Part of MADE IN ATLANTA, The Graham Martin UNEXPECTED PLAY FESTIVAL is a series of readings of brand-new plays by Atlanta playwrights in partnership with Working Title Playwrights. It brings together the best talent in ATL to share fresh and topical stories with you. Plus, you the audience gets involved as every reading will be followed by a facilitated discussion led by Amber Bradshaw from Working Title Playwrights to give the writers immediate feedback for their next draft.
2023 Festival

The Graham Martin UNEXPECTED PLAY FESTIVAL will take place in person & digitally across three evenings – April 24 – 26, 2022 all at 7:30pm. To enable access to our whole community, all three of these readings are FREE of charge. Tickets to these one night only events are available in advance, and booking is strongly encouraged!

Helen has wanted to be a mother her entire life, but bearing a child has proved more difficult than she hoped. Parenthood is the furthest thing from Evelyn’s mind. When Helen casts a spell to make her dreams come true and Evelyn suddenly comes face to face with an unexpected pregnancy, both must decide if they have what it takes to be called “Momma.”

Less than a year after Father’s death, Mother sends an urgent email to her adult children, summoning them home to collect their things. In a room strewn with the stuff of their lives, and in the space of one night and the following day, Mother, Brother, Sister, and Grandpa collide with the past and present, and face hard truths they have packed away as they let go and hold on, and fight their hearts out, and dance, and weigh what to keep, what to toss, and what to make into something new.

Dr. Tamra Berry’s job as an Atlanta shrink is not going the way she planned. Neither is her marriage. Neither is her yard, where a giant tree recently came down during spring storms. And tonight, she’s just trying to unwind from all that, not to mention simply existing as a Black woman, when a troubled young person shows up at her fence gate. But it’s not just any troubled young person. It’s Josephine Carlisle. Jo, who was just a kid when they last met. Jo, who was drowning in acute mental illness when they last met. Jo, who now appears better but will sometimes answer a question with dance rather than words. They’re both searching for something. Redemption? Hope? A way back?
TICKETS AND PLAYBILL
Tickets to these one night only events are FREE & available in advance. Booking is strongly encouraged. When ordering your ticket, be sure to select either GENERAL ADMISSION ON-SITE (this is in-person seating at the theatre) or VIRTUAL ADMISSION (this is digital viewing via Zoom with a link sent out the day of the event).
Read a letter from Addae Moon (Associate Artistic Director at Theatrical Outfit) & Amber Bradshaw (Managing Artistic Director at Working Title Playwrights) all about this year’s Festival. Plus meet the over 30 Atlanta based artists involved in creating these new works and bringing the Festival back to the heart of Downtown ATL.