Colorado New Play Summit - Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Feb 20 & 21, 2027 HELEN BONFILS THEATRE COMPLEX MAP

THE COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT

“Arguably local theater’s premiere event”
– The Denver Post

Our stories start with you… Before a story can sweep you off to another world comes a whole lot of collaboration. After coaxing an idea into a script, playwrights can rely on the expertise of dramaturgs, directors, and actors to offer valuable insights during their rewriting process. But nothing compares to presenting a piece to a live audience.

Join us for the annual Colorado New Play Summit, where new works are shaped in real time. Your presence and response will help fuel the creative process of some of theatre’s most exciting voices as you experience four staged readings and two fully produced Theatre Company productions: the world premieres of bogfriends and How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt, both of which were featured readings at the 2025 Summit.

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Learn more about the four featured new play readings and two world premiere productions through the tabs below!

FEATURED READING: AMERICAN CAMELOT

American Camelot by Alejandro A. Alonso Galva 

It’s that time in the presidential election cycle: political parties are looking for a hero, alliances are being forged, and every closed-door conversation could determine the fate of the nation. As a Black man, freshman Senator Samuel Bradley Jr. has always understood that his success represents more than his own dreams. But just when many on the Hill are starting to believe he is the leader to bring parties together and take the nation to new heights, his new girlfriend has him questioning the cost of duty. In this fast-paced tale of political intrigue, everyone – from dedicated staffers to scheming rivals – will have to reckon with how far they’re willing to go to put the right person in the Oval Office.  

Alejandro A. Alonso Galva

ALEJANDRO A. ALONSO GALVA (He/El) is a longtime public radio journalist, where he specializes in daily/breaking news, elections, theatre, and psilocybin. Notable newsrooms include Colorado Public Radio (Denver), WORT (Madison), as well as freelance work for NPR and Science Friday. Alonso Galva is a Puerto Rican, Cuban, Costa Rican writer from Arecibo via Omaha making his debut at the DCPA. Special Awards/Training: University of Iowa undergraduate writer’s workshop; MFA, Wyoming. 3x Edward R. Murrow National Finalist, 2x Colorado Broadcasters Association Winner, 5x Milwaukee Press Club Award Medalist. 

FEATURED READING: BLACK FRIENDS

Black Friends by Erica Jensen 

Jessica was raised by white people. All of her friends are white. Everyone she works with is white. Jessica is Black. It’s 2022 and with everyone buzzing about DEI, Jessica is painfully aware that she is the only Black person in her life. So she does what any reasonable, identity-questioning, lonely Black woman would do. She rents a Black Friend. This smart, satirical comedy examines what it costs to fit in when you’re just trying to belong. 

Erica Jensen

ERICA JENSEN is a casting director and co-owner of Calleri Jensen Davis. Her 20-year plus career with partners James Calleri and Paul Davis spans film, television, regional, off Broadway, and Broadway theatre. Casting credits include: Broadway’s Purpose (Tony Winner and Artios Nominee), Topdog/Underdog (Tony Winner and Artios Nominee), For Colored Girls… (Artios Nominee), Thoughts of A Colored Man, and The Piano Lesson (w/Samuel L. Jackson). Past Broadway credits: Fool for Love, Hughie, A Raisin in the Sun, Of Mice and Men, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. TV credits include “Queens,” “Love Life,” “Dickinson,” “Lipstick Jungle,” and “The Path.” Downtown and Regional Theater: Yale Rep, Geva Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Actors Theater of Louisville, Classic Stage Company, Rattlestick Theater, City Theater, McCarter Theatre, People’s Light and Theatre, Hartford Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and The Flea Theater. Erica is also a playwright. Her play Black Friends was selected for Fault Line Theatre’s Irons In the Fire in 2025, and opened Classical Theater of Harlem’s Future Classics Series in September of 2026. Black Friends is one of four plays selected for development at the Colorado New Play Summit at the Denver Center slated for February 2027. She is a marathon runner, co-owner of She-Collective, and on the executive board of The Make Good Project. She is incredibly proud of her teenage daughter, Layla, and loves being a mom.

FEATURED READING: “I” IS FOR INVISIBLE

“I” is for Invisible by DeLanna Studi 

A storm is coming. Sis is still missing. State authorities claim they can’t authorize an investigation since she’s a tribal citizen. Eldest daughter Wally has returned to her hometown to help her family, but when their efforts only turn up more worries, Wally decides to take matters into her own hands. Woven with Cherokee cosmology, “I” Is for Invisible  is a heart-pounding thriller that confronts the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and the systems that allow their disappearances to go unanswered. As Wally races against the storm, she must reckon with what her family has lost, what their ancestors still carry, and what justice may demand. Because some stories refuse to be buried, and some voices will not be silenced.  

DeLanna Studi

DELANNA STUDI (Cherokee Nation) (She/Her) is an actor, writer, and Artistic Director of Native Voices. Her credits include the Broadway tour of August: Osage County, Off-Broadway’s Gloria: A Life and Informed Consent, and productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Portland Center Stage. Her play And So We Walked, based on retracing her family’s Trail of Tears journey, premiered Off-Broadway and was recorded for Audible. Film/TV credits include: Edge of America, “Dreamkeeper,” “Goliath,” “Shameless,” “Reservation Dogs,” and Disney’s The Roof. She is a 2022 United States Artists Fellow and the first Native American finalist for the 2026 Susan Smith Blackburn Award. 

FEATURED READING: SORRY, MOM (OR, CONFESSIONS OF A RAGIN’ CAJUN ASIAN)

Sorry, Mom (or, Confessions of a Ragin’ Cajun Asian) by Đavid Lee Huỳnh 

In this piercing, tender, irreverently funny solo-show, writer and performer Đavid Lee Huỳnh sets out to prove how French colonialism made it impossible for his mom to say, “I love you.” Everyone’s invited on Đavid’s theatrical journey through Vietnamese history, family lore, and the struggle we inherit – sprinkled with a little karaoke (of course) – striving towards a place of healing, laughter, and reconnection.         

Đavid Lee Huỳnh

ĐAVID LEE HUỲNH (He/They) is a Ragin’ Cajun Asian who went from working on his family’s shrimp boat to making Theatre. Theaters include: The Public Theater, Theatre for a New Audience, Classic Stage Company, Ma-Yi, NAATCO, Red Bull Theater, Denver Center Theatre Company, Yale Repertory, Alley Theatre, and many others. TV: “Cupertino,” “FBI,” “Blue Bloods,” “Encounter Party.” His work as a writer has been supported by Ma-Yi, LIT Council, Yangtze Rep, HB Studios, Second Generation Productions, and others. He is a professor in the Randolph College MFA Theatre Arts program.  MFA: University of Houston | www.davidleehuynh.com | @huynhsome | “không phải tôi. chúng ta” 

WORLD PREMIERE: BOGFRIENDS

bogfriends by jose sebastian alberdi

Tanner & Archie are struggling to keep history alive. Finn & Cillian are making plans for their future. Osgar & Irial died a long (long) time ago. When something buried deep in an Irish bog unexpectedly surfaces, these six souls are bound together by love, loss, and ancient peat. 

Why do we return to the people that hurt us – and can we ever really start fresh? In bogfriends, the question of whether we can live with the rot of our past becomes comically, achingly real. 

jose sebastian alberdi

JOSE SEBASTIAN ALBERDI (He/Him) is a playwright (with TV aspirations) originally from San Diego, CA. Writing developed with: the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center (2023 National Playwrights Conference), MacDowell (Fellowship), Page 73 (Fellowship, Writers’ Group), Clubbed Thumb (Early Career Writers’ Group 23/24), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Youngblood), Colt Coeur (Residency), The Orchard Project (Greenhouse Lab, Episodic Lab, Homegrown x Sony TV Lab), Fresh Ground Pepper (BRB Eco-Week), the Huntington Theatre Company (Dream Boston), South Coast Repertory (Elizabeth George Commission, NewSCRipts), Exquisite Corpse Company (Writer’s Lab), Lambda Literary (Writer’s Retreat), and more. Upcoming productions: ¡Mamágua! (Rorschach Theatre, 2025). MFA: NYU.

WORLD PREMIERE: HOW TO CONQUER AMERICA: A MOSTLY TRUE HISTORY OF YOGURT

How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt by David Myers

Arlene is a pro at controlling the narrative. As an ambitious research assistant in 1975, she created the ad campaign that transformed yogurt from a strange foreign laxative into a lucrative American phenomenon. It would be a success story for the ages — it would — if only her dead dad could stay on script. Can Arlene wrangle this victory lap back on course, or will her father unravel the story she’s written for herself? How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt wrestles with culture, family, and identity in a heartfelt, dairy-filled take on the American Dream. 

David Myers

DAVID MYERS writes for the stage and screen. His plays have been developed at Center Theater Group, Berkeley Rep, South Coast Rep, The Skylight Theater, Labyrinth Theater Co. and more. Produced in London at Riverside Studios, in NYC at Rising Phoenix Rep, and in Denver with Local Theatre Co. For TV, he’s worked on “The Resident” (Fox), “Devil in Ohio” (Netflix), “Cruel Summer” (Hulu), “Cross” (Amazon) and “The Greatest” (Amazon). MFA, UCSD. BA, Brown University. Originally from Houston, Texas, David writes about impossible dreamers wrestling with their place in history.

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PACKAGE OPTIONS

Packages grant you access to all the readings and plays featured in the Summit, plus two lunches, the Summit Dinner, and the Playwright’s Slam. If you’d prefer to only participate in one or a handful of readings, A La Carte tickets to individual events will be available on January 5.

	Early Bird Price Buy before 11:59pm on Nov 30	Regular Price Starting Dec 1
General Admission	$302* *Total package price reflects a base ticket price of $257 (inclusive of a 10% city seat tax) plus a $45 service fee.	$356* *Total package price reflects a base ticket price of $300 (inclusive of a 10% city seat tax) plus a $56 service fee.
General Admission, Theatre Company Subscribers Excludes bogfriends and How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt that are included in the Full Season Theatre Company subscription.	$196* *Total package price reflects a base ticket price of $167 (inclusive of a 10% city seat tax) plus a $29 service fee.	$226* *Total package price reflects a base ticket price of $190 (inclusive of a 10% city seat tax) plus a $36 service fee.
General Admission, Students	$221* *Total package price reflects a base ticket price of $185 (inclusive of a 10% city seat tax) plus a $36 service fee.
General Admission, Ages 35 & Under	$227* *Total package price reflects a base ticket price of $192 (inclusive of a 10% city seat tax) plus a $35 service fee.

*Price reflects base ticket (inclusive of a 10% city seat tax) plus an 18% service fee.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20

11am: Registration and Continental Brunch in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex Lobby

12:30pm: First new play readings

Orange Track: American Camelot in the Wolf Theatre
Blue Track: Black Friends in the Kilstrom Theatre

3:30pm: Second new play readings

Orange Track: Sorry, Mom (or, Confessions of a Ragin’ Cajun Asian) in the Kilstrom Theatre
Blue Track: “I” is for Invisible in the Wolf Theatre

6:30-7:45pm: Summit Dinner in the Seawell Ballroom

8pm: World Premiere – bogfriends in the Singleton Theatre

10pm: Playwrights’ Slam in the Jones Theatre

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21

9:30am: High School Playwriting Competition in the Randy Weeks Conservatory Theatre

11:30am: Lunch in the Seawell Ballroom

12:30pm: Third new play readings

Orange Track: Black Friends in the Kilstrom Theatre
Blue Track: American Camelot in the Wolf Theatre

3:30pm: Fourth new play readings

Orange Track: “I” is for Invisible in the Wolf Theatre
Blue Track: Sorry, Mom (or, Confessions of a Ragin’ Cajun Asian) in the Kilstrom Theatre

Dinner on your own

8pm: World Premiere – How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt in the Kilstrom Theatre

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please feel free to contact us with any other questions not answered here.

About the Summit Tickets TRAVEL

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What is a reading?
New play readings are how we showcase the essence of a story without production elements like scenery, staging, lights and costumes. Think of it like watching a live radio program being recorded. Our actors stand on stage, scripts handy, and perform the lines with all of the passion of a final production. The audience gets all of the emotion of a fully-produced performance, just stripped down. This allows the playwright, director and audience to focus entirely on the language and story.

Who are the industry attendees?
Every year the Colorado New Play Summit attracts theatre industry leaders and artists from over 20 states. This includes playwrights, directors, actors, dramaturgs, artistic directors, literary managers, casting directors, managers, agents and other representatives from theatre companies throughout the country. Check back here for a list of industry leaders and artists who will be in attendance at the 2027 Colorado New Play Summit.

How can I submit a play to be considered for the future?
Thank you for your interest in sharing your work with the Denver Center Theatre Company. To learn more about our Play Submission process, click here.

Do I get to choose a seat?
Readings and events are general admission, so you will get to choose your seat when you arrive. Our theatres are intimate enough that every seat will give you a great view of the action, but if you’d like to find somewhere to sit with a group, we recommend arriving at the reading at least 15 minutes early. The world premieres will have assigned seats; all of the tickets in your order will be seated together.

What are the Orange and Blue Tracks? Which should I choose?
Summit Weekend offers two tracks — orange and blue — which are simply the order in which you’ll see the readings. Both tracks include all readings and events, but due to the sizes of our theatres, we have to split the size of our audience into two groups that see different plays concurrently. If you’re attending the Summit with a group, make sure you buy tickets to the same track.

Will I get physical tickets or is there Will Call?
A La Carte Summit Weekend buyers may opt-in to receive a name badge, but will still receive individual tickets for their events.

Those with all-inclusive passes may pick up their badges and world premiere tickets at registration upon arrival. Please wear your badge to gain entry to all events. Registration will be located inside the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex. If you are arriving late for Summit Weekend or have any questions during the Summit, please see a box office agent. The main ticket counter is located inside the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex.

How do I get to the Summit?
All of our events will be located in the Denver Performing Arts Complex in downtown Denver. The intersection of 14th and Curtis streets is a good pick-up and drop-off location for all venues. Most Summit events take place in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex.

Using a map app? Our exact address is 1400 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80204.

Where should I stay for the Summit?
As a Summit attendee, you get exclusive Summit discount rates at nearby partner hotels. Check back here on Nov 4 for more information!

How can I get around Denver?
Avoid the cost and hassle of parking downtown with these options:

CAR TRANSPORTATION:
Ride-sharing Services: Both Lyft and Uber operate in Denver.
Taxis: A taxi stand is available just across 14th Street at The Curtis Hotel. Or, our staff is happy to call a cab from the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
Bus: RTD offers more than 15 bus routes that pick up and drop off within one block of the Denver Performing Arts Complex. When planning your route to the Complex, put in “Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street” as your cross streets to get the best results. Light Rail: RTD Light Rail lines D, F and H all make stops at 14th & Champa, beneath the Colorado Convention Center. When planning your route to the Complex, put in “Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street” as your cross streets to get the best results. Airport Train: If you’re traveling to Denver and arrive at Denver International Airport, you can take RTD’s A Line Train straight to Union Station in downtown Denver, which is within walking distance of the Arts Complex and many area hotels.

BIKE & SCOOTER TRANSPORTATION:
Lyft and Lime offer e-bike and scooter sharing.

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