eighth annual

The eighth annual Powers New Voices Festival, four days of readings of new plays by some of the most exciting voices writing for the American theatre will be presented virtually for the first time, streaming online January 21–24, 2021 on the free virtual Hopin platform. The Festival is free to the public, but reservations are required. Reservations for the public can be made online at TheOldGlobe.org starting Wednesday, January 13 at 12:00 noon.

Click below to view each reading performance.

Before each reading event, starting at 6:30 p.m., the Hopin virtual lobby will be open for audience members to mingle with each other and get ready for the reading to begin.

Also, three free panel discussions will be held and are scheduled Friday to Sunday, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. These discussions are included for free with your reading reservation.

• Friday, January 22: Cocktails with the Canon. A live kickoff for The Old Globe’s new podcast Cocktails with the Canon hosted by the Globe’s Literary Manager/Dramaturg Danielle Mages Amato and Artistic Associate Lamar Perry. In anticipation of the evening’s reading of Lope de Vega’s Fuente Ovejuna, the panel will invite the Festival’s Latinx artists to discuss their relationship to classic Spanish-language plays.
• Saturday, January 23: Arts and Activism. Where do theatrical reformation and restorative justice meet? Old Globe Associate Artistic Director and Director of Arts Engagement Freedome Bradley-Ballentine and Artistic Associate Lamar Perry welcome members of the San Diego Black Artist Collective to discuss the artistic and social goals of this burgeoning local organization.
• Sunday, January 24: Playwrights in Action. Associate Director of Arts Engagement Katherine Harroff and Literary Manager/Dramaturg Danielle Mages Amato will be joined by Festival playwrights to discuss their process, their Festival plays, and the current state of new-play development in a pandemic world.

The Powers New Voices Festival 2021 will take place online on the Hopin virtual event platform. Tickets to all four evenings are free but require reservations. Only one ticket per event is needed per household. Attendees will need to register for free for Hopin prior to the event; instructions will be included with ticket confirmation.

In 2016, Paula and Brian Powers provided a sustaining gift to The Old Globe, and in recognition, the Powers New Voices Festival bears their name through 2021. Paula Powers currently is on the Board of Directors of The Old Globe and serves as the organization’s Secretary.

The Old Globe’s New Voices Play Development Program is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. The Old Globe’s Community Voices program is supported by grants from The James Irvine Foundation and Subaru of El Cajon. The James Irvine Foundation also supports the Globe’s coLAB program. Fuente Ovejuna is supported by The Joseph Cohen and Martha Farish New Play Development Fund. The Old Globe’s digital programs are supported in part by the Peggy and Robert Matthews Foundation. Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego. The Theodor and Audrey Geisel Fund provides leadership support for The Old Globe’s year-round activities.