Continuing our look back at the past 19 years of Essential Theatre festivals, today we take a look back at the sixth Essential Theatre Festival, in 2004.

In 2004, the Festival was in the Top Shelf space at Dad’s Garage on Elizabeth Street. The 2004 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award winner was Lauren Gunderson’s Background, and the Essential Festival got a fair amount of publicity that year, particularly The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, which appeared in the local Atlanta publications David Magazine and Southern Voice, and a lovely article by Curt Holman in the Creative Loafing about Lauren.

It’s interesting to read through our early festival playbills, recognize cast members’ names and see where life has taken them today: