Tennessee Stage Company's New Play Fest 2025: Building Stories from the Script Up

SNOW UPDATE:

With inclement weather on it's way to Knoxville, we have moved around a few of our performances to ensure everyone's safety and to ensure the show still goes on! Changes are reflected below in the schedule.

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3

7pm. Snallygaster by Barry Wallace | LAB Theatre

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4

2pm. Sandbags by Katie Myers | LAB Theatre

7pm. Iced by Steve Sherman | LAB Theatre

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5

2pm. Sweetheart Darling Honey Boo by Celeste Pelletier | LAB Theatre

5pm. Festival Gala | Maple Hall

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7

7pm. Table Reading: Decoration Day by Linda Parsons | Addison's Bookstore

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8

7pm. Table Reading: Red, White, and Black by Greg Congleton | The Emporium

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9

7pm. Sandbags by Katie Myers | LAB Theatre

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10

MOVED to SUNDAY! ~~7pm.~~ ~~Sweetheart Darling Honey Boo by Celeste Pelletier | LAB Theatre~~

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

MOVED to SUNDAY! ~~2pm.~~ Table Reading: The Gray Man, music & lyrics by Eric Sorrels | LAB Theatre

7pm. Snallygaster by Barry Wallace | LAB Theatre

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12

2pm. Iced by Steve Sherman | LAB Theatre

NEW! 5pm. Table Reading: The Gray Man, music & lyrics by Eric Sorrels | LAB Theatre

NEW! 7pm. Sweetheart Darling Honey Boo by Celeste Pelletier | LAB Theatre

TICKETS AND PASSES

Staged Readings: $15

Table Readings: FREE

Festival Gala: $25

Festival Pass: $50

INCLUDES:
Entry to all 3 table readings
1 ticket to each of our 4 staged readings

All Access Pass: $75

INCLUDES:
Commemorative Pass for Unlimited Festival Attendance!
Invitations to Festival Gala

MORE ABOUT THE PLAYS

STAGED READINGS

Iced

by Steve Sherman | January 4 & January 12 | LAB Theatre

A famed NFL kicker’s career takes a nosedive after he misses the kick that would've won the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, his wife, teammate, and agent all fumble with his downward spiral. When unexpected consequences arise, David struggles to move forward in a sports-obsessed, social media-driven world where you’re only as good as your last missed kick.

Sandbags

by Katie Myers | January 4 & January 9 | LAB Theatre

Six years ago, a group of young people fought an oil pipeline in southern Louisiana and lost. Now they’re scattered, Gloria’s the last one left in their old bayou town, and a big hurricane’s on its way. Follow the group’s memories of their time deep in the magic and the darkness of the occupation and in the love they had for each other.

Snallygaster

by Barry Wallace | January 3 & January 11 | LAB Theatre

A young writer goes in search of long-lost stories about his Appalachian heritage. He discovers an enigmatic relative who exposes a horrifying truth about his family's past. Mountain folklore meets contemporary suspense on one writer’s journey as he rediscovers his forgotten childhood and confronts the power of storytelling.

Sweetheart Darling Honey Boo

by Celeste Pelletier | January 5 & ~~January 10~~ January 12 | LAB Theatre

This outrageous, fast-paced farce takes you on a wild ride through the chaos of marriage and divorce. Packed with dry meatloaf, awkward threesomes, impromptu therapy sessions, and many other unexpected twists, it's sure to leave you laughing, cringing, and questioning everything you think you know about love. For mature audiences.

TABLE READINGS

Decoration Day

By Linda Parsons | January 7 | Addison's Bookstore

On Decoration Day in East Tennessee, a young lawyer and her aunt visit the family cemetery. When her father returns from prison, old secrets and family tensions resurface. Through flashbacks and revelations, Kate confronts her family's troubled past, seeking to understand the meaning of home in a place steeped in history and remembrance.

Red, White, and Black

By Greg Congleton | January 8 | The Emporium

Spanning 1840 to 1857, this powerful story follows a woman of mixed descent in her journey across the South as she navigates the realities of migration, identity, and belonging. With Indigenous and African spirits commenting on the choices of the living, we are faced with our nation’s conflicting struggle of manifest destiny and where we truly belong.

The Gray Man

Music & Lyrics by Eric Sorrels | ~~January 11~~ January 12 | LAB Theatre

An exclusive first listen of this captivating new musical in progress that reimagines the well-known legend of Pawley’s Island. A love story told in three hurricanes, this tale follows a couple’s ups and downs through the eyes of a shadowy figure who appears before storms to deliver life-saving warnings. A Collaboration with First Take Co.

2025 New Play Fest

Building Stories from the Script Up