Colorado New Play Summit Nurtures Emerging Playwrights

Annual festival offers staged readings, full productions, and workshops to develop diverse, contemporary voices.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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The Colorado New Play Summit (CNPS) has become a must-see event for new-play development, celebrating its 20-year legacy with a focus on showcasing emerging playwrights. The festival features four staged readings, two fully produced world premieres, and a collaborative environment where writers work directly with directors, actors, and dramaturgs to refine their work. Recent CNPS lineups have highlighted playwrights like Terence Anthony, Nina McConigley, and Vauhini Vara, who have gone on to see their plays move from workshop readings to main-stage productions.

Why it matters

The Colorado New Play Summit is helping to amplify diverse, contemporary voices in American theater. By providing a supportive environment for playwrights to develop their work, the festival is nurturing the next generation of storytellers and pushing the boundaries of what audiences can expect from live performance. The summit's commitment to multilingual and multicultural narratives also reflects the changing demographics and digital realities of 21st-century America.

The details

During the two-day summit, playwrights receive real-time feedback from audiences that shapes their rewrites. This iterative process turns the event into a live laboratory, allowing writers to refine their work before it reaches the main stage. The festival has also become a hub for regional collaboration, with artists from across the country traveling to Denver and then bringing their plays back to their home venues.

  • The Colorado New Play Summit has been running for 20 years.
  • The 2024 edition of the festival was announced by the Denver Center in 2024.

The players

Colorado New Play Summit (CNPS)

An annual two-day festival that offers staged readings, full productions, and intensive workshops for emerging playwrights.

Denver Center Theatre Company

The producing organization behind the Colorado New Play Summit and a major regional theater in the United States.

Terence Anthony

A playwright whose work has been featured in recent CNPS lineups, including the play "Godspeed."

Nina McConigley

A playwright whose work has been featured in recent CNPS lineups, including the play "Cowboys and East Indians" co-written with Matthew Spangler.

Vauhini Vara

A playwright whose work has been featured in recent CNPS lineups, including the play "Ghost Variations."

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What’s next

The Denver Center has announced that the next Colorado New Play Summit will take place in February 2027.

The takeaway

The Colorado New Play Summit is playing a vital role in nurturing the next generation of diverse, contemporary playwrights, providing them with a supportive environment to develop their work and connect with regional theater audiences and collaborators.