Acorn Productions is thrilled to announce the lineup for the 23rd Annual Maine Playwrights Festival, the state’s longest-running incubator of new plays by local playwrights. This year’s festival, running from May 9–18, 2025, will showcase a diverse array of original works and expanded programming that celebrates the creativity and talent of Maine’s playwrighting community.

Selected Plays and Playwrights
10-Minute Play Festival
• Altared – Brent Askari
• Art: A History – Hollie Pryor
• Bullseye, Wyoming – Ron Capps
• exchanges – Nathan Speckman
• Family Chat – Aimée Araujo Moreira Miranda
• Q.U.E.E.F. – Todd Brian Backus
• Remembering June – Moe Moeller
• Totality Play – Julia Jennings
• Truth or Dare – Randy Hunt

One-Act Staged Readings
• Cobblestones – Megan Tripaldi
• The Machine Stops – Griff Braley
• Uninvited – Jayne Decker

Expanded Festival Programming

This year’s festival features a dynamic lineup of performances and workshop opportunities:

• 10-Minute Play Festival: May 9–18
• Staged Readings of One-Acts: May 10 & 17
• High School Playwrights Festival: May 13, featuring original works from Brunswick High School and North Yarmouth Academy students
• Creative Workshops: Led by Malia'Kekia Nicolini, featuring Graceful Feedback: How to Offer, Listen & Respond and Re-indigenize Your Creative Practice

“This year’s plays come from all over the state,” said Artistic Director Liz Carlson. “Each explores themes of connection and community in unique and powerful ways. The Festival is a fun, poignant, and hopeful collection of plays from some of Maine’s most exciting playwrights.” This marks Carlson’s first season leading the Festival following the departure of longtime Artistic Director Daniel Burson last year.
The return of the High School Playwrights Festival on May 13 highlights the next generation of Maine’s playwrights, featuring short plays developed by students who participated in Acorn’s spring playwriting workshops.

Additionally, the Festival welcomes a pair of community-centered creative workshops, led by Malia'Kekia Nicolini, co-founder of B4 the Other Creations (www.B4theother.com). These workshops are designed to support artists in developing new work and refining their creative practices.

“We are so excited to have Malia'Kekia joining the Festival’s programming,” said Carlson. “Their collaborative, holistic approach to art-making is ideal for anyone looking to deepen their practice or explore their artistic identity.”

Festival Details & Ticket Information
All events will be held at the Studio Theatre at Portland Stage (25A Forest Avenue, Portland).
• 10-Minute Play Festival Tickets: $20 ($18 for students and seniors)
• One-Act Staged Readings & High School Playwrights Festival: Pay-what-you-can
• Workshops: two 90-minute sessions
For more information and ticket sales, visit https://acorn-productions.org/maine-playwrights-festival or contact [email protected].

Founded by Acorn Productions, the Maine Playwrights Festival is dedicated to nurturing and showcasing new plays by Maine-based writers. Now in its 23rd year, the Festival continues to be a vital platform for emerging and established playwrights to develop and present their work to the public.