The FIRST FLIGHT New Play Festival is Indie Theatre's premiere development event for new plays. Since 2000, FIRST FLIGHT has been the creative home for some of Indie Theatre's leading playwrights, including Crystal Skillman, Rich Orloff, Johnna Adams, Adam Kraar, Zach Calhoon, Tim Errickson, Isaac Rathbone, Shelley McPherson and Lauren Ferebee.

FIRST FLIGHT serves as a springboard to assist new plays in their creative development. Each selected play is paired with a director and given multiple days of rehearsal, with space between for re-writes and additional process. At the completion of rehearsal, each play is presented for a supportive invited audience.

Plays are invited into FIRST FLIGHT following a rigorous vetting process, including multiple rounds of readers. The main questions each round of examination ask of each play are:

Is this a theatrical play vs. a television or film script?

Does the play use language in a unique way?

Does the play speak to our modern cultural moment?

FIRST FLIGHT does not accept musicals or one act plays. To see the submission guidelines for FIRST FLIGHT, click here.