Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative announces auditions for annual play festival

LACONIA ― Every winter, talented writers from around the state meet up on Tuesday nights online for Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative’s Playwriting workshop. This year 14 playwrights completed original short plays that will be produced in Powerhouse’s 2026 New Play Festival at Prescott Farm in Laconia on May 30-31.

Auditions for the plays are now open and will be by video. All the information on how to audition and how to register can be found at powerhousenh.org/auditions and auditions are open to Powerhouse veterans and newcomers. There are 30 roles in all to fill with people ages 18-80. Play synopses and character descriptions are available on the website as well.

Submissions are due by April 15.

The workshop, led by Producer Bryan Halperin and assisted by Chuck Fray, takes place over 10 weeks and combines writing exercises with instructor and peer feedback as writers shape their new works. The festival is also a place for new directors to try their hand at something new.

“It’s exciting that each year at Powerhouse we get to give life to the world premieres of 12-15 new plays," said Bryan Halperin, producer. "It is hugely important for aspiring writers to get a chance to see their words brought to life and see how an audience reacts. In community theater, it isn’t often that actors and directors get to be the first people to tackle a script and create characters.”

The Play Festival is also a chance for aspiring actors to get involved at Powerhouse with a smaller time commitment than one of its large scale productions as the resident theater company of the Colonial Theatre. Each of the 14 teams will create their own rehearsal schedule that works for everyone and allows performers to be at their best for the May 30-31 production weekend.

“The play festival is always such a fun time for those involved as well as those who come out to beautiful Prescott Farm to enjoy theater out in nature," Halperin said. 

For all the details on Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, auditions, and other events in the 2026 season, visit powerhousenh.org or email info@powerhousenh.org.