Our JAW New Play Festival is Back!
Please join us during the final weekend of July for readings of new scripts, performances from dynamic local artists, community labs, and more! Readings will be held in the Ellyn Bye Studio.
All JAW events are FREE and open to anyone!
Join us for four fantastic new plays in addition to five short-plays by talented local teens. Brought to life by beloved Portland actors, these script-in-hand readings bring to life a new canon of 21st century plays. Join us to be part of a weekend of joyful, wild new work!
Wet Your Whistle!
The Armory Bar will be open throughout the festival with snacks and beverages available for purchase.
This Year's Plays
Schedule subject to change.
JAW Play Reading: A Re-Enactment of the Imagined Trial of Daisy the Cow, who (Allegedly) Caused the Great Chicago Fire By Julia Izumi
A Re-Enactment of the Imagined Trial of Daisy the Cow, who (Allegedly) Caused the Great Chicago Fire is a re-enactment of the imagined trial of Daisy the cow, who allegedly caused the Great Chicago Fire. A deep interrogation of our criminal justice system, this fabricated trial will question what truth, justice, blame, and guilt actually mean.
JAW Play Reading: Good Person By Brett Robinson
Patrica! (A clown, a monster, and definitively good person) drags you down into her own hole of her own making to ask why we are good. Part seminar and part existential crisis. It’s buffoon, it’s funny, it’s dread. This one person show crafted in drag bars and cabaret spaces invites you to question what makes a person good, and if you happen to be one of those so-called "Good People."
JAW Play Reading: Fires, Ohio By Beth Hyland
As a climate crisis threatens a small Ohio college town, the mopey grown children and second wife of a sort-of-mediocre professor must choose: stay and smolder, or leave and burn. When a visiting scholar comes to stay for a few days, love and hatred flare and jeopardize the family’s fragile equilibrium. Chekhovian and totally modern, Fires, Ohio brings an old story into our painfully funny present.
JAW Play Reading: Teen Playwrights Showcase
Don’t miss this chance to experience some of the newest voices in theater! Four young playwrights have been commissioned by PCS to write short scripts for JAW. This showcase will feature the dynamic short scripts they’ve developed, performed by professional actors.
JAW Play Reading: The Sunnyview Elementary Art Show By Rob Smith
As the annual Sunnyview Elementary Art Show comes to a close, the newly formed Art Committee locks themselves away to determine which student will win The Golden Paintbrush. While it was once the decision of the Art Teacher alone, now she must mix it up with the new Assistant Principal, a veteran Fifth Grade Teacher, and the eager Head of the PTO; all with their own points of view. In this comedy, penned by local playwright Rob Smith, lines are drawn, perspectives are skewed, and truths are shaded as the Arts Committee struggles to determine whether the art or the artist matter more, if emotion or execution create the best art, or if art should even be judged at all.
Community Artist Labs
Participants for our JAW Community Artists Labs are determined by a lottery. To enter the lottery email with your preference of lab. You can enter for both labs.
- Write Like You! Finding Your Voice with Julia Izumi
Saturday, July 27 from 1pm to 3pm - PLAY! Monster approaches to text with Brett Robinson
Sunday, July 28 from 10am to 12pm
PCS will draw names and alert all entrants with their lottery results by Thursday, July 25.
Full Schedule of Events
Here is the complete list of events happening throughout the big weekend — all free!
JAW: Street Dance Showcase
Join us as we kick things off for the 2024 JAW weekend with this wildly popular showcase, presented by Jesus Rodales of WWJP. Featuring street, club, and urban dance styles, performed by artists from a variety of local Portland area dance crews and institutions.
JAW Play Reading: A Re-Enactment of the Imagined Trial of Daisy the Cow, who (Allegedly) Caused the Great Chicago Fire By Julia Izumi
A Re-Enactment of the Imagined Trial of Daisy the Cow, who (Allegedly) Caused the Great Chicago Fire is a re-enactment of the imagined trial of Daisy the cow, who allegedly caused the Great Chicago Fire. A deep interrogation of our criminal justice system, this fabricated trial will question what truth, justice, blame, and guilt actually mean.
JAW: Pre-show Music with Kimo Camat
Portland based performer Kimo Camat will be performing a pre-show set to the afternoon’s play filled with songs ranging from Funk, Neo Soul, and a dash of Musical Theatre. Joined by Mak Kastelic on keys and Juliet Terrill on bass, Kimo wants you to come hang for an afternoon of cool drinks and soft tunes downtown in the Pearl.
Write Like You! Finding Your Voice with Julia Izumi JAW Community Artist Lab
One of the biggest lifelong hurdles as a writer is to find your voice--and learn to love it! In this workshop, through several writing and performance exercises we'll explore all the different ways to encourage your creativity and imagination and let your own authentic voice soar, even through characters and stories that are totally, 100% fictional.
JAW Play Reading: Good Person By Brett Robinson
Patrica! (A clown, a monster, and definitively good person) drags you down into her own hole of her own making to ask why we are good. Part seminar and part existential crisis. It’s buffoon, it’s funny, it’s dread. This one person show crafted in drag bars and cabaret spaces invites you to question what makes a person good, and if you happen to be one of those so-called "Good People."
JAW: MREENS
Enjoy the cool, summertime vibes at JAW with a performance by Portland-based multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and producer MREENS as she shares her unique versions of cover songs, blended with original songs for the JAW weekend crowds.
JAW Play Reading: Fires, Ohio By Beth Hyland
As a climate crisis threatens a small Ohio college town, the mopey grown children and second wife of a sort-of-mediocre professor must choose: stay and smolder, or leave and burn. When a visiting scholar comes to stay for a few days, love and hatred flare and jeopardize the family’s fragile equilibrium. Chekhovian and totally modern, Fires, Ohio brings an old story into our painfully funny present.
PLAY! Monster Approaches to Text with Brett Robinson JAW Community Artist Lab
This performance workshop will use play and the concept of monsters and nonsocial sounds and language to explore the emotional life of text.
JAW: Pre-show Music: Gus Jeffers
Join us for a JAW weekend pre-show music performance featuring 14-year-old vocalist Gus Jeffers sharing a mix of cover songs and original tracks, blending pop and R&B genres.
JAW Play Reading: Teen Playwrights Showcase
Don’t miss this chance to experience some of the newest voices in theater! Four young playwrights have been commissioned by PCS to write short scripts for JAW. This showcase will feature the dynamic short scripts they’ve developed, performed by professional actors.
JAW: Pre-show Bollywood Dance Performance
Join us for a JAW weekend pre-show Bollywood Dance performance, led by Deepa Barve.
JAW Play Reading: The Sunnyview Elementary Art Show By Rob Smith
As the annual Sunnyview Elementary Art Show comes to a close, the newly formed Art Committee locks themselves away to determine which student will win The Golden Paintbrush. While it was once the decision of the Art Teacher alone, now she must mix it up with the new Assistant Principal, a veteran Fifth Grade Teacher, and the eager Head of the PTO; all with their own points of view. In this comedy, penned by local playwright Rob Smith, lines are drawn, perspectives are skewed, and truths are shaded as the Arts Committee struggles to determine whether the art or the artist matter more, if emotion or execution create the best art, or if art should even be judged at all.
About JAW
The JAW New Play Festival is Portland Center Stage’s week-long assembling of artists and audiences to create new plays! Each July, artistic teams, including playwrights, directors, and actors, come together to rehearse — and a lot of times rewrite! — a new play. The final piece of the process happens during the weekend, when we share “music stand readings” with audiences so the playwrights can hear their work, often for the very first time!
Why We JAW:
- Develop energizing work
- We are committed to developing dope plays!
- Champion exciting voices
- We are invested in playwright-driven artistic growth, giving opportunities to fresh, engaging, powerful theatrical voices.
- Connect with our communities
- We believe that audiences are active participants in the creation of new work. The audience is the final collaborator an artistic team needs to bring a play to life.
In addition to new play readings, Portland Center Stage presents Press Play events during the JAW festival weekend. To welcome people into the space, we offer pre-show performances and workshops, featuring dynamic local artists. These events include an ever-changing lineup of dance exhibitions of all genres, live music, visual art, choreographed movement showcases, interactive installations, and artist labs. All JAW events are free to the public and help introduce new audiences and community members to the breadth of talent in our city, and beyond.
JAW History
Since 1999, JAW has created a space for 92 playwrights to develop 95 plays. Most have gone on to receive professional productions across the country, including many world premieres at PCS.
Accessibility Info
Portland Center Stage is committed to making our facilities accessible to all of our patrons. Wheelchair seating, accommodation for service animals, sign interpretation, and sound amplifying devices, and large print programs are available for JAW. For more information about these services, please visit our accessibility page.
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
JAW Sponsors
Teen Playwrights Sponsors
Season Superstars
Season Supporting Sponsors
