OPC’S 2023 New Works Festival will include presentations of fresh new work and unique events designed to foster connections between the playwrights of today, the artists of tomorrow, and YOU.
Prior to sharing their plays at the Festival, this remarkable collective of playwrights will participate in play development workshops with directors, dramaturges, and OPC artistic staff. Then five of these writers will be joined by actors, stage managers, and production teams who help bring their vision to life for the Festival. Learn more about this year’s playwrights here.
Please join us in Ojai to experience these artists, their voices, and the future of the American theatre!
FESTIVAL EVENTS
IN CELEBRATION
Wednesday, August 2, 8:00 p.m.
An evening of new and in-progress works from artists in Ojai and the OPC community, including participants in OPC’s Youth Workshop and Intern programs.
IN CONVERSATION
Thursday, August 3, 8:00 p.m.
Join the playwrights of the 2023 New Works Festival for an evening of conversation about their new work and the development process, led by OPC’s new Producing Artistic Director Jeremy Cohen.
FESTIVAL PLAYS
(CLICK TITLE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH PLAYWRIGHT)
Dirty Laundry by Mathilde Dratwa
Friday, August 4, 8:00 p.m.
A woman finds herself grappling with both grief and anger following the sudden death of her mother and the shocking revelation of her father’s infidelity. Meanwhile, her father tries his best to verbalize his own complicated feelings about love, loss, lust…and household chores. And the other woman wonders: Is she still “the other woman” when the original woman is gone? A play about the absurdity and messiness of life and death.
and thou shalt be healed by Benjamin Benne
Saturday, August 5, 3:00 p.m.
Siblings Mary and Johnny were raised in the same Christian cult. Now in their 30s, the still religious Mary is having a crisis of faith and is in need of a miracle. Her now secular brother offers a controversial solution. When reunited on a remote mountain in New Mexico, surrounded by energy vortexes, rumors of aliens, and a golden eyelash palm pit viper named Daisy, they wonder: Did they ever know the same God?
My Name … is Beatrice by Ngozi Anyanwu
Saturday, August 5, 8:00 p.m.
My… Name is Beatrice is a continuation of what hopes to be The Homecoming Queen as we follow Kelechi’s return to America, this time with her “daughter” Beatrice. And we’ll come to find out healing and reuniting is messy business. And requires letting go.
Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt (with Live & Active Cultures!) by Julia Izumi
Sunday, August 6, 11:00 a.m.
Tonight we welcome Akira Kurosawa, the acclaimed filmmaker, who will give us an exclusive peek into the thrilling world of his movies. But, you know, it’s so weird, every time he talks about his films, it kinda sounds like he’s talking about yogurt? Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt (with Live & Active Cultures!) is a fantastical lecture/performance hybrid about what influences our art and “healthy” cultural consumption.
The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire by Anne Washburn
Sunday, August 6, 3:00 p.m.
Set in an alternative community on the Northern California coast, The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire is a play about a death, a pageant, a resurrection, a rescue, a locked basement door, boxes of old clothes and papers, jars used as vases, plums, a hamster cage, a wildcat skull, and many graces. The kids may or may not be all right.
FESTIVAL PASSES
Festival pass-holders not only receive unique benefits, but they also become part of a community of people invested in OPC and our efforts to build connections and access for all.
OPC FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
This all-access pass includes preferred seating for all events, an exclusive champagne toast with the artists before the first performance on Friday evening, and the option to join us for a meal between performances on Saturday and Sunday. The pass also includes seating for the In Celebration event on Wednesday night and the In Conversation event on Thursday night.
$400: all events w/meals
$320: all events w/o meals
A DAY WITH OPC
This one-day pass includes preferred seating for one of the following: The exclusive champagne toast and the Friday, August 5 performance OR the two performances on Saturday, August 5 OR the two performances on Sunday, August 6, and the option to join us for a meal in between performances.
$120: two events w/meal
$80: two events w/o meal
SINGLE TICKETS: PAY WHAT YOU CAN
We believe that the power of theater lies in its collective experience. And in the development of a new play, the opportunity to have a broader audience witness the work can make a significant impact.
This year, to provide access for a more expansive audience, we are thrilled to share that all single tickets for the 2023 Festival will be donation-based, or PAY WHAT YOU CAN.
We are grateful to our single-ticket buyers who pay the suggested donation of $30 (or more) when making their reservation, as well as to our Festival pass-holders. Your generosity helps cover the cost of others who pay what they can.
Tickets are general admission and available now—click the button below to reserve yours today!