San Diego’s own Trinity Theatre Company is back with its fourth annual New Works Festival – nine original plays by emerging playwrights from across the country, brought to life by a rotating ensemble of local San Diego artists.

From 1,011 Submissions to 9 Standout Scripts

This year’s festival drew over a thousand submissions from playwrights nationwide. Nine made the cut – and each staged reading is directed and performed right here in San Diego, giving local talent the chance to shape brand-new stories.

The festival runs Thursday through Sunday at Trinity’s intimate space inside the Mission Valley Mall, with two to three readings each day.

The Full Lineup

Nine plays, four nights, and a wide range of stories – from sci-fi suspense and romantic comedy to sharp social drama and ensemble mystery. There’s something on the bill for just about every kind of theatre lover.

Thursday, April 30

• Helping Hand (7 PM) – A suspenseful sci-fi piece set in a government facility where officials examine a mysterious extraterrestrial being
• De La Casa (7:30 PM) – A sharp, intimate look at a couple navigating family, cultural identity, and class tensions during COVID-19

Friday, May 1

• Out of the Woods (7 PM) – A lyrical, haunting journey about love, fate, and a forest encounter with a stranger who knows too much
• Date Play (7:30 PM) – A single first date in NYC that loops and fractures, exploring connection, timing, and “what if”

Saturday, May 2

• Shadows Dark and Deep (2 PM) – A teenager and a sharp-tongued elderly woman form an unlikely bond, with race and generational divides at the center
• Spin Cycle (4:30 PM) – Two strangers in a laundromat on a stormy night, where guarded conversation gives way to buried truths
• Moon Rock (6 PM) – Former colleagues reunite to solve a decades-old mystery involving a missing moon rock and a few unexpected deaths

Sunday, May 3

• Double Shot (2 PM) – A disastrous blind date takes a surprisingly charming turn
• Nothing But the Truth (2:30 PM) – Four seniors play a game of radical honesty – and long-held secrets start coming to the surface

A Stage Built for What’s Next

Trinity Theatre Company, helmed by Artistic Director Sean Boyd, is committed to giving emerging playwrights their first real hearing alongside San Diego’s own performing talent.

Whether theatre is a regular part of your life or you’re just looking for something different to do this weekend, this is a genuinely worthwhile way to spend a few hours.

See you there!

Four nights, nine new works, and a whole lot of local talent on one stage – the New Works Festival is well worth adding to the weekend plan.

📆 Thursday, April 30 – Sunday, May 3, 2026
📍 1640 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 129, San Diego
🎟️ Lock in your spot here
ℹ️ Find out more here

See you there, San Diego!