‘I,WILL’ by Scott Carter selected for inaugural Baylor New Play Initiative

Written By Efficiency Studios

Inaugural festival features staged readings of four new works by playwrights, culminating in the presentation of the $15,000 Kirk New Play Prize

by Lori Fogleman, Media & Public Relations

June 30, 2025

(Giancarlo Restuccia / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

Baylor University Theatre is thrilled to announce the inaugural festival of the Baylor New Play Initiative (BNPI) Sept. 26-28 on the Baylor campus in Waco, Texas. The innovative program champions the creation of bold new American theatre by featuring readings of four new plays by emerging and established artists from across the country, culminating in the awarding of the $15,000 Kirk New Play Prize.

The BNPI invites lovers of the arts, both patrons and creators, to join in forging new frontiers and possibilities in American theatre. Tickets for the Baylor New Play Initiative will be available July 26. The full schedule of events is available on the BNPI website.

Preston and Ronda Dale Kirk

The BNPI is made possible by the visionary leadership and generous support of Baylor alumni Preston and Ronda Dale Kirk and in conjunction with the Baylor University Department of Theatre Arts. 

In addition to the staged readings and the Kirk Prize, the BNPI festival features a playwrights’ panel, a new works development roundtable and networking receptions that foster dialogue and connect communities through innovative storytelling.  

Carla Neuss, Ph.D.

“The mission of the Baylor New Play Initiative is to foster excellence and innovation in new American works,” said Carla Neuss, Ph.D., Baylor theatre professor and co-chair of the BNPI. “We believe in the potential of  theatre to inspire, challenge and engage the human spirit. The BNPI cultivates new work as a means of generating respectful dialogue, expanding artistic horizons, and enriching our communities both locally and nationally. In addition, we aim to engage with the broader artistic community and facilitate greater exchange between Texas theatre and the American theatre scene while bolstering new and established artists in the creation of new works through artistic and financial support.” 

BNPI 2025 Selected Playwrights

Collaborating companies with the BNPI include some of Texas’ top professional theatres: 4th Wall Theatre Company (Houston), Alley Theatre (Houston), Amphibian Stage (Fort Worth), Dallas Theater Center, Second Thought Theatre (Dallas), Stage West Theatre (Fort Worth) and WaterTower Theatre (Dallas). These theatres recommended dozens of plays by emerging playwrights in need of support to get “from the page to the stage.” 

From the submitted plays, BNPI has selected four playwrights and their plays for the BNPI 2025 Cycle. Each playwright will have a director, a dramaturge (literary editor) and a cast with whom to work for their staged readings in the Mabee Theatre over the festival’s three days. The $15,000 Kirk New Play Prize will be presented during a concluding luncheon and awards reception at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28.

The BNPI finalist playwrights and their plays are:

  • “Under the Bridge” by Janelle Gray, a creative writer, scholar and educator from Dallas. “Under the Bridge” will be directed by vickie washington, a theater artist and cultural worker based in Dallas. The staged reading of “Under the Bridge” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26.

  • “I, Will” by Scott Carter, a Los Angeles based playwright, host of the NPR Network/WGCU podcast Ye Gods with Scott Carter, and an award winning television producer. “I, Will” will be directed by Emily Scott Banks, a member of Actors Equity and an SDC associate who has been in or led more than 90 professional theatre productions on Dallas/Fort Worth stages. The staged reading of “I, Will” will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27.

  • “Here Kitty Kitty” by Janielle Kastner, a Brooklyn-based, Dallas-native playwright. “Here Kitty Kitty” will be directed by Kelsey Leigh Ervi, manager for Drunk Shakespeare Chicago and former associate artistic director for WaterTower Theatre. The staged reading of “Here Kitty Kitty” will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27.

  • “& Sons” by Jack Angelo Cummings, a New Jersey/New York City-based playwright. “& Sons” will be directed by Christopher Llewyn Ramirez, an actor, director and playwright from Dallas and a recent Chicago transplant. The staged reading of “& Sons” will be held at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28.

“The four plays selected for the Baylor New Play Initiative’s inaugural festival are vibrant and eclectic, representing a broad range of themes and styles found in contemporary playwriting. We are lucky to have four such diverse and exciting works to kick off our first festival,” said Stan Denman, Ph.D., professor of theatre performance and playwriting and BNPI co-chair.

Premier U.S. Playwrights Festival

The Kirks conceived a U.S. playwrights’ competition more than 10 years ago, proposing it to the Department of Theatre Arts and underwriting several years of research into playwriting festivals. The current result is a carefully crafted Baylor New Play Initiative offering The Kirk Prize of $15,000 in its first year and funding to support the biennial festival for decades to come.

Jojo Jones, M.F.A.

“We are deeply grateful to Preston and Ronda Dale Kirk for their incredible vision and generosity in studying, planning and bringing to life this legacy project – a premier U.S. playwrights festival – at their alma mater, Baylor University,” said JoJo Jones, M.F.A, interim chair and professor of lighting design. “The Kirks’ objectives are clear and enduring, not only for Baylor and our Theatre Arts Department, but for our students to have fresh opportunities in the academic and artistic fields of theatre study, for the City of Waco as a significant metropolitan center for the theatrical arts and for emerging playwrights to generate engaging, entertaining, profitable and successful original plays for stages worldwide.”

The BNPI committee includes:

For more information about the Baylor New Play Initiative, including ticketing information, the full schedule of events and more, visit the BNPI website and follow Baylor University Theatre on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY THEATRE

The Baylor University Department of Theatre Arts is an elite program combining an excellent liberal arts education with rigorous training in both academic and artistic fields of theatre study. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre, Baylor Theatre Arts has been named among the top undergraduate theatre programs in the United States and the Top 4 in Texas.

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