Throughout the festival’s rich history, over 200 new plays have been brought to the Firehouse stage. Playwrights from across New England submit their 10-minute shorts, one-act, and full-length plays to an independent panel who select the festival’s shows in anonymous readings. Directors and their casts then work with selected playwrights to produce two weekends of original theater.

This year, the Firehouse received submissions from 120 playwrights throughout New England that were read by a group of volunteer readers from the local theater community.  The prize winners in each category are: David Concepcion of Dorchester MA, winner of the Honneger Prize for Best Full-Length for his play Calling Home; Laura Emack of Prospect ME, winner of the Honneger Prize for Best One-Act for her play Jerry’s Top-Ten List & Aftermath; and Andrea Clardy of Jamaica Plain MA, winner of the Honneger Prize for Best Short for her play Heartland.