The week-long Valdez Theatre Conference is held every June in Valdez, Alaska. It draws a majority of its participants from Alaska, but each year there are also attendees from the rest of the country and beyond.

The Conference essentially consists of three parts:

1.The Play Lab is the heart and soul of the Conference. Each year, submissions from playwrights are solicited, and the writers of the top scripts are invited to present their work in a Play Lab reading. The presentations are responded to by a panel of theatre professionals (Featured Artists) and by the audience. The writers also receive a private consultation with one of their panelists.

2.Each year there are numerous classes and panel discussions. They include discussions of both the craft and business of working in the theatre. There is an emphasis on classes that involve active participation, as opposed to pure lecture format.

3. Five to seven evening performances are presented each year. The shows are produced by companies throughout the state, primarily from Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks. There are also shows imported from outside the state, with prior productions coming from as far away as Australia. These shows feature work by past and present participants in the Conference, both featured artists/teachers and participants in the Play Lab.

Schedule:

7:30 a.m.

Student Housing: Morning Hike with Tom Moran

9:00 to 9:45 a.m.

Room B: Play Lab reading of Beth Polsky’s LUCY

Room D: Play Lab reading of David Adam Gill’s In the Garden of Hesperides

10:00 to 12:30 p.m.

Room B: Play Lab reading of Heidi Kraay’s Take Me Away

Room D: Play Lab reading

12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

Lunch

1:15 to 2:00 p.m.

Room B: Play Lab reading of John Busser’s Hanging On For Near Life Life

Room D: Play Lab reading of Helen Cheng Mao’s Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!

2:15 to 4:00 p.m.

Room B: Play Lab reading of Dana Schwartz’ The Grotto

Room D: Play Lab reading of John Herbert’s God Sighs

4:15 to 6:00 p.m.

Room B: Play Lab reading of Heidi Franke’s The Menacer

Room D: Play Lab reading

8:00 p.m.

Theatre: A showing of Sometimes I Think About Dying, written by Kevin Armento, based on his play killers, featuring Jill Sowerwine.

10:00 p.m. (immediately following performance)

Magpie’s: Valdez Theatre Fringe

Almost all events for the Conference happen at the Valdez Civic Center, located up the hill on Clifton Court Road.

Location:

Valdez Convention and Civic Center - 314 Clifton Dr, Valdez, AK 99686
Prince William Sound College - 303 Lowe St, Valdez, AK 99686