WPF 2026: Behind the Mask

Applications for our 2026 festival will open soon!

We are excited to announce that Writopia Lab’s 2026 Worldwide Plays Festival theme is Behind the Mask! These days, Masks are everywhere: from superheroes and supervillains to Halloween parties, Purim Festivals, and Comic Con; from surgeons in the operating room to ICE agents on our streets; from pandemic protocol to protest garb. Masks are worn at play, for protection, and to provoke—on and off stage.   

Across the world, masks have always been essential to storytelling: from the Ancient Greeks to the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, from Balinese dance-drama to the elegant Noh masks of Japan. The list goes on and on.

This year, the Writopia Lab Worldwide Plays Festival proudly joins that global tradition.

For our 17th Festival, we invite playwrights to explore the role masks play in our lives. What do we choose to hide? What do we choose to reveal?

Each play must include characters who have a meaningful history with each other— think friends, family, neighbors, people who you want things from and want things for. You must incorporate at least one physical mask onstage and may feature up to four actors. Beyond that—be bold, be imaginative, and let the mask help you tell the story only you can create.

The Festival will be held from Wednesday, June 3rd, through Sunday, June 7th, 2026, in New York, NY. We will begin accepting submissions soon!