A supernatural musical-mystery set in a foggy 1940s Astoria, Oregon, will unveil dark, hidden truths on the Salem stage this summer. 

It’s one of six new plays debuting as Willamette University’s Theater 33 is embarking on its twelfth annual New Play Summer Festival with a new two-week rotating schedule, replacing its usual three-month run. 

The festival begins Tuesday, July 29, with full productions showing at the Putnam Studio and staged readings at Felton Theater at Willamette University. 

Despite the condensed schedule, this season will feature more plays than last year, with nine showings of six plays each week, including three staged readings and three full productions. 

“This year, we’re changing the entire format. It’s something we’ve been planning for more than a decade,” said Executive Director Thomas Nabhan. “Sometimes we’re going to do two plays in one day.”

Nabhan said this format allows visitors to see all six plays in four days, if they so choose. He hopes to grow the festival into a destination event that draws visitors from across Oregon and nearby states.

Before the festival opening, staged readings will be held July 11-13 at Portland State University and resume the week of July 29 at Willamette University.

 “Detours,” a comedy tour of Willamette University co-produced by Northwest Theatre Workshop, will happen July 26 and 27. Led by guides from the Willamette Historical Society, tour guests will encounter humorous twists while exploring the oldest university campus in the region. 

This year’s lineup will explore themes of family, race, grief, and gender, with genres ranging from comedy to drama and suspense. 

The festival will kick off with a musical set in Astoria, “The City and the Sea,” written by Seattle-based playwright Paul Lewis. The plot follows a radio astronomer’s haunting journey of uncovering the truth behind her father’s disappearance. This will be Lewis’s third play produced by Theatre 33. 

“I can’t believe that operas haven’t been written about Astoria, because the setting is so compelling. You’ve got the Columbia River slamming into the ocean, you’ve got the rain, you’ve got the hills and the coastal mountains, and it’s just a magnificent setting for any kind of work,” Lewis said.

See a full schedule here.

Full productions

• “The City and the Sea:” A young woman sets off on a supernatural journey of discovery when her disappeared father returns from the dead to reveal the truth.
• “Confabulous:” A complex comedy where two rival sisters caring for their elderly mother with dementia recruit a neighbor boy to assist in daily tasks. 
• “Wagmi:” In this thriller, a married couple in the technology field realizes they are being watched. 

Staged readings

• “Coal is Kin:” A black woman in 1977 Virginia enters the male-dominated coal mining industry to make ends meet after her husband dies. 
• “I Want You:” A drama-comedy following the relationship of a biracial couple living in small-town New Jersey between 2002 and 2024. 
• “Proper:” A comedy of manners set in 1890, where the protagonist, Agatha, navigates a chauvinist society. 

Named for Oregon being the 33rd state, Theatre 33 exclusively features Pacific Northwest-based playwrights and often centers Pacific Northwest stories.

Nabhan said Theatre 33 began with solely Oregon-based playwrights but has since expanded to include playwrights from across the region.

“We started the theater because we wanted to fill the void of a lack of play development in the region,” Nabhan said. “We are Theatre 33, we are Oregon, but we’re also the Northwest.”

Theatre 33 often selects plays that aren’t fully polished and works with playwrights to develop their scripts. Nabhan said they have hosted 39 playwrights and 51 plays since they began in 2013. 

“We want us and Willamette University to be the center of new play development in the Northwest and beyond,” Nabhan said. 

Script submissions for the annual summer festival begin one year before, in July. All submissions must be new, never-before-produced plays.

“More than producing local playwrights, they’re actually helping them develop as playwrights, and helping them get exposure that they might not otherwise get,” Lewis said. 

Theatre 33 hosts a free online playwriting program for high schoolers, where they write 10-minute plays performed by Willamette University theater students in September. They have their sights set on launching an in-person, paid adult workshop next year.

Theatre 33 is also unique for its pay-what-you-will ticket pricing.

“We want to develop the next generation of theater patrons, and we want to be of service to youth, lower-income adults and underserved communities,” Nabhan said. 

The festival will run from July 29 to August 10, with performances held Tuesday through Sunday. Comedy tours will take place July 26-27. Seats can be reserved online in advance, and tickets are available by optional donation. 

Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook:  [email protected] or (208)-515-4097.

A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE – If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.