The Acrosstown Repertory Theatre Presents

2026 is the 250th anniversary of the adoption by Congress of the Declaration of Independence. This year’s annual homegrown playwright’s festival will focus on the theme, “This is America.”

Our finalists will be showcased in our 2026 Gainesville Homegrown Playwright’s Festival which will take place at the Acrosstown on March 21st, 2026. Tickets are on sale now.

Finalists

The Last Rose of Summer by Hayley Platt/ Directed by Justin Clement

America is often defined by arrival, resilience, and reinvention. This play traces those ideals through the journey of Saoirse, a young Irish immigrant who comes to America during the famine years not in search of fame or romance, but a dream and a self she could not become at home.

North American Cryptid All-Stars by Derek Wohlust/ Directed by Gabriel Eric

Showcasing the monsters who have emerged from across North America from frontier fear, Indigenous storytelling, media sensationalism, and small-town mythmaking. Understanding creatures such as Bigfoot and Mothman helps us understand that our stories and myths are a representation of our shared history.

Checkmate by Morgan Vanderlaan/ Directed by Riley Fowler

Based on a true story, this play is told from a young girl doing a school project about her hero. She chooses her great-grandfather, Pierre who was a Dutch rebel in WWII. When Pierre is captured by Nazis, he spends his time playing chess with his warden and sharing his story.

Eye On The Ball by Natalie Dixon/ Directed by Corrin Fleming

A day in the life of the employees working in an American sports bar. We get to see how each one handles the struggles unique to their positions in the perfect machine of a restaurant and how their outside lives are affected by those.

* Any board member who submits a written work to the festival is prohibited from participating in the selecting and voting process.

** Audience favorite to be determined by anonymous vote.