the Baldwin New Play Festival

The Festival is made possible by the generous support of Ken and Ginger Baldwin.

The UCSD New Play Festival takes place each spring. In this exciting time the resources and creative energies of the entire department are focused on producing three or four full-length plays and one or two workshop productions of short plays--all written by students in the MFA Playwriting Program. All first year and most second year MFA students participate--actors, designers, directors, and stage managers. It is the culmination of the new play development work that begins in September of each year with readings of the first drafts of the plays that will be produced in the Festival. In early December each of these plays has a week-long workshop. The students who will create the Festival participate in the readings and workshops.

The new plays are performed in three theatres over two weeks in late April, including the gala Guest Weekend, a three-day event attended by theatre professionals from across the United States including artistic directors, literary managers, agents, and playwrights. The guests participate in a panel discussion as well as seeing all productions. The Guest Weekend ends with a reception for all guests and Festival participants.

Past guests have included:

Lee Blessing
Susan Booth (then at Goodman Theatre, Chicago)
Casey Childs (Primary Stages, NY)
John Dias (NY Public Theatre)
Michael Bigelow Dixon (Guthrie)
Liz Engelman (ACT, Seattle)
Des Gallant (Florida Stage)
Morgan Jenness (Helen Merrill Agency, NY)
Tony Kelly (Thick Description, San Francisco)
Amy Levinson-Millan (Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles)
Jim Nicola (NY Theatre Workshop)
Tanya Palmer (Actors Theatre of Louisville)
Christian Parker (Atlantic Theatre)
Michael Ritchie (Williamstown Theatre Festival)
Jose Rivera
Sonya Sobieski (Playwrights Horizons)
Michele Volansky (Philadelphia Theatre Co)
Mac Wellman.

"I loved meeting with each writer. I think they all have wonderful, inventive voices." --Pier Carlo Talenti, Mark Taper Forum

"It was wonderful to see the work of your frighteningly talented playwrights." --Mary Resing,Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington DC

Festival 2006

Santa Anna Winds by Tim J. Lord

directed by West Hyler

The lives of five drifters come crashing together as one man tries to
escape his past in the Southern California desert.

The Nightshade Family by Ruth McKee

directed by Joseph Ward

Hannah is a dentist ready to leave on a medical mission to Hungary when her fuck-up younger brother shows up at her door with a mouth full of rotting teeth. She soon finds herself struggling to stop the decay and get rid of this intruder before her life completely unravels.

Election Day by Josh Tobiessen

directed by Gerardo Jose Ruiz

It’s Election Day and all Adam has planned is a quick trip down the street to vote. The only problem is, his over zealous girlfriend, a mayoral candidate willing to do anything for a vote, and his eco-terrorist sister all have plans of their own.

Catching Flight by Lila Rose Kaplan

directed by Sarah Rasmussen

One garden. Two sisters. Three moments in time. Why is it hardest to connect with the people we love?

Festival 2005

Citizens of Rome by Barry Levey

Directed by Gerardo Jose Ruiz

A self-loathing Palestinian, a gay Papua New Guinean tribal chief, and a financial collapse of Enronic proportions propel two American idealists into a race to see who can be the first to save the people of Iraq.

11 Hills of San Francisco by Tim J. Lord

Directed by West Hyler

Kansas City to San Francisco and all the land in between. All the mountains, all the space, all the people, and all the faces. Can you cross the desert, or do you carry it with you? What does it take to cross that expanse? What does it take to make it?

500 Words by Ruth McKee

Directed by Joseph Ward

Three NYC teenagers from different parts of the city and different parts of the world meet on an internship, where they surreptitiously enter essays into the scholarship contest they are supposed to be facilitating. Soon, “What it Means to Be American” becomes more complicated than any of them had anticipated.

Burnt Out by Josh Tobiessen

One-act - Directed by Michael Schwartz

Alice thought she was the only employee loyal enough to come to the office on a Saturday. But that loyalty is tested as more and more unwelcome guests appear, seriously reducing the chances that any of them will get out alive.

The As If Body Loop by Ken Weitzman

(Staged Reading) Directed by Amy Cook

Hebrew legend has it that there are thirty-six people who must carry all the pain of the world. When Aaron discovers that his sister might be one of them, he sets off on a comic misadventure to help heal her.

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You are here : : Academics > Graduate Programs > Playwriting > Baldwin New Play Festival
Festival 2007 Festival 2006 Festival 2005	the Baldwin New Play Festival The Festival is made possible by the generous support of Ken and Ginger Baldwin. The UCSD New Play Festival takes place each spring. In this exciting time the resources and creative energies of the entire department are focused on producing three or four full-length plays and one or two workshop productions of short plays--all written by students in the MFA Playwriting Program. All first year and most second year MFA students participate--actors, designers, directors, and stage managers. It is the culmination of the new play development work that begins in September of each year with readings of the first drafts of the plays that will be produced in the Festival. In early December each of these plays has a week-long workshop. The students who will create the Festival participate in the readings and workshops. The new plays are performed in three theatres over two weeks in late April, including the gala Guest Weekend, a three-day event attended by theatre professionals from across the United States including artistic directors, literary managers, agents, and playwrights. The guests participate in a panel discussion as well as seeing all productions. The Guest Weekend ends with a reception for all guests and Festival participants. Past guests have included: Lee Blessing Susan Booth (then at Goodman Theatre, Chicago) Casey Childs (Primary Stages, NY) John Dias (NY Public Theatre) Michael Bigelow Dixon (Guthrie) Liz Engelman (ACT, Seattle) Des Gallant (Florida Stage) Morgan Jenness (Helen Merrill Agency, NY) Tony Kelly (Thick Description, San Francisco) Amy Levinson-Millan (Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles) Jim Nicola (NY Theatre Workshop) Tanya Palmer (Actors Theatre of Louisville) Christian Parker (Atlantic Theatre) Michael Ritchie (Williamstown Theatre Festival) Jose Rivera Sonya Sobieski (Playwrights Horizons) Michele Volansky (Philadelphia Theatre Co) Mac Wellman. "I loved meeting with each writer. I think they all have wonderful, inventive voices." --Pier Carlo Talenti, Mark Taper Forum "It was wonderful to see the work of your frighteningly talented playwrights." --Mary Resing,Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington DC Festival 2006 Santa Anna Winds by Tim J. Lord directed by West Hyler The lives of five drifters come crashing together as one man tries to escape his past in the Southern California desert. The Nightshade Family by Ruth McKee directed by Joseph Ward Hannah is a dentist ready to leave on a medical mission to Hungary when her fuck-up younger brother shows up at her door with a mouth full of rotting teeth. She soon finds herself struggling to stop the decay and get rid of this intruder before her life completely unravels. Election Day by Josh Tobiessen directed by Gerardo Jose Ruiz It’s Election Day and all Adam has planned is a quick trip down the street to vote. The only problem is, his over zealous girlfriend, a mayoral candidate willing to do anything for a vote, and his eco-terrorist sister all have plans of their own. Catching Flight by Lila Rose Kaplan directed by Sarah Rasmussen One garden. Two sisters. Three moments in time. Why is it hardest to connect with the people we love? Festival 2005 Citizens of Rome by Barry Levey Directed by Gerardo Jose Ruiz A self-loathing Palestinian, a gay Papua New Guinean tribal chief, and a financial collapse of Enronic proportions propel two American idealists into a race to see who can be the first to save the people of Iraq. 11 Hills of San Francisco by Tim J. Lord Directed by West Hyler Kansas City to San Francisco and all the land in between. All the mountains, all the space, all the people, and all the faces. Can you cross the desert, or do you carry it with you? What does it take to cross that expanse? What does it take to make it? 500 Words by Ruth McKee Directed by Joseph Ward Three NYC teenagers from different parts of the city and different parts of the world meet on an internship, where they surreptitiously enter essays into the scholarship contest they are supposed to be facilitating. Soon, “What it Means to Be American” becomes more complicated than any of them had anticipated. Burnt Out by Josh Tobiessen One-act - Directed by Michael Schwartz Alice thought she was the only employee loyal enough to come to the office on a Saturday. But that loyalty is tested as more and more unwelcome guests appear, seriously reducing the chances that any of them will get out alive. The As If Body Loop by Ken Weitzman (Staged Reading) Directed by Amy Cook Hebrew legend has it that there are thirty-six people who must carry all the pain of the world. When Aaron discovers that his sister might be one of them, he sets off on a comic misadventure to help heal her.