This festival featured readings of new scripts, Teen Playwrights Showcase, plus performances from community labs, and dynamic local artists, including our very our Steps PDX School students.

Since launching in 1999, JAW has created a space for playwrights to have complete creative control and the resources to work on whatever they want to develop in their scripts. To date, 87 scripts have been developed at JAW and 19 JAW plays have received fully staged productions at Portland Center Stage, giving Portland a strong national reputation for not only incubating new work, but helping to see that work to successful fruition. JAW plays have gone on to receive world premiere productions at professional theaters across the country and beyond, including New York Theater Workshop, Steppenwolf Theatre, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.