Marietta College’s New Plays in One Day Festival (NPIOD) is returning to the Friederich Theater over Homecoming weekend, celebrating its 20th annual performance date. The festival, which began in 2006, is a 24-hour event dedicated to writing, producing, and showing new short plays which adhere to a central theme.
NPIOD was established by former professors Jeffrey Cordell and Jason Hall at the request of then-Director of Theatre Steve Rader. With the primary goal of helping students learn they could create high-quality theatre without relying on the faculty, they adapted the structure of the University of Pittsburgh’s Redeye Theatre Festival to become its own learning opportunity for students interested in playwriting at Marietta.
The festival is student-run, with the College’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega (APO) in charge of organization. Alongside role assignments, the theatre honorary society also decides the yearly theme for NPIOD, usually tying into the College’s theme for Homecoming weekend.
To complement this year’s Homecoming theme, “Serenade,” each playwright will be assigned both a song and a prop chosen by current APO members. These items both must significantly influence the plot of their show. This year’s shows will also be performed in thrust, where audience members surround the actors on three sides — providing a more intimate feel than the traditional proscenium staging in the Friederich Theater.
Unlike similar programs throughout the nation, the festival actively encourages involvement from non-department members. Alums returning for Homecoming contribute to NPIOD’s creative process in all aspects, and the condensed timeline also allows first-time thespians and non-majors the opportunity to get involved with the department without a lengthy time commitment.
“It was kind of chaos… barely controlled. But it was a day where every single one of us got to be creative and throw together some rogue theatre that turned out really, really good sometimes,” said Head of Design and Technology Nathan Bradley ’13, reflecting on his own experience as a student. “NPIOD was our first opportunity to do it ourselves. It reinforced that our classroom education was working, and let us know that when we graduated, we would be able to succeed in the industry without our faculty there.”
When asked about his vision for NPIOD, APO President Maurice Riley ’26 looked past the theatre department, opening the search for cast and crew to the city of Marietta at large.
“We really want to focus on involving community members and non-majors this year,” Riley said. “If we bring in non-majors, it provides a lot more engagement with the department and opens the door for people to experience theatre creation on their own.”
The 20th annual NPIOD will begin on Friday, Oct. 17 at the Hermann Fine Arts Center, with auditions starting at 8 p.m. The overnight hours will be dedicated to playwriting, and the shows will open on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. No ticket is required for audience members — seating is first-come, first served.
For additional information about how to get involved with this year’s NPIOD, contact Maurice Riley at mwr002@marietta.edu. To learn more about the remainder of the theatre department’s 2025-26 season, contact department chair Casiha Felt at cas.felt@marietta.edu, or visit marietta.edu/theatre-season.