Theater Emory has announced the week one lineup for its upcoming Brave New Works 2026 event.
Held biennially, Brave New Works is a festival that brings professional artists and students together to “experiment, collaborate and develop” new plays that are performed live in front of an audience, said Theater Emory.
This year’s festival features a total of four playwrights over two weekends. The first performance is a reading titled Suicide Rom Com, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Written by Ali Viterbi (winner of the 2019 National Jewish Playwriting Contest and a 2024 MacDowell Fellow), Suicide Rom Com “explores our hunger for connection and the explosive collision of desire with the demons that haunt us,” according to a press release.
The Atlanta theater notes that the reading deals with mature themes such as suicide, self-harm, mental illness and depression, as well as featuring sexual content, strong language, allusions to BDSM and some violence.
Following Suicide Rom Com, the event continues on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, with Where Pathways Meet, a reading from playwright and theater maker a.k. payne, winner of the 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.
According to Theater Emory, Where Pathways Meet is described as an exploration of “what is remembered, forgotten, and transformed when true freedom is finally imagined.” Directed by Emory faculty member Lydia Fort, the reading features a cast of various Emory students and Atlanta-based professionals.
Following the initial week, Brave New Works’ second week will take place on April 18-19, 2026, and will feature new work by Emory’s 2025–2027 Playwriting Fellow Phanésia Pharel and Emory Playwriting major Ainsley Powers.
The festival is free to attend and is open to the public. Emory Theater recommends that attendees reserve their spots ahead of time, as space is limited.