MINNEAPOLIS: The Playwrights’ Center has announced its 2016-17 season, which will include a new-play festival, a series of staged readings, and a conversation series entitled “#Theater2060,” which will discuss how theatre might change over the next 45 years.

“This season’s playwrights provoke a wide range of questions through a series of very diverse storytelling lenses,” producing artistic director Jeremy B. Cohen said in a statement. “I can’t wait to share these great new works with Twin Cities audiences.”

The PlayLabs new-play festival (Oct. 17-23), now in its 34th year, will kick off the lineup. The festival will feature three play readings, showcases of scenes by the 2016-17 playwriting fellows, and a #Theater2016 conversation revolving around socially engaged playwrights. The three plays that will be read are Ken Urban’s The Remains (Oct. 17 and Oct. 22), Christina Ham’s West of Central (Oct. 18 and Oct. 21), and Susan Soon He Stanton’s we, the invisibles (Oct. 19 and Oct. 22). The scene showcase and #Theater2060 discussion will both be presented on Oct. 23.

Following the festival, the Ruth Easton New Play Series will run through the remainder of the season (Dec. 2016-April 2017). It will feature readings of Jen Silverman’s Wink, Martyna Majok’s queens, Mat Smart’s Eden Prairie, 1971, Harrison David Rivers The Sea & The Stars, and Lee Blessing’s Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Founded in 1971, the Playwrights’ Center workshops more than 70 plays a year, providing resources for emerging playwrights to develop their work.