Play readings and workshops offer a chance to see exciting new work at various stages of development. Want to see the next big thing while it’s still being crafted? Get in on the ground level and see the creative process in action. Featuring new plays and musicals by local and national artists, here are the upcoming play readings and workshops in the DMV.
SEPTEMBER
TheaterWorks USA presents Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical by Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander, a musical adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man spinoff series, Friday, September 26 through Sunday, September 28 at Baltimore Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St, Baltimore, MD. Showtimes and tickets ($40-$60) are available here.
Teatro de la Luna presents Una Luna Llena de Tango/A Tango Filled Moon, an evening of live music and dance featuring guest singer Ana Maria Pfeiff, bandoneon player Emmanuel Trifilio, and poems and memories of Buenos Aires told by Mario Marcel, Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, September 28 at 3:00 PM at 4020 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC. Tickets are $30 ($25 students and seniors) and available here.
The Keegan Theatre presents a free public workshop reading of John Doe, a new work commissioned through Keegan’s Boiler Room Series that will make its world premiere in January 2026. The reading will be held Wednesday, September 24 at 7:00 PM at The Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St NW, Washington, DC. Admission is free but tickets are recommended; reserve tickets here.
The DC International Theatre Festival presents three free panel discussions celebrating the transformative partnerships forged between American and international theater artists across borders. Events include:
- Working Across Japan and the United States
Sunday, September 21 at 6pm
Location: Studio Theatre
Presented by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company - The Value of International Artistic Collaboration: A Panel Discussion
Friday, September 26 at 7pm
Location: Studio Theatre
Presented by Studio Theatre in conjunction with CODAworx Summit - The Power of Protokoll: Germany’s Global Company
Sunday, September 28 at 6:30 pm
Location: Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Presented by Goethe-Institut Washington and Shakespeare Theatre Company
Greenbelt Arts Center presents a staged reading of It Will All Make Sense in the Morning by Erica Smith, directed by Rocky Nunzio, Saturday, September 20 at 8:00 PM at GAC, 123 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD. Tickets are pay-what-you-can (minimum $5) and available here.
ARTfactory’s Prime Time Players present Morning’s At Seven, a heartwarming and gently comic look at family, love, and the quiet revelations that come with growing older, Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21 at the ARTfactory, 9419 Battle St, Manassas, VA. Showtimes and tickets ($20) are available here.
IN Series presents a director’s salon featuring a behind-the-scenes look at St. John the Baptist, the explosive world premiere that will open the company’s 2025/26 season. The event will be held Thursday, September 18 at 6:00 PM at the Southwest Library, 900 Wesley Place SW, Washington, DC. Admission is free; RSVP here.
Theater & Policy Salon presents a Social Media Salon featuring a new play, Drink in Moderation, by DC-based playwright Ben Hatt, which explores the messy world of social media content moderation, with a public conversation on how to ameliorate the digital world’s harmful impacts on individuals and communities in DC and beyond. This event will be held Tuesday, September 16 at 7:30 PM and Wednesday, September 17 at 7:30 PM in Theater Alliance’s pop-up space at 340 Maple Dr SW, Washington, DC. Tickets are $20 suggested donation; RSVP for Tuesday here and Wednesday here.
Teatro de la Luna presents four Saturdays of live bilingual musical entertainment for children at their theater at 4020 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC. The lineup includes:
- Cantando-Ando con Mis Amigos Musicales! (Sing-Along with My Musical Friends!), Saturday, September 6 at 3:00 PM
- Cantando-Ando con Gabo y Mate (Sing-Along with Gabo and Mate), Saturday, September 13 at 3:00 PM
- Siempre Amigos (Buddies Not Bullies), Saturday, September 20 at 3:00 PM
- Vientos, Cuerdas, Percusión (Winds, Strings, Percussion), Saturday, September 27 at 3:00 PM
Tickets are $5 (free for children under 3) and available here.
