Powerhouse teams up with Prescott Farm for 2024 New Play Festival

LACONIA — After the success of 2023’s New Play Festival, Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative partnered with Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center in Laconia for this year’s festival.

Fourteen plays written by Powerhouse’s playwriting workshop participants over the winter will be performed in various locations throughout Prescott Farm, showcasing not only the world premiere of these short plays but also the beautiful grounds of the Farm. Genres include drama, comedy, tragedy, and even horror.

The festival is not just an opportunity for playwrights to see their works performed, but a chance for new directors to have an opportunity to try directing and for actors to have a chance to have a leading role in a play with less time commitment than a typical community theatre production. The Festival features 27 actors, several of whom are making their Powerhouse debuts.

“It’s such a gratifying experience seeing a play that you wrote come to life. It’s so fun seeing how the director and actors interpret it and bring their own, unique ideas and actions to the piece,” said Courtney Palmer, ‘Squatch Knockers’ playwright.

Performances will take place on Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Sunday, June 2, at 2 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, visit powerhousenh.org/playfestival24.

Powerhouse and Prescott Farm will be teaming up again in September to create “Alice's Adventure in Wonderland,” a theatrical experience for families to follow Alice around Wonderland, aka the grounds of Prescott Farm, and interact with characters such as the Cheshire Cat and Queen of Hearts.