If you’re all spooky season’d out and instead want to spend Halloween taking in some terrifyingly good new theatrical works, the first weekend of PlayFest is where you need to be. You’ll be treated to staged readings of six plays and get to engage with the playwright and company in a talkback afterwards.
This opening weekend features Their Eyes Were Watching God by James Ijames, The Boy King in Queens by Tammy Ryan, and Luca & Uri by Nicholas Pilapil. Next weekend brings three completely different plays. This has been an important local incubator for bold dramatic voices for years, and witnessing the magic of a new play being formed is well worth arriving late to the Halloween party.
Various times, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St., orlandoshakes.org, $17-$85.80.
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This article appears in Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2026.