Take part in a new script’s first brave steps from page to the stage!
RAW STAGES: New Works Festival is an opportunity to get an inside look at the script development process and provide feedback for the playwrights. The Festival will feature four staged readings of scripts-in-process, directed and performed by professional artists. Following each reading, audiences will be invited to join a live talkback with the artistic team and cast. Come and be a part of the magic!
Since 1978, History Theatre has produced over 140 world premieres. We are building a new canon of stories with and for our community that shape, reflect, and affect our shared experience. Note: The readings will be performed in the Auditorium at History Theatre, 30 E. 10th Street, St. Paul. All readings are general admission.
Tickets: $15 for individual readings; $45 for All-Access Pass* to readings (limited availability).
*Season ticket holders receive 50% off All-Access Pass.
2026 Raw Stages Readings
Marielitos
book and lyrics by Peter Gil Sheridan and Christina Luzárraga;
music by Julián Mesri
Saturday, October 10, 1:00 pm
A musical about the life of René Valdes—a writer and activist—and his journey immigrating to America during the Cuban Refugee Crisis of 1980.
Survival Fit
by Katie Ka Vang
Saturday, October 10, 6:00 pm
During the Vietnam War in Sam Thong, Laos, five young Hmong nurses dare to dream bigger than they’re allowed, with the guidance of their rebel ancestors.
Standing Tall
By R.A. Shiomi
Sunday, October 11, 1:00 pm
Follows the journey of Gordon Hirabayashi who openly resisted the enforcement of Executive Order 9066—the mass incarceration of Americans of Japanese descent during WWII.
Evidence of V
book by Laurie Flanigan Hegge
music and lyrics by Jonatha Brooke
Based on the novel Evidence of V by Sheila O’Connor, published by Rose Metal Press
Sunday, October 11, 6:00 pm
A musical adaptation of Sheila O’Connor’s award-winning book Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Fact, and fiction, following the story of a girl incarcerated at the Sauk Center Home School for Girls, sentenced to 6 years for immorality.
* Actor Equity Association (AEA) member
2026 Raw Stages Special Events
Raw Stages Festival Party
Saturday, October 10, 3:30 pm | Free, RSVP/Tickets required
You’re invited to our 2026 RAW Stages Festival Party! History on stage is an exciting challenge that can spark questions, send us down new rabbit holes of discovery, and give new stories to grapple with—offering a different view of our past, present, and future Let’s take a moment to celebrate the creative artists experimenting with historical stories for the stage and the audience members who are such a crucial part of the development journey. Cheers!
Panel: What is a History Play?
Sunday, October 11, 4:00 pm | Free, RSVP/Tickets required
What is a history play—and what do audiences expect it to be? A biography of a famous or forgotten figure? A story told by your grandmother that you can’t find in history books? A meticulously researched retelling of a historic event—or a work of imagination inspired by history? Where does research end and artistry begin, and how can fact and fiction work together onstage? This panel explores the many ways artists approach the past, the expectations audiences bring with them, and the possibilities that emerge when we rethink what a “history play” can be.