Note: Authored by David Menconi, this piece has been produced in partnership with Raleigh Arts. Menconi's latest book, "Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music," was published by University of North Carolina Press. His podcast, Carolina Calling, explores the history of the Tar Heel State through music.

North Carolina State University's on-campus University Theatre bills its annual summertime TheatreFEST events as the city of Raleigh’s “Hub for Summer Theatre”—and it’s not just N.C. State’s own onstage offerings that get exposure. Other local performance companies are involved with the big TheatreFESTival open house, at which much of the programming covers offstage and behind-the-scenes aspects of the local theatre scene.

^{TheatreFEST 2025 at Thompson Hall. Photo by Matt Ramey.}

“It’s kind of a wild three weeks for us,” says Joshua Reaves, director of University Theatre. “There’s a lot of energy in the building, in part because we have two shows that overlap for a week. It’s a great opportunity for people to come in and try things. Not just see a show, but be part of the action. If being in front of an audience is not for you, there are different ways to get involved and see how things work.”

^{TheatreFEST 2025 at Thompson Hall. Photo by Matt Ramey.}

Here’s a breakdown of this year’s schedule, all of which happens at N.C. State’s Frank Thompson Hall from May 28 to June 21.

“The Mystery of Irma Vep” (May 28-June 14 at Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre)

“Toward Zero” (June 11-21 at Titmus Theatre)

TheatreFEST includes two productions, starting with “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” a two-person play that has just two actors playing all the show’s roles. With more than three-dozen quick changes, there are times when they’re giving lines from offstage while changing outfits. “Towards Zero,” meanwhile, is an Agatha Christie whodunit murder mystery that should be unpredictable even for genre aficionados.

“We’ve done a lot of Agatha Christie over the years, and this was the first one I’ve ever read where I had no idea and did not see the end coming,” says Reaves. “We’ll also have an opportunity for the audience to vote during intermission about who they think did it. At curtain call, we’ll announce how many votes each got.”

“Sips & Scripts” (June 5 at Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre, 6pm)

“Sips & Scripts” began years ago in local watering holes, which accounts for the first part of its name. The consumption part of the program ended when it moved out of bars, but the name lives on—as does this program’s mission of supporting and promoting original works by North Carolina playwrights. It’s an informal free event where you can get a live read of your work, or even read it yourself.

“People are welcome to come in and listen, too,” says Reaves. “For aspiring playwrights, it’s a way to get your feet wet in a very low-stakes, welcoming, informal setting.”

TheatreFESTival (June 13 at Thompson Hall, 1-4pm)

A big Saturday-afternoon open house, TheatreFESTival has workshops and panels about everything from designing costumes to how to audition for roles. It also gives a spotlight to the local theatre community, inviting other area companies to set up in the lobby.

“We had 22 of them last year,” says Reaves. “Different companies sign up to do guest speeches, a sort of ‘coming soon’ trailer about what they have coming to their stages and how our audience can get involved. It’s a great opportunity for us to come together with fellow companies and artists under one roof and celebrate the work we all do.”

QuickSCRIPTS (June 20 at Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre, 8pm)

The end result of the QuickSCRIPTS process is a 10-minute play, but it starts with a prompt that must show up verbatim in the finished script. Popular prompts from years past include “Your choices don’t matter,” “Right place, wrong time” and “That was easier than training a dragon.” There’s an accelerated 72-hour writing, production and rehearsal schedule for four teams of writers, directors and actors, and it culminates in Saturday night performances of four different versions.

“It’s crazy how diverse it can get with four different takes on the same prompt,” says Reaves. “We tell people, ‘Don’t overthink, don’t be scared to try things and it’s okay to make mistakes.’ It gets people out of their comfort zones. We get some participants who have been doing it for years, and others who have never been onstage before. It’s an opportunity to try something without the crushing concern of failure.”

All TheatreFEST 2026 events happen at Frank Thompson Hall, 2241 Dunn Ave. on the campus of N.C. State University in Raleigh.