiveness that explores what happens when we reach the point of no return.
Hazzard
By Kelleen Conway Blanchard
Directed by Kayla Walker
Saturday, June 13th, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Based on a true story, Hazzard looks at the horrific murder of a young heiress at the turn of the century in Olalla, Washington. Dr. Linda Hazzard was a Naturopathic Doctor that touted the fasting cure. Her book and fame allowed her to build a Sanitorium in Olalla, Washington and treat patients by fasting them and then profiting from their deaths. She was found guilty of manslaughter for killing at least 15 people for financial gain.
Refuse it: A Black Woman’s Guide to 21st Century Rage
By Phanésia Pharel
Directed by Xochitl Clare
Sunday, June 14th, 2026 at 11 AM
REFUSE IT: A BLACK WOMAN’S GUIDE TO 21ST CENTURY RAGE explores the lives of Black women who reject the status quo. Through a kaleidoscope of vignettes, these women confront the costs and benefits of living radically under the persistent weight of the past. Darkly comedic and unapologetically defiant, REFUSE IT asks: If society has truly progressed and living conditions are undeniably better, why don’t we feel better?
SCRIBE, or The Sisters Milton, or Elegy for the Unwritten
By L M Feldman
Directed by Adrienne Mackey
Sunday, June 14th, 2026 at 3 PM
SCRIBE imagines the poet Milton’s relationship with his 3 kept-barely-literate daughters, while he was blind & outcast & composing Paradise Lost and they were transcribing & homemaking & coming of age. Fantastical & unflinching, SCRIBE probes the relationship between genius, privilege, and labor, and mourns the enormity of unmade art by the voices we’ll never get to hear. Set during 17th-century England’s social volatility—and ours, too, now—SCRIBE voices the story of 3 children growing up in the shadow of the canon, of society, and of its cultural and historical legacies.
Distillery New Works Festival
What is Distillery?
The Distillery New Works Festival is a celebration of emerging theater and an opportunity for playwrights to gain valuable feedback on new work. Each play in the festival receives a live reading by a cast of professional actors, allowing it to live and breathe off the page. The readings conclude with a discussion of the play with the playwright, giving writers the chance to receive feedback from Seattle audiences and providing a platform for audiences to help shape new works in process.
Play criteria
Before submitting, please make sure your play meets the following criteria:
Full-length plays. We are currently only accepting submissions for full-length scripts of any genre. Shorts and one-acts will not be considered.
One play per playwright. We will only consider one script per playwright for this year's Distillery Festival.
New works, development mindset. The Distillery Festival is intended to promote new works and help playwrights who want to actively update and improve their scripts. Selected playwrights are expected to approach the festival with a development mindset, and to attend/participate in the festival to the best of their ability. If you are completely finished with your script, the Distillery process is not for you.
Festival attendance. Festival attendance is an important part of Distillery and is required for all playwrights. If you are from out of the area a travel stipend will be provided.
Feminism - your play passes the Macha Test. This year Distillery is being produced by Seattle Public Theater in association with Macha Theatre Works, and we are excited to use the festival to help lift up feminist works. Please review the Macha Test and make sure your play passes before submitting. We will not consider plays that do not pass the Macha Test.
Selection Process
We will review the first 600 scripts submitted to Distillery this year. Submissions will close when we reach the 600 play cap, or on September 5th, whichever comes first. We will then review these scripts and select a group to move on to the next round. This first review can take some time, so we thank you in advance for your patience. As we narrow down our play selection, we will announce which plays have made it to the next round both via email and publicly on our social media. Here is a rough timeline. While we may diverge this year, it will hopefully give you a framework for setting expectations about this process for 2025-2026:
August: Submissions Open
September: Submissions Close (unless cap has been reached)
September-December: Submission Review/Reading Period
December: Release of the LONG LIST (last year, 51 plays)
End of December: Release of the SHORT LIST (last year, 23 plays)
January: Playwright Interviews: Short-listed playwrights are expected to participate in a virtual interview with members of the Seattle Public Distillery team. After interviews, release of the SEMI-FINALISTS (last year, 13 plays)
February: Final review/director matching process. Release of the OFFICIAL SELECTIONS.
In the end, we expect to choose 6 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS from the process to participate in Distillery, along with one play from a Seattle Public Theater resident playwright. Last year we received ~750 Distillery submissions and included 7 plays in the final festival. We will be looking for an eclectic group of feminist plays to round out this exciting new works festival. We will prioritize playwrights local to the Pacific Northwest and those from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in theater.
Distillery Goals
Traditionally, the distillery process involves heating a liquid, then allowing it to condense into a new product. Here at the New Works Distillery, we do the same thing with stories, allowing them to rise, change, and settle into something new. This is part of how we cultivate new plays that feature strong feminist themes. Whether playwrights are interested in testing out bold new ideas or putting the final touches on a nearly-finished script, the Distillery is here to help.
Other ways to get involved
After our script selection process, we enjoy connecting with talented directors and actors to help bring these new scripts to life. If you're interested in getting involved, feel free to contact us at literary@seattlepublictheater.org to learn what openings are available this year.
Support Distillery
The Distillery series makes it possible for writers to take risks and discover their voices. Donate here to support the development of new work!