July 12 - July 19, 2026

Sponsored by Kenneth & Kristi Pawlowski

4 Talented Playwrights

4 Never-Before-Seen Comedies

1 Future Mainstage Production (At least!)

B Street Theatre’s New Comedies Festival is back for the 7th time! Every year, we ask playwrights from across the country to submit their best brand new, unproduced comedies. After hundreds of submissions and several rounds of review by dozens of script readers, we then choose the top four to receive live staged readings. Previously held in our Upstairs @ the B space, the festival has grown over the years to find its new home on the Mike and Bobbie Voris Mainstage where at least one of these new comedies will be chosen to receive a full B Street Theatre Mainstage production for the upcoming season!

Previous winners include: THE FOREVER QUESTION (Jim Christy Jr.), PROCLIVITY FOR KITING (Jacob T. Zack), INSERTION (Sarah Groustra), THE NEWLYWED GAME (Alyssa Haddad-Chin), ADVICE (Brent Askari), DOG MOM (Tate Hanyok), and 2025's Winner WORKING FOR CRUMBS (Kate Danley), which will premiere at the Sofia in June 2026! Even the finalists have the chance to make the leap to the Mainstage, such as RESCUE ME (Peter Story & Tara Sissom-Pittaro) and COSMO ST. CHARLES IS DEAD AND SOMEONE IN THIS ROOM KILLED HIM (Nicole Zimmerer).

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN! CLICK FOR SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Festival Dates: July 12–19, 2026
Location: The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre, Sacramento, CA
Applications Open: December 30, 2025
Pre-Registration Window: December 5–23, 2025 (guaranteed submission slot)

B Street Theatre will open applications for the seventh annual New Comedies Festival (NCF) on December 30, 2025. Artists who pre-register between December 5 and December 23, 2024 will be guaranteed the opportunity to submit one script. The pre-registration process helps us gauge interest in the opportunity and assess the number of readers needed. After the pre-registration window closes, any remaining submission slots will be released to the public on a first-come basis.

SUBMIT YOUR NEW COMEDY HERE!

Submissions will be open to all playwrights (regardless of pre-registration)
until Friday, January 16 at 11:59PM Pacific Time.

Want to Attend the Festival? - Tickets are not yet on sale! Subscribe to our mailing list to stay up to date!
Interesting in being a Volunteer Play Reader? - Reach out to Literary@BStreetTheatre.Org
Any Questions? - Reach out to Literary@BStreetTheatre.Org