What's in Store
All Georgia New Play Festival

Power2Give.org Connects Essential with Deaf Audiences

"Connecting with Deaf Audiences" is Essential's initiative to reach out to deaf community members and share with them the same great theatre opportunities we've been sharing with the hearing members of our community for the past 25 years. Read More

Get Involved
Become part of the Essential Theatre Play Festival. The Essential Theatre is looking for volunteer board members who enjoy theatre and have experience serving on a non-profit board or can help with event planning, marketing, public relations, fundraising, graphic design, advertising and group sales. Volunteer or Sign up for Essential Theatre Emails

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Blog, Facebook & Twitter
For the latest information about the Essential Theatre and to take part in the conversation, please visit our theatre festival blog, Follow Essential Theatre on Twitter and Become an Essential Facebook Fan.

2013 Festival Lineup
July 12 - August 11, 2013
Performing at Actors Express

STRAY DOGS
World Premiere
by Matthew Myers, directed by Peter Hardy
Jackson’s a petty criminal who’s not as smart as he thinks, and Violet is a teenage call girl who’s not nearly everything she pretends to be. Caught in the middle of a war between corrupt cops and (barely) organized crime, they find out it’s not really the greatest time to fall in love … but them’s the breaks. The World Premiere of a comedy/crime story/romance in the style of Quentin Tarentino, it’s funny and violent and surprisingly sweet. Winner of the 2013 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award.

SWIMMING WITH JELLYFISH
by Katie Grant Shalin, directed by Bill Murphey
Father and son, mother and daughter. Husband and wife, brother and sister. Sometimes the most ordinary and commonplace relationships can be the hardest ones to figure out. Lilly and Jim’s kids are almost grown and ready to leave the house, and things should just be starting to settle down for them … instead it all begins to come apart. Poignant and funny, this is the Professional World Premiere of a Georgia-written drama about a family trying to hold it together.

Mysterious Connections
World Premiere Theatre
by Peter Hardy, directed by Ellen McQueen
Two lonely women, haunted by their pasts, are drawn to one another from the first time they meet, and soon find themselves able to enter one another’s dreams.  A powerful fantasy-drama about love and terror, forgiveness and second chances …  it’s also very funny.  A World Premiere by the author of our 2010 hit Sally and Glen at the Palace, this play was one of a handful chosen for development by the prestigious Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference.

Wish List
Are you an events planner who knows how to throw a party and enjoys fundraising, please contact Peter Hardy. If you'd like to help the Essential Theatre, there are lots of ways you can get involved! We're always on the lookout for free (or inexpensive) copying or printing services. Free or inexpensive paint, wood and other building materials are needed every year. Free rehearsal space can help us save money and get our productions ready to open.

And, of course, cash donations are always welcome! As ticket prices cover a small fraction of our productoin costs we especially appreciate our donors. Essential Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization so your donations are tax deductible. Please help us to support new work by Georgia Playwrights! Make a donation or become a sponsor today!

Become an Usher
Please come back in May to start signing up. We are seeking two ushers for each performance. Simply follow the link to our OvationTix calendar and select USHER tickets and you will be taken to a page to sign-up. Choose one or two $0 tickets. Please visit our online Theatre Festival Usher Information to determine performance dates and availability. Click HERE to volunteer.