Returning after its triumphant inaugural year, the second annual Portland Pride Play Festival gives queer audiences the opportunity to celebrate their history, hear their stories, and see themselves represented on stage. Produced by Third Eye Theatre, this weekend festival features eight staged readings, from comedies to dramas, covering the breadth of the queer experience. One of the plays will be selected for a full production in 2027. Last year’s winner, “Encounters,” was performed at Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival of New Works. The Portland Pride Play Festival is funded in part by the Regional Arts and Culture Council and the Arts Access Fund.
Scripts chosen for the 2026 Festival include Mikki Gillette’s Flowers of Virtue, Ravyn Jazper-Hawke’s Co-Ed Prison Bitches in Space, Timothy Krause’s Nothing is Nothing is Nothing, Deanna Strasse’s Boo!, Michelle Apalategui’s Downward Facing, Jeremy Cole’s The Women’s Ward, and Rhett Goldman’s Every Guy (I Ever Fucked Or Wanted To) (+ Jasper).