It is about now. The Festival was founded to provide a haven where, each summer, playwrights and theater artists might collaborate on new works for the theater, living together in residence on the campus of Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. In partnership with Shepherd College, CATF will become a critically needed national center for new play development and for the continued exploration of new American theater. Our goal is to create the future of American theater by producing provocative works and educating audiences to appreciate the value of contemporary theater. We focus on theater works that examine the concerns of the present moment.
New works have no production history to fall back on.
They are produced without the safety net of tradition. This means taking risks. CATF believes in taking risks with new, untried works. CATF provides a place of artistic freedom where new works can be created. Each summer, our resident company of diverse professional artists explores a festival of new American plays and theater works in an atmosphere where a living confrontation can take place.