Writopia Lab’s
Worldwide Plays Festival
Founded in 2010, Writopia Lab’s Worldwide Plays Festival is an annual Off-Broadway festival of one-act plays written by playwrights ages 6 to 18 and produced, designed, directed, and acted by New York City theater professionals.
Since its inception, the festival has produced live theatrical productions of plays written in workshops at Writopia’s labs across the country and plays submitted to our competition from playwrights around the world! Comedies, musicals, monologues, historical dramas, tear-jerkers, and thought pieces—all written by the talented young playwrights of tomorrow.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from hosting live gatherings, Writopia Lab released the plays as 40 short podcasts. For 2021 and 2022, we continued to meet the moment with both virtual performances and socially-distanced outdoor readings of plays in Central Park, Riverside Park, and Bryant Park. This allowed us all the communal experience of theater, while keeping our playwrights, artists, and audiences safe. In 2023 and 2024, we have returned to the stage!
Just For Fun
Have a birthday? Party with us! Have your very own Writopia Lab Birthday Party.
Check out our online store and take a piece of Writopia Lab home with you!
What's Hot?
School Year Programs
- Enroll now in Fall, Winter, and/or Spring Trimester workshops.
Summer Programs
- Half-Day and Full-Day workshops
- WriCampia: Sleepaway Camp for kids and teens
- Advanced Writing Seminar: Two-Week Pre-College Program in NYC
Upcoming Events
- January 25th, 2025: Teen Open Mic in NYC!
Winter Retreat
- Enrollment for our 2025 Winter Retreat is open!
- Saturday, February 15th to Tuesday, February 18th, 2025
- @ Camp Mariah in Fishkill, NY
Plays Festival Pages
Support the Festival
We are deeply grateful for the support we received from Worldwide Pants, David Letterman's production company, from 2011 through 2015. Since David Letterman's retirement, we have relied on support from others who help us bring professional productions to the work of our young and teen playwrights from all backgrounds each year.
Please help us continue to bring our young writers’ works to life.
Enroll Now!
Weekly Trimester-Long Workshops
Check out the Weekly Trimester-Long Schedule.
Holiday & School Break Workshops
Check out the Half-Day and Full-Day schedules.
Overnight Programs