ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE ANNOUNCES THE STORYTELLING REVOLUTION FESTIVAL OF NEW WORK

Press Release

April 1–12, 2026 | Actors Theatre’s Main Street Complex Presented in collaboration with the Louisville Fringe Festival

LOUISVILLE, KY (January 29, 2026) — Actors Theatre of Louisville announces The Storytelling Revolution Festival, a new work festival celebrating bold new stories that explore the wonder and complexity of our time. Produced in collaboration with the Louisville Fringe Festival, the festival will take place April 1–12, 2026, throughout Actors Theatre’s Main Street Complex. Tickets for the festival will go on sale to members February 3 and to the public on February 17 at actorstheatre.org or by calling 502-584-1205.

The Storytelling Revolution Festival brings together artists and companies from across Kentucky and the region for a grassroots, community-centered festival featuring world premieres, readings, immersive performances, dance-theatre, devised work, and experimental forms. The festival invites audiences to experience multiple productions in close proximity—encouraging conversation, connection, and discovery as part of the theatrical experience.

Actors Theatre of Louisville has a long and nationally recognized history of developing new work, including this season’s world premiere of FDR’s Very Happy Hour. For decades, Actors Theatre has served as a launchpad for playwrights, composers, ensembles, and interdisciplinary artists whose work has shaped the American theatre landscape.

“The Storytelling Revolution Festival will serve as a joyful gathering where audiences and artists can bounce between performances, discover new voices, and stick around to talk, toast, and connect," said Artistic Director Amelia Acosta Powell. "By partnering with the Louisville Fringe, Actors Theatre serves as a convener for bold new work from across Kentucky, bringing together frequent collaborators from each of our organizations as well as artists we are thrilled to encounter for the first time. It’s a celebration of the range, imagination, and vitality of storytelling happening in our communities, and an invitation to encounter it all side by side.”

The festival also reflects Actors Theatre’s broader commitment to supporting artists at every stage of creation while welcoming audiences into the process of discovery.

“Supporting artists in creating and sharing new work has always been core to Actors Theatre,” said Managing Director Emily Tarquin. “The Storytelling Revolution Festival ensures that our legacy of new work is not only preserved but intentionally evolved. This new model deeply celebrates the amazing artists of our region while activating our full theatre complex, and inviting audiences to engage with new stories in meaningful ways together.

In keeping with Actors Theatre’s long tradition of festivals as shared cultural events, Storytelling Revolution Festival will also include opportunities for artists and audiences to gather beyond the stage.

Festival Gatherings

Actors Theatre will host an Opening Night Party on April 3 to kick off the Storytelling Revolution Festival, followed by a Closing Party on April 12 honoring the creativity and successes of the week. The parties will be open to all festival ticket holders and will include drinks, bites, music and mingling in the lobby spaces of the theatre complex.. Additional details will be announced.

Actors Theatre of Louisville is supported by Brown Forman, Fund for the Arts, Kentucky Arts Council, and the Shubert Foundation. Special thanks to Think Tank Marketing for sponsoring the festival’s Opening Night Party.

FESTIVAL OFFERINGS

(Schedule and performance times to be announced)

Actors Theatre of Louisville presents

Wave After Wave

by Benjamin BenneDirected by Amelia Acosta PowellWorld Premiere produced by Actors Theatre of LouisvilleCousins Sean and Nathanael return to the same beach year after year, growing from childhood into adulthood as their lives, bodies, and the natural world change around them. Wave After Wave spans a century, exploring human and ecological transformation through a tender, complicated bond.

April 1-12 in the Bingham Theatre

Louisville Tens

With short plays by Sara Brown Bell, Stephanie Michelle Collins, Betsy Anne Huggins, Amy Pan, Terry Tocantins, Teresa Willis

An evening of short plays by Louisville writers that spark wonder, challenge convention, and reflect the heart and diversity of our region.

Sunday, April 5 at 7pm in the Bigham Theatre

Artists Collaborative Theatre presents

Blood Song: The Story of the Hatfields & the McCoys

Written by Chelsea MarcantelDirected by Jason JusticeThe official Kentucky state play on the Hatfield–McCoy feud, Blood Song is a gripping examination of family, tribalism, and cycles of violence, performed by a multigenerational company of Appalachian theatre artists.

Friday, April 10 at 7pm and Saturday, April 11 at 2pm in the Pamela Brown Auditorium

This Bridge Theatre presentsA Reading of Chagutok

by Vince GattonDirected by Zac Campbell-Hoogendyk Four strangers travel to a remote Alaskan island to witness a rare phenomenon known as the Chagutok Lights. Expecting solitude, they find each other—and then a mystery—forcing unexpected collaboration and connection.

Sunday, April 12 at 7pm in the Bingham Theatre

Don’t Do It! With Hannah Don’t DeWitt

Hosted and curated by Hannah Don’t DeWittAn evening revue of wild, uncouth performance art by local artists, emphasizing work that is often discouraged elsewhere. Content warnings are plentiful; viewer discretion is advised.

Saturday, April 11 at 9pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

Ho Ho Havoc

By Eric Sharp and Andrew Newton SchaftleinStarring May O’NaysBelief and hope are at an all-time low—but May O’Nays has a plan. A holiday performance featuring original music, crafts, cookies, and a search for devotion in unexpected places.

Saturday, April 11 at 2pm and Sunday, April 11 at 2pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

La Petite VolontaireWritten and directed by Brittany ConderA surreal exploration of self-doubt, curiosity, and resilience as one woman navigates an inner and outer world filled with unexpected tools, creatures, and possibilities.

Saturday, April 4 at 2pm and Sunday, April 5 at 2pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

Life of the Party

by Tara AndersonDirected by Tory ParkerAn immersive dark comedy set inside a shopping party that examines friendship, loss, and the stories we tell about death through the lens of multi-level marketing.

Saturday, April 11 at 7pm and Sunday, April 12 at 7pm in the Victor Jory Outer Lobby

Looking for Lilith Theatre Company presents

Because you were, I am!An interactive journey through The Ancestors Project An interactive performance sharing ancestral stories collected across Kentucky, inviting audiences to listen, participate, and reflect on the lives and legacies that shape our communities.

Saturday, April 4 at 7pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

Ambo Dance Theatre presents

MimiA 45-minute dance-theatre work exploring survival, agency, and autonomy through movement, multimedia, and intimate audience engagement.

Friday, April 10 at 7pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

She Dreams Entertainment presents

Romantics vs. RebelsWritten by Divinity Rose

A comedic, interactive performance where audiences pledge allegiance, choose sides, and participate in a playful theatrical contest filled with music, humor, and spectacle.

Friday, April 10 at 9pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

Sally Salem’s Horror in the Holler!

Written and directed by Zoë PetersonA family-friendly immersive show using puppetry and magic to bring Kentucky legends to life—from the Goatman of Pope Lick to the Witch Girl of Pilot’s Knob.

Saturday, April 4 at 2pm and Sunday, April 5 at 2pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

This Bridge Theatre presents

Shotz!

A one-night-only short play festival where local playwrights, actors, and directors race against the clock to create and perform brand-new 10-minute plays.

Saturday, April 11 at 7pm in the Pamela Brown Auditorium

Show! The Show presents:

Never Bring a Gun to an Art FightA sketch comedy performance that absolutely will not derail into revolution. Definitely not. Especially not Joey.

Saturday, April 1 at 9pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

Mary Shelley Electric Company presents

The Tongue

A whimsical reimagining of Gogol’s The Nose, blending puppetry, dance, music, and absurdity as a woman searches for her missing tongue—and her voice.

Saturday, April 4 at 2pm and Sunday, April 5 at 2pm in the Victor Jory Theatre

Additional information, full schedules, and tickets will be announced at a later date.

About Actors Theatre

Actors Theatre of Louisville unlocks human potential, builds community, and enriches quality of life by engaging people in theatre that reflects the wonder and complexity of our time. As the State Theatre of Kentucky, Actors Theatre activates experiences across the Commonwealth, uplifting artists and stories that celebrate the spirit of our region.

Through its three key areas of impact—A Community Hub & Space of Belonging, The State Theatre of Kentucky, and Lifelong Learning & Creative Engagement—Actors Theatre creates spaces where everyone can flourish, connect, and learn through the power of art and imagination.

With a rich history of producing groundbreaking work, from timeless classics to contemporary premieres, Actors Theatre continues to champion diverse voices and innovative storytelling.

Learn more at actorstheatre.org.

About Louisville Fringe Festival

Louisville Fringe is dedicated to making Louisville weirder, more compassionate, and generally all around more kickass. We want to serve the Greater Louisville Metropolitan area of theatre artists and audiences. We define theatre as ANYTHING you do with live people for live people.