First Peek 2026 June 27-28 at Outside In Theatre
The Playwrights Union’s 16th annual FIRST PEEK reading series of new work will be hosted by Outside In Theatre in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Come see the first public readings of four original plays first drafted during a month-long writing challenge this past February!
The readings are free; we invite our audience to join the participating artists in Outside In Theatre’s lobby for conversation, drinks and snacks throughout the reading series as we celebrate the playwrights and their commitment to developing new plays.
Saturday, June 27
5:00 PM – Modern Errors by Victor Lesniewski
Victor has a distant relative who was Pope. So, he’s writing a play about Pope Pius X, and about the actor playing the role of Pope Pius X, and about Victor writing the play about Pope Pius X, who was Victor’s distant relative. At least Victor thinks he was. No, yes he was. Maybe.
8:00 PM – The Next Best Thing by Matt Hoverman, directed by Neel Keller
A comedy about the battle between an outspoken, inappropriate grandmother and the “kinder, gentler” AI android duplicate her family builds to replace her when she dies. Should we embrace what’s difficult about the people we love – or remember only the Next Best Thing?
Sunday, June 28
3:00 PM – The Most Dangerous JEW in Los Angeles by Alex Goldberg
The shocking and (almost completely) true story of Leon L. Lewis who created a spy ring to infiltrate Nazi organizations in L.A. in the 1930s.
6:30 PM – More Like Phil by Steve Serpas, directed by Dana Schwartz
When a retired art professor’s beloved humanoid, Phil, is repossessed for missed payments, his attempts to get his friend back begin to cost him his life’s work, his dignity, and, eventually, his humanity. A near-future dark comedy about love, legacy, and nanobots. Premium model.
Admission to all FIRST PEEK readings is FREE (donations welcome); reservations highly suggested due to very limited seating!
M A K E A R E S E R V A T I O N
Outside In Theatre – 5317 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Outside In Theatre is located in the heart of Highland Park on vibrant York Blvd. The Lobby, which is Outside In Theatre’s beautiful lobby lounge, will have a selection of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and delicious snacks available for purchase from one hour prior to each day’s first reading to two hours after the last reading of the day.
