Playwrights Initiative Reading Festival

The 2026 Playwrights Initiative

The Crying Tree by D.L. Patrick

7:30pm - January 30

A young slave girl, separated from her parents on the auction block, is forced to navigate life without them. Escape is ever on her mind, grief forever in her heart. Without friends or family, she tells her troubles to a majestic white oak tree…and it responds to her pain. It is a bridge between Sallie and her Mama and Papa, 200 miles away, across which she can see and hear and remember them. It is comfort that sustains her as she grows up and towards freedom. Across time, her granddaughter, Evelyn, looks to escape a similar pain and grief even as she inspires others with Sallie’s story.

Speech by Adam Hughes

2:00pm - January 31

Speech takes place at a high school speech competition. Brilliant but uninterested Oberon falls head over heels for Juniper, a witty girl who bombed her opening round. Oberon's teammate and rival, Emily, sees a golden opportunity to steal the crown for herself by sabotage.

Buena Vista Trailer Burn by Billy Hansen

7:30pm - January 31

Buena Vista Trailer Burn follows the lives of the public servants and blue-collar workers who show up when things go bad in a small town. In the winter of 1972, a trailer fire and broken promises burn through the community - tearing apart families and leaving a little girl without a home.