Plays become fully-staged plays only after they've been heard a few times. So actors get together and read play scripts aloud, giving playwrights a better idea of the strengths and flaws in the stories they construct.
It can be a lot of fun to watch, as evidenced by the success of the Ashland New Plays Festival. The autumn festival, which had to go virtual this year, gets a new Artistic Director in Jackie Apodaca, from the Theatre program at Southern Oregon University.
She and predecessor Kyle Haden visit to talk about the handoff... and ANPF's future.