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New Play Development

Committed to New Play Development

Throughout its history, First Stage has remained committed to new play development, finding innovative ways to tell beloved stories old and new.

Each season, First Stage presents new play readings and professionally produced productions with associated workshops, extended talkbacks, and more - promising to spark conversations and deepen the shared theater experience.

Esperanza Rising . This play runs on May 2-18, 2025

Two young storytellers, with the help of an ensemble of actors, take the stage and begin to weave the tale of Esperanza — a wealthy Mexican girl whose privileged existence is shattered when tragedy strikes, and she and her mother must flee to California. Forced to work in a migrant labor camp, Esperanza must learn to rise above her difficult circumstances and discover what she's truly made of. Set in the turbulent 1930s, and based on the popular book by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising is a poetic tale of a young girl's triumph over adversity.

Esperanza Rising . This play runs on May 2-18, 2025

Two young storytellers, with the help of an ensemble of actors, take the stage and begin to weave the tale of Esperanza — a wealthy Mexican girl whose privileged existence is shattered when tragedy strikes, and she and her mother must flee to California. Forced to work in a migrant labor camp, Esperanza must learn to rise above her difficult circumstances and discover what she's truly made of. Set in the turbulent 1930s, and based on the popular book by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising is a poetic tale of a young girl's triumph over adversity.