Past Events

Following the conclusion of the Thoughts and Prayers exhibition and leading up to the March for Our Lives on Saturday, March 24th, Focal Theatre Lab in partnership with ReACT Gallery will present informal readings of plays addressing gun control from a variety of perspectives. The plays will be read outside Morrill Hall in the Anderson Sculpture Garden. You are invited to come and go as your schedule allows or stay for the entire performance. #TheatreActionGunControl

The ReACT Gallery is hosting a performance in the Anderson Sculpture Garden in partnership with Focal Theatre Lab and ISU's MFA Program in Creative Writing and the Environment - a new initiative by @ProtestPlays titled Heal the Divide On Campus: An Opportunity for Inter-Collegiate Conversation Through Theatre. In their words, "Our hope is that by introducing short, brand new plays inspired by each playwright’s community, we can cultivate empathy and engage in inter-community conversations about social issues currently at play in our…

Focal Theatre Lab is back for April's New Script Series! This month features SMOKE BREAK by Sarah Etheridge. In a small town, a group of rebellious, broken, and deeply connected young friends struggle with growing up, healing, and addiction. Join us for a reading of this new play and a talkback with Sarah afterwards. The event is free and open to the public. Find us in the PEO Room of Ames Public Library (up the stairs and to the left)…

Readings of brand new plays by local playwrights. Focal Theatre Lab is back after a short summer hiatus for the July 2018 New Script Series! This month features A Chrysalis for Your Chaos Theory by Josh Oren. Warrant officers Daniel and Emily are tasked with visiting a government black site to check on an artifact that the United Nations has stored away for a decade. They soon find out it's not an object, but a person, Zacharius. And the more they…

Join Focal Theatre Lab for a night of brand new theatre (a double-feature with a one act performance and a staged reading of scripts by two local playwrights!) at Reliable Street, a warehouse in Ames that has been transformed into an arts center by Ames community members. Smoke Break A play in one act, written by Sarah Etheridge, and directed by Mat Wymore. Sarah Etheridge's Smoke Break follows a group of high schoolers attempting to navigate the joys and fears…

Join Focal Theatre Lab for a night of brand new theatre (a double-feature with a one act performance and a staged reading of scripts by two local playwrights!) at Reliable Street, a warehouse in Ames that has been transformed into an arts center by Ames community members. Smoke Break A play in one act, written by Sarah Etheridge, and directed by Mat Wymore. Sarah Etheridge's Smoke Break follows a group of high schoolers attempting to navigate the joys and fears…

Focal Theatre Lab is featuring Olivia Griffith's brand new musical, MIRRORS, for our April 2019 New Script Series! In this new play, two sisters struggle with self-worth, ultimately succeeding or failing in learning to love themselves. Performances by Olivia Griffith, Sara Kottra, Jonah Miller, Keaton Lane, Joi Wright, and Jim Tener. Join us for a reading of this new musical and a talkback with Olivia to follow. The event is free and open to the public. Find us in 308…

Focal Theatre Lab and The Eco Theatre Lab are partnering to produce FTL's May/June New Script Series. This edition will feature Code Red: Faith, a staged reading of plays in response to gun violence in places of worship. Join us in the Farwell T. Brown Auditorium on the first level of Ames Public Library. Doors open at 1:45 p.m. The readings are free and open to the public. About Code Red: Faith In February 2018, in the wake of our…