AMMO NEW PLAY LAB 2026: THE PHOENIX PLAYS

Ammunition Theatre is proud to announce its 2026 New Play Lab initiative: The Phoenix Plays. In response to the tragic fires that engulfed Los Angeles in 2025 and the heroic response from many communities, Ammunition Theatre is inspired by the mythos of the Phoenix. AMMO asked the playwrights in its community to share stories about rising from the ashes both literally and metaphorically, and seven extraordinary artists responded with a myriad of unique tales which they’ve begun to develop in AMMO’s New Play Lab. The 2026 New Play Lab includes playwrights Sam Chanse, Bernardo Cubría, Derya Derman, A’raelle Flynn-Bolden, Tyree Marshall, Christopher Moncayo-Torres, and Carl(os) Roa.

Supported in part by the California Arts Council, the AMMO New Play Lab is an incubation space where theatre artists can explore their theatrical ideas from seed to first draft meeting bi-weekly to share pages and challenge each other to create their best work. The 2026 New Play Lab will culminate in public staged readings of each “Phoenix” play in winter 2027.

The 2026 New Play Lab is co-facilitated by AMMO members Joy Gregory, Lina Patel, Carla Ching, and Tiana Randall-Quant.