Artistic Opportunities & Programming

Mainstage Plays

Since 2011, Theatre Battery has produced an annual full production, as described on our Past Productions portfolio. Among the works presented, Theatre Battery has produced American, Northwest, and West-Coast Premiere productions of new plays and workshop productions with playwrights in residence in Kent. Material is competitively selected by our artistic staff in consultation with our frequent artistic collaborators and community board of advisors. Submissions of scripts can be emailed to theatrebattery@gmail.com.

In 2022, we have decided to forego the production of the MainStage series as we continue to transition the organization back into the producing of live events.

Sleep is for the Weak: 24-hour Play Festivals

Sleep is for the Weak is a new play festival and networking event for artists living in or visiting the Kent area. Playwrights, composers, directors, designers, and actors assemble on a Friday night, get sorted into randomized collaborative teams, and spend 24 hours creating new material to be performed the following evening. Each team is faced with special challenges that dictate the form of their end project, but the content is unrestricted. New musicals, silent plays, dramas, comedies, works for young audiences, and devised experiments have been born out of this festival, which has included hundreds of artists over the course of six annual cycles.

SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK 7 will take place on July 29th - 30th, 2022. Applications for Actors, Directors, Playwrights, and Composers are open from now until July 1st.

Battery Powered: New Work in Development

During full production, we open our theater space and lobby for the presentation of staged readings from local writers developing their new plays. Specific production needs are catered to each project, and readings are granted on a case-by-case rolling application basis, or by invitation of the artistic staff. Past writers include Seayoung Yim, Benjamin Benne, Keiko Green, Amontaine Aurore, Jessica Andrewartha, Andrew Lee Creech, Suzanne Bailie, Danielle Alexis Nicole Mitchell, and others.

The Battery Powered Series will next take place from July 23rd - 27th, 2022. Script Submissions are open from now until June 24th.

Theatre Battery Actor’s Lab

This is a free-admission group for actors looking to expand their own training through partnered scene study, with feedback provided by colleagues, and culminating in a showcase presentation. The goal is to enhance access to professional acting training in South King County and also develop the skills of actors interested in working at Theatre Battery. Participation in the course is free of charge and split into two sections: a course for adults studying acting or working as professional actors and a course focused on high school students seeking to advance their craft.

The 2022 Actor’s Lab will run from July 11th - 22nd, 2022. Applications for actors are open until July 1st.

Community Events

In addition to hosting work in development, we invite our partnering organizations and non-profit friends in the Kent community to share our built performance spaces for special events and meetings. Thanks to the support of Kent Station especially, conversation series, political forums, karaoke parties, photo shoots, and rehearsals for outside companies have all taken place in our spaces.