(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage presents their 2026 New Play-Reading Festival from April 23-25, 2026 at The Historic Palace Theatre. The festival presents four unpublished and unproduced Theatre for Young Audiences scripts. This year features works by Samara Siskind, Martin Follose, Grace Ward & Elke Myers, and Jeff Jenkins.
The New Play-Reading Festival features four brand new plays for young audiences, chosen from the over 100 submitted works biennially. Each piece is carefully read by a select committee comprised of directors, performing and teaching artists, educators and young people.
After each reading, there is a dialogue among the audience, performers and playwright, if present. After 2nd Round of play readings, one of the four scripts are then selected to be presented as a fully mounted production during The Growing Stage’s season!
The four finalists are provided two readings during the season, read by professional and community artists in a casual setting. Following each reading a discussion of the work with our professional team and the playwright. Lastly, one of the four plays will be selected to become a fully mounted production the following season.
Admission is a $10 Suggested Donation. The Historic Palace Theatre is located at 7 Ledgewood Avenue in Netcong, New Jersey.
ROUND 1: FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 23 at 7:30pm - Snapped by Martin Follose (from Oregon); directed by Nikole Rizzo. Lester Lopkins is the kid everyone overlooks—except the bullies. Stuffed into a locker, mocked for chess, and invisible to most girls, he’s sure high school is one long checkmate. Then one day, being stuffed in his locker by Austin, the school bully, something strange happens: Lester discovers he can snap his fingers and freeze time.
With time on pause, Lester can slip out of danger, “fix” his chess games, dodge Austin, and maybe even impress a girl or two. But the more he snaps, the more he becomes not so different from the jerks who made his life miserable. When his friends back away and some very official adults start asking questions, Lester has to choose to keep snapping to get what he wants, or face the world the hard way—and finally learn how to stand up for himself without stopping time.
Martin A. Follose has spent more than 45 years as a performing arts teacher at a small Southern Oregon school, inspiring students in grades 7–12 through music and drama. He began writing plays and musicals for his students and now has more than 15 published works, with productions staged around the world. Recently, he has expanded his storytelling by adapting his plays into novels. Outside the classroom, Martin is an avid jogger who loves to travel and explore Oregon’s backcountry. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Umpqua Actors Community Theatre in Roseburg, Oregon, where many of his works have been performed.
Friday, April 24 at 7:30pm - The Wind In The Wildflowers by Grace Ward & Elke Myers (from Idaho); directed by Jeorgi Smith. Mole prefers the quiet comforts of home, wary of the big, unpredictable world beyond her burrow. Her best friend, Ratty, couldn’t be more different—fearless, fun-loving, and always ready to dive headfirst into a new adventure (sometimes literally). When the two friends visit the grandiose Toad Hall, they find their dear friend Toad caught up in her latest obsession—speed. Whether it’s racing downriver or zooming through the countryside, Toad is always chasing the next big thrill, often without thinking of the consequences.
But when Toad’s reckless ways attract the attention of the cunning and unruly Weasels of the Wood, trouble comes knocking. As Toad gets swept up in their schemes, it’s up to Mole and Ratty to set things right. With the wilderness of Idaho as their backdrop, the friends must work together to outsmart the Weasels, rescue Toad, and restore harmony to their home. Along the way, Mole discovers that courage doesn’t always look like daring stunts or grand adventures—sometimes, bravery is as simple as standing up for the ones you love.
Grace Ward (she/her) is a screenwriter, playwright and opera librettist from the wildflower-filled foothills of Boise, Idaho. Raised on the road with her parents’ rock band, she writes stories about girlhood, neurodivergence and women claiming power in unexpected ways. Her work has been developed by theaters and festivals nationwide including Seattle Opera, Boise Contemporary Theater, The Workshop Theater and The SheDFW Festival. She holds an MFA in Writing from Antioch University LA, is an alum of the National Theatre Institute and remains committed to creating bold, funny roles for women and girls. While not writing, Grace works full time in special education (Alter ego: Ms. Ward!!!) and enjoys flower picking, trail running and camping in the rain.
Elke Myers is a multifaceted theatre artist with a passion for storytelling of all forms! She has experience acting, singing, directing, composing, and teaching. She graduated with her BFA in Musical Theatre from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Now living in her hometown of Boise, ID she regularly works with The Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Boise Contemporary Theatre, Opera Idaho, Alley Rep, and The Boise Bard Players! In 2024, Elke began an exciting new collaboration with Grace Ward on their original musical, BL!NK! She composed her first song after reading the first act of the show in Grace’s living room and four months later she and Grace completed the first full draft of the show. BL!NK had a workshop with musical writers, had a reading at Boise Contemporary Theatre, and was fully produced last summer at SHE ARTS DFW. The duo has also written two TYA musicals The Wind in the Wildflowers and Pavucha, both of which had staged readings at Boise Contemporary Theatre.
Saturday, April 25 at 4:00pm - Timmon and the Magic Shoes by Jeff Jenkins (from Illinois); directed by Natalie Kane. Timmon, a hungry young giraffe with a penchant for trouble, wanders far from home in search of breakfast. Dangers lurk around every corner on the African Savannah as dogs and lions are out hunting. While in search of food, Timmon a giraffe born with a short neck, meets a grasshopper (Adede) who can’t jump, and a dog (Kumme) who is vision-impaired. They realize they are stronger if they work together. Soon they find food and struggle to reach the leaves in a tall tree until Kumme gives Timmon a pair of magic shoes to jump high and reach the leaves. In their excitement the three make too much noise calling a mean dog (Duma) to their location. The three survive by outsmarting Duma. By the end of the play the three form a new pack and invite Duma to join them. All characters identify as having a disability, some apparent and some hidden.
Jeff Jenkins was awarded the AATE Playwrights in Our Schools residency for his plays The Day Starbucks Stood Still and Kayko’s Garden (both licensed with Plays for New Audiences). His play The Transfer Student, co-written with Anne Negri, was developed by the Purple Crayon Players, Northwestern University. Monarch Ashes and The Purple Heart were semi-finalists in the WRITE NOW competition. Dreams of Water was produced by Chicago Dramatists and featured at The Sixth Festival. Other works include Timmon and the Magic Shoes, Scouts Honor, and Montenegro.
Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm - My Tree by Samara Siskind (from Florida); directed by Sara Giacomini. Jonas has found Sam’s secret hiding spot under her favorite tree. Sam wants to be alone. Jonas craves company. After a run-in with a potential threat and a debate over The Giving Tree, a true friendship evolves, but can their friendship withstand the seasons and stages of adolescence?
Samara Siskind is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been produced worldwide, published and licensed by Concord Theatricals, Next Stage Press, Brooklyn Publishers, and featured in many of the Smith & Kraus “Best Of” anthologies including The Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2023 and 2024 and The Best Women’s and Men’s Stage Monologues of 2024, 2025, and 2026. Her prize-winning short plays for college-aged actors have been Official Selections for the 2024 and 2025 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festivals, and she is a Finalist for both the 2025 Anna Zornio Childrens’ Playwriting Award and City Theatre Miami’s 2025 Susan J. Westfall National Short Playwriting Contest.
The Mission of The Growing Stage, The Children’s Theatre of NJ is to nurture the development of the performing arts through education — and to create, produce and perform works that engage the entire family.
The Growing Stage seeks to be a model of excellence in theatre for young audiences. Therefore, they strive to develop new initiatives through the arts, on both the stage and in the classroom. Above all, they do so to enhance and benefit the lives of young people.
