2026 Summer Staged Reading Series
Valley Players presents our annual staged reading series — six evenings of brand-new original plays, June through August in Napa Valley.
Every Performance – a New Set of Plays!!
Beginning June 14 and through August 23, we’ll bring you 6 evenings of entertainment with readings of 10 brand-new original works by budding playwrights at the Napa Valley Education Foundation Discovery Campus in Napa (530 3rd St. Napa, CA)
Out of hundreds of submissions, we have chosen 10 delightful brand-new plays. We look forward to bringing you these gems!
Performance Dates are:
June 14th, June 28th, July 12th, July 26th, August 9th, and August 23nd, all at 4 pm.
Tickets can be pre-purchased online or by calling 707-948-6273 for $12.
Tickets can be purchased at the door beginning 30 minutes before showtime for $15.
Want to see all 6 performances? Buy a Summer Series Pass for $48 and see 2 readings for free!
See every show yourself, or share the fun—bring two friends to one show and two to another, or mix it up. Use your tickets however you like!
On June 14th at 4 pm
Mother, I Could Kill You by Barbara A. Silverstone
Directed by Richard Pallaziol; Assistant Directed by Luis Carbajal
What starts as a powder-keg Thanksgiving dinner slowly detonates into a night of shocking confessions, long-buried secrets, and unexpected grace. Darkly funny and deeply human, this is a play about the family we’re given, the damage we carry, and whether forgiveness is ever really possible.
Adult language; Adult themes.
On June 28th at 4 pm
A Night of One-Acts
Directed by Craig Rekdahl
When We Ceased to Be? by Jack Bushnell
Three of history’s most extraordinary figures stand outside of time — each one vanished, each one unforgettable. A soaring, intimate play that asks what it means to push past every limit the world sets for you, and what you find when you finally break through.
At Midspan on the Andy Warhol by Kirk Johnson
It’s just after midnight on a Pittsburgh bridge. A woman stands alone. A stranger appears. They start to talk — about comedy, grief, mathematics, and the strange ways people find their way back to life. A darkly funny, completely unpredictable play that will have you talking all the way home.
On July 12th at 4 pm
Waldorf School by Nate Currier
Directed by Megan Palagi
Seven thirteen-year-olds navigate the final year of their Waldorf education: a true believer, a skeptic, the kid who’s best at everything, a girl who can’t remember her birthday verse, the coolest boy in class, and one very committed cape-wearer. Funny, tender, and surprisingly moving, Waldorf School is a love letter to childhood, to the teachers who shape us, and to the messy, beautiful business of growing up.
On July 26th at 4 pm
Deadly Pursuits by Lorraine Midanik
Directed by Carlene Coury
When a sharp-tongued dean starts losing her most insufferable faculty members one by one, the campus buzzes with dark speculation. A bumbling detective circles. A brilliant young researcher makes herself indispensable. And the body count quietly climbs. Part sharp academic satire, part whodunit, Deadly Pursuits asks: in a world full of people who deserve comeuppance, who decides who gets it?
On August 9th at 4 pm
A Night of Shorts
Directed by Debbie Baumann
Madam Director by Gary A. Davis
It’s thirty years from now and the world is in crisis. Jordan comes home from a hard day at work to the one constant in her life — her devoted, funny, warm husband Rory. But tonight, something goes wrong. A quietly devastating play about the question of what can’t we bear to lose.
Date Night by Barbara A. Silverstone
Every Friday night, no matter what, Lise and Tomas have a date. Tonight might be their best one yet!
Table in the Air by Rex McGregor
Paris, 1905. Marie Curie, her husband, and a notorious Italian psychic. A witty, surprising comedy about science, fraud, and two very different women who have more in common than either would like to admit.
An Empowered Woman by Barbara Anderson
Barbara has written a play about her own life — her struggles, her hard-won confidence, her power. The producers love it. They absolutely love it. LOVE it! They just have a few small changes…
On August 23rd at 4 pm
Night Shift by Mack Wright
Directed by Lauren Haugan
In a nearly empty diner at 2 a.m., a lonely night-shift worker and a late-night singer find each other in the glow of an “Open” sign — trading barbs, bad coffee, and slowly, their hearts. A tender, achingly beautiful love story.
What’s a staged reading? It’s a rehearsed performance of a script—complete with actors, movement, and emotion—but without full sets or costumes. It’s a vital step for playwrights, giving them the chance to see their words come alive.
But the most important part? You. After each reading, we’ll hold a brief talk-back, and that’s where your voice matters. Join us in person, experience these living plays, and help shape what they become next!
Getting There & What to Know
The NVEF Discovery Campus is located at 530 Third Street in Napa, on 3rd Street across from the Napa Valley Expo, nestled along the banks of the Napa River. Street parking is available along 3rd Street, and a public parking lot is located about a block west of the campus on 3rd Street. A small lot at the campus entrance offers 7 reserved spaces for guests with ambulatory disabilities.
The path to the Music Room includes a short flight of stairs, with a wheelchair-accessible elevator located right alongside them.
Please note that the venue is not air-conditioned, but large roll-up doors — including one that opens directly onto the Napa River — will be open to let in the river breeze. We recommend dressing in light, comfortable layers for the weather.
Special Thanks
