NEW WORKS JUNE
Every June, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts becomes a vibrant incubator for bold new voices in theatre. For one month, our stages and studios are alive with fresh ideas, daring experiments, and the creative sparks of tomorrow’s most talked-about plays. You’ll witness first glimpses, staged readings, and behind-the-scenes moments from artists who are reshaping the future of storytelling — and you’ll be there before the buzz begins.
At WICA, we believe theatre must be a relentless advocate for the unknown — for the odd, the bold, the unexpected, and the untried. As playwright Stephen Dietz says, “History has shown us that it is the play we cannot yet imagine that will one day make itself necessary to us.”
Initiate. Invigorate. Innovate. Join us for New Works June — and be there from the beginning.
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June 18 - 28
At the heart of New Works June is a West Coast Premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s new play, (playwright who gave us The Revolutionists and JUSTICE) A Room in the Castle. Directed by Rose Woods and in collaboration with The Whidbey Institute. “A Room in the Castle,” focuses on the stories of the traditionally doomed and/or unheard women of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. They are seeking a level of safety and freedom in a place away from an increasingly dangerous court and mad prince where they can be themselves – something that’s forbidden in the greater world. Together they sing, laugh, and argue, creating hope. Will their ending be a confirmation of the original story or a liberation from it? Find out in the West Coast Premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s brand new play A Room in the Castle. This play will be moving to the Story House Stage on the land of Whidbey Institute in July
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June 26 - 29
In 1899, Sarah Bernhardt, the international stage celebrity, set out to tackle her most ambitious role yet: Hamlet. Theresa Rebeck’s new play rollicks with high comedy and human drama, when a powerful, charismatic woman embodies Shakespeare's most restless, indecisive man. Local playwright Amy Wheeler directs this staged reading with an all-star cast.