Western Washington University is offering something rare this July: free, public readings of brand-new plays workshopped by professional playwrights, including a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner, alongside WWU theatre students and faculty. The program is called the Summer Test Kitchen, now in its third year, and it runs through July 25 with performances in Bellingham and on Lummi Island.

The readings are free and open to the public. All events except one take place in the DUG Theatre inside the Performing Arts Center on the WWU campus in Bellingham. The schedule includes four plays across two Fridays and one Saturday, giving community members multiple chances to attend without cost.

The Lineup: New Plays From Award-Winning Writers

The headline event of the 2026 Summer Test Kitchen is the workshop of "The Cutter Incident," a new play by Doug Wright. Wright is one of the most decorated playwrights in American theatre, having won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for his breakthrough work "I Am My Own Wife." He also received a Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical for "Grey Gardens" and adapted the books for Broadway productions including "The Little Mermaid" and "War Paint." His new play explores a pivotal and largely forgotten chapter in American medical history: the Cutter incident, a 1955 production disaster that resulted in live polio vaccine being distributed to children and that ultimately led to the creation of the modern system for regulating vaccines. The play is being developed for the La Jolla Playhouse in California.

"The Cutter Incident" will be read on Friday, July 24 at 2 p.m. and again on Saturday, July 25 at 1 p.m. The Saturday reading takes place at Sculpture Woods on Lummi Island, a distinctive outdoor setting that adds an unusual dimension to the theatrical experience.

Also on the July 24 schedule is "Eve's Ale" by Shanna Allman at 11 a.m. The play is described as a gritty feminist manifesto set in a small western town in 1886, currently under development for Union Arts, which represents a merger of ACT Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare. It will be directed by Shana Bestock, Artistic Associate at Union Arts.

The Friday, July 17 readings open the series with two works. "Problematic Word Play" by Idris Goodwin is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by "Fission" by Cindy Lou Johnson at 2 p.m. "Fission" tells the story of the scientists who split the atom in 1938 and grapples with the 30-year partnership between the two researchers whose discovery led to the devastation of two cities. It will be directed by Damaso Rodriguez, the Artistic Director of the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

How the Test Kitchen Works

The Summer Test Kitchen is not a polished production. It is a development workshop, which is precisely what makes it valuable both for the playwrights and for the audiences who attend. Each play company spends six hours a day for five days preparing for a staged reading with professional directors, playwrights, and dramaturges working alongside WWU students and alumni.

"Test Kitchen is a great way for the community to be on the ground floor for hearing new work that is being developed here at WWU," said Eva Gil, an assistant professor of Theatre working on the project. "We have award-winning playwrights and screenwriters coming to our corner of the world each July and sharing their new pieces with the public."

For students, the experience carries real professional value. WWU senior Willow K Nichols, who is double-majoring in theatre performance and environmental policy, participated in the 2024 Test Kitchen and is preparing for a role in this year's "The Cutter Incident." "Test Kitchen has been a key part of my artistic development as it allows students to hone new skills and make connections in the professional world," Nichols said. Student and faculty participants receive a stipend funded through donor support, and guest artists including playwrights and directors receive stipends from partner organizations like Seattle Rep.

Western Washington University has run the Test Kitchen for three summers now, building relationships with major regional theatre organizations and bringing nationally recognized theatrical talent to Bellingham. Previous Test Kitchen projects have gone on to further development at professional theatres.

Attending the Readings

All readings except the Lummi Island performance take place in the DUG Theatre in the Performing Arts Center at WWU's Bellingham campus. The Performing Arts Center is located on the south end of campus near the Fine Arts complex. Parking is available on campus, and the venue is accessible by Whatcom Transportation Authority bus routes that serve the university.

The Lummi Island reading on July 25 requires travel to the island via the Lummi Island ferry, which departs from Gooseberry Point near Bellingham. Visitors should plan ferry timing in advance, as crossing schedules are fixed and the island has limited vehicle capacity per trip.

For anyone in Whatcom County who loves theatre, new plays, or simply wants to experience something genuinely unusual this summer, the Summer Test Kitchen is one of the more compelling free cultural offerings in the region. It is the kind of event that puts Bellingham on the map as a place where serious artistic work happens, not just passes through. For more on arts and culture events happening around Whatcom County this summer, a look at recent local event coverage keeps you connected to what is coming up in the community.