As it enters its 27th season, the Colorado New Play Festival continues to build on a legacy that reaches far beyond the Yampa Valley. From its roots in the scenic beauty of Steamboat Springs to the bright lights of Broadway, the festival’s unique role in developing new works for the stage is gaining national recognition.

Since its founding in 1996, the CNPF has supported more than 100 new scripts, many of which have gone on to receive full productions at theaters across the country. The New York Times has recognized it as one of North America’s premier development festivals.

“We got lots going on,” said Jim Steinberg, who is the festival’s founder and board chair. “Our big news right now is that a show that we literally started here in Steamboat Springs, at my house, is on Broadway.”

That show is “Purpose,” which was written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a playwright who Steinberg describes as “pretty amazing.” The play began to take shape during the 2019 festival in Steamboat Springs and was developed in partnership with Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company. 

Jacobs-Jenkins arrived early to Steamboat and Steinberg recalled that he had “two bags — a bag of books and a bag of clothes,” and then proceeded to spend a week researching and writing in Steinberg’s guest cottage.

“By the time the festival reading was done, he had the first act completed,” said Steinberg. “Then he kind of dropped that project for a while… and Steppenwolf, who had commissioned him to do this, put a little pressure on him.”

The Steppenwolf Theatre Company is one of the nation’s most recognized theaters and is known for innovative productions as well as a commitment to the development of new plays. Since it was founded in 1974, it has hosted the work of emerging and established playwrights and has served as a launchpad for pieces that go on to national and international renown.

After a successful debut at Steppenwolf, “Purpose” went on to Broadway and officially opened on March 17. Steinberg said that the production has been discussed on The Today Show and is getting “a lot of press” due to it being “a really exciting show.”

Last week, Jacob-Jenkins was named one of the top 100 Most Influential People of 2025 by Time Magazine.

He explained that the story, which is centered on a political dynasty in Chicago, should serve as a source of pride, not only for the festival, but for the performing arts community of Steamboat and its connections to the national theater scene.

“It’s exciting, it’s gratifying, and it reinforces our belief in what we are doing,” said Steinberg. 

“Purpose” is not the only recent success to emerge from the festival.

Steinberg explained that another CNPF-developed production, called “Mother Russia,” has also opened in Seattle. The play, written by Lauren Yee, is another step toward national recognition for pieces that have sprouted from Steamboat Springs.

“Many of the things that we start here do get produced all over the country — Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, everywhere,” he said.

According to the festival, 70% of plays selected for development through CNPF move on to regional and national production. The festival is also one of the few in the country to partner directly with professional theater companies during development processes.

This year’s lineup, announced by Executive Director Colt Neidhardt in March, includes four new plays that will be presented to the public on June 13 and 14 at Bud Werner Memorial Library’s Library Hall in downtown Steamboat Springs.

The 2025 festival will open with “Creature Feature” by Noah Diaz. Presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City, the play tells the story of an 11-year-old Topeka girl who is thrown under the spotlight when her mother, who is the longtime host of the family’s cult horror TV show, decides to quit. Described as a coming-of-age “memory play,” it explores the beauty and horror of changing roles in life.

“Dawn,” by Tuyết Thị Phạm, is presented by Everyman Theatre in Baltimore. Set against the backdrop of historically-based trauma, it centers on a Cambodian-American mother and daughter confronting the infamous legacy of the Khmer Rouge as they grapple with feelings of guilt, anger and ultimately healing.

On June 14, the festival will present “Vienna, Vienna, Vienna” by Carey Perloff, which is presented in partnership with Six Points Theater of St. Paul. The comedy-drama follows three generations of a Jewish family attending an award ceremony in Vienna. The piece presents an examination of culture, memory and an overabundance of chocolate cake.

Closing the festival will be “Muse of Fire,” by Lauren M. Gunderson, which is presented in collaboration with Northlight Theatre in Skokie. The two-person play explores the life and love of William Shakespeare and his “bold and brazen” wife Anne. The play offers an in-depth analysis of storytelling, ambition and the sacrifices of a life spent in theater.

As Steinberg sees it, the festival’s success lies in how it prioritizes artists and removes distractions which are present in the industry and production processes. 

“When we bring artists in, they feel taken care of, appreciated, and they have the opportunity to come here and do nothing but work,” he said. “The ambience of Steamboat Springs—they just fall in love with it.”

That sense of focused support extends beyond professional theater-makers to local youth. This spring, the festival is also supporting its annual Youth Storytelling Slam in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Steamboat Springs. Twelve young writers are participating this year, the most in the program’s history.

“It gives these young people an opportunity to be mentored and taught and brought along so that they learn how to tell a story,” Steinberg said. “Sometimes for the first time in their lives, these children have been heard and their voices have been validated. It is not only life-affirming, but for many of these young people, it can be life-changing.”

That transformative power, from small stages in the Yampa Valley to worldwide audiences on Broadway, is the community-driven heartbeat of the Colorado New Play Festival.

Tickets are now on sale at GiveButter.com/Colorado-New-Play-Festival.