Abe Johnson’s “Migration Season” Named 2026 Winner of Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival

Abe Johnson, of Atlanta, Georgia, submitted "Migration Season," which was selected as the winner of the 2026 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival. "Migration Season" will receive its world premiere in the 2026-2027 Dobbins Conservatory Mainstage Season and considered for publication by Concord Theatricals, the world's most significant theatrical publishing company, comprising the catalogs of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark, and The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection. Members of Concord assist the Festival as both play readers and on the Selection Committee for the festival's full-length prize.

About the Festival
Hosted by the Jeanine Larson Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance, the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival brings student artists, faculty and guest professionals together to develop and present original plays that offer exciting new roles to college-aged actors. The festival honors the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Missouri-native Lanford Wilson.

As one of the few undergraduate-centered festivals in the country dedicated to developing new work alongside working playwrights, the event provides SEMO students with direct access to the creative process typically found at the professional level.

Each year, the festival attracts hundreds of submissions from playwrights across the country, including those affiliated with programs at institutions such as Juilliard, New York University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Los Angeles.

"This is one of the best times of the year for our students," said Dr. Kenn Stilson, chair and professor of the Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance and executive director of the festival. "We bring in heavy-hitting guest artists including the likes of Lonny Price, Hana Shariff, Molly Smith, Robert Barry Fleming-and our students get to interact with and produce their works under professional directors. The training and the connections our students receive at the Festival are unrivaled."

Throughout the week, selected playwrights participated in readings, revisions and rehearsals, working closely with SEMO students who served as actors, directors and designers. The process culminates in public performances, offering audiences a free first look at original works still in development.

Johnson's play stood out among the festival's finalists for its moving exploration of friendship and healing, as well as its remarkable balance of humor, suspense and emotional depth. While each of the five selected plays earned passionate support from students and festival readers, "Migration Season" emerged as the favorite. Festival organizers were also struck by the powerful response the play generated during its staged reading, drawing an enthusiastic reaction from both students and theatre professionals in attendance.

"We chose Migration Season for its moving story of friendship and healing, and its remarkable balance of humor, suspense, and emotional depth," said Charles Goforth, assistant professor in the Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance and co-artistic director of the festival. "We considered the students' responses, as well. Each of the five plays was somebody's absolute favorite, but the final votes favored Migration Season. Finally, we were struck by the visceral, electric response from the students and professionals who were in the audience on the night of the reading."

In addition to the winning production, the festival featured 15 new works, each contributing to a collaborative environment focused on storytelling and craft.

The Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival reflects SEMO's emphasis on hands-on learning, placing students at the center of a national new play development process and giving them experience that mirrors professional theatre environments.

"It's rare for undergraduate students to be this closely involved in the development of new plays," Stilson said. "Our students are in the room, working directly with playwrights whose work is being considered alongside submissions from some of the top programs in the country. That kind of experience is hard to find."

For students interested in developing their craft through performance, production, and new play development, SEMO's theatre and dance programs offer opportunities to work alongside faculty mentors and visiting artists in a professional setting. Visit semo.edu/arts-media to learn more.

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