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.
JULY 2026
Synetic Theater brings back its acclaimed adaptation of Charlie Chaplin’s The Immigrant for an exclusive, limited engagement following the production’s 2026 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production. Performances are Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2 (7:30 PM Friday, 1:30 PM & 7:30 PM Saturday, 3:00 PM Sunday), at Thomas Jefferson Community Theater, 125 S Old Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA. Tickets ($45–$73 plus fees) are available online.
DC-based sketch comedy group Mother’s Pouch presents Mother’s Pouch in 3D!, an absurdist, character-driven sketch comedy show, Saturday, July 25 at 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC. 18+. Tickets are $19.95 plus fees and available here.
Atlas Performing Arts Center and The Theatre Lab present a Broadway master class and mini concert with acclaimed Broadway performers Christine Dwyer (Wicked, Waitress) and Matt DeAngelis (Hair, Waitress, American Idiot), Thursday, July 16 at 7:00 PM at the Atlas, 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC. Tickets are pay-what-you-will and available here.
Prologue Theatre presents the July gatherings of afterword, Prologue’s play reading and discussion group. In July, the group is discussing Best Line Wins by Beth Kander and The Odd Couple by Neil Simon. Join afterword in person Monday, July 13 at 7:00 PM at 6408 Williamsburg Blvd, Arlington, VA, or on Zoom Wednesday, July 15 at 7:00 PM. Register (free!) for either date here. Registrants will receive the scripts via email.
Rapid Lemon Productions presents six staged readings in conjunction with the 2026 Variations on Silence festival. Directed by Arthur Cleaves, the readings will be performed Saturday, July 11 at 3:00 PM, Saturday, July 18 at 3:00 PM, and Saturday, July 25 at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $15 and available here.
The Theatre Lab presents Something Rotten!, Thursday, July 9 through Saturday, July 11 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC. Something Rotten! is the culmination of The Theatre Lab’s renowned Musical Theatre Institute for Teens (MTIT). Showtimes and tickets ($20 adults; $15 students) are available here.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company presents We the Woolly: Remixing 250, a monthlong series of free public events inviting Washingtonians to celebrate, question, remix, and reimagine America’s 250th birthday. All events will be held at Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St NW, Washington, DC. Tickets are free, RSVP encouraged. Full event schedule, details, and RSVP available here.
