foreword new works series
2026
We are thrilled to announce the plays that we are workshopping in February for this year's iteration of foreword, our new works series. Selected from over 650 plays submitted, we are excited to see how each of these new plays develop over the course of the two weeks that the director and performer teams will be working with each playwright.
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Audience feedback is another critical part of the development process and we invite you to attend a reading of each play at the conclusion of the workshop period. The presentation will offer you the opportunity to be among the first to experience this new work and the ability to offer your thoughts and feedback to the playwright.
Thanks to our donors, there is no charge to attend a reading. The readings will all take place at our location in Arlington, VA (6408 Williamsburg Blvd). Each reading will last approximately 90 minutes, with a discussion to follow. The Friday night readings will begin at 7:30 pm and the Saturday readings will begin at 2:30 pm, with doors opening approximately 15 min prior.
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We hope you will join us!
Workshop #1 - Readings Feb 13 & Feb 14
Dutch Leftovers
by Dave Huber
directed by Heather Lanza
How much do you become what you surround yourself with? Tommy has inherited the family mortuary and fears he has inherited death itself. With wit, cynicism, and morbid senses of humor, Tommy and his family confront each other and the ways they have all been touched by Death. As they all carefully navigate the treacherous shallows of life and death, they struggle to find a way forward without succumbing to the past.
Workshop #2 - Readings Feb 27 & Feb 28
Ahoy-Hoy: A Play About That Relatable Feeling When Someone Else Invents the Telephone Three Hours Before You Do
by Jenny Stafford
directed by Megan Thrift
It's 1876. The brilliant, and anxious, Elisha Gray is THIS close to inventing the telephone and making History. That is ... if Alexander Graham Bell doesn't beat him to it first. Spoiler: He kind of does. Oversized egos clash in a battle of invention, ambition, and innovation - culminating in a winner-take-all contest to decide the outcome of their unyielding quest for legacy.
* Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the previously announced third workshop, scheduled for March, has been cancelled. Those with reservations for readings of that play have been contacted.