ORLANDO, FLA.: Orlando Shakes has announced the six finalists for this year’s PlayFest, a festival of new play readings. The festival will be held over two weekends, Oct. 27-29 and Nov. 3-4.

This year’s finalists include Diana Burbano, Paris Crayton III, Angela J. Davis, Sandra Delgado, Katie Do, and Christopher Washington.

The lineup includes Burbano’s Beheading Columbus, Crayton III’s Only Some of God’s Children or Mississippi Magnolias, Davis’s Agathe, Delgado’s Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars, Do’s Who Hurt You, and Washington’s The Facts are as Follows:.

PlayFest is sponsored by the Arts Bridge Charity. Since 1999, the festival has introduced over 163 new works to regional and nationwide audiences and contributed 18 productions to Orlando Shakes’s mainstage seasons.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater, in partnership with the University of Central Florida, produces classic, contemporary, and children’s theatre programming and has grown into one of the region’s most acclaimed professional theatres. The company offers immersive educational programs that serve central Florida schools and the community at large. As of 2022, the theatre had a budget of approximately $4.3 million.