HVS Bake Off: Playwriting Workshop & Reading

The Desmond-Fish Public Library is partnering with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival for a special community engagement event:  The 2025 Bake Off Playwriting Program.

This year marks the 10th Anniversary and HVS has invited Dave Malloy (Octet, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) to curate this year’s ingredients. His show Octet explores digital life, spiritual yearning, and communal ritual—an ideal thematic framework for this milestone year. Created by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, the Bake Off is a communal writing event in which writers are given a random list of “ingredients” to incorporate into a play (for example: a kitchen sink, a front porch, and a withheld secret) to help inspire creativity and give writers permission to play. In preparation, participants will attend a free play-writing workshop led by Acting Director of the MFA playwriting program at Hunter College, Christine Scarfuto. All workshop participants can submit short plays to be considered. Between 5 and 7 of these plays will be performed by professional actors as part of the Community Bake-Off hosted by HVSF live and in person on November 11th & 12th.

This program is being hosted at the Desmond-Fish Public Library on Saturday, September 20th at 2PM and there will be other opportunities to participate at the Butterfield Library, Blodgett Memorial Library Warner Library, and virtually.
Upon or shortly after registration, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare team may contact you with more information.