"Emergence" by Zoe Palmer (Reading with Post-Show Social)

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Join us after the reading for a conversation with the playwright and an informal social in the lobby of the theatre.

Emergence by Zoe Palmer

Directed by James Kern
Dramaturgy by Madeline Charne
Philadelphia Young Playwright Resident Producer/Mentor, Donovan Hagins
Presented in association with Philadelphia Young Playwrights

Before birth, a person must choose their body. Afterwards, they are taken on a 'journey' to connect themselves with their new body and prepare for life. However, when someone becomes afraid of the struggles they may face after birth, they have to learn what makes life worth living, and gather the courage to face the unknown.

About the Playwright

Zoe Palmer is a playwright who is fresh out of high school. She has worked with Philadelphia Young Playwrights for the past six years, and has been a Resident Playwright with them for four. Her plays have been featured in their annual festivals: The Art of Mourning in 2023, and Void of Answers with New Voices in 2025. She will be studying English at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. She’s overjoyed to have this opportunity, and hopes you enjoy her play!

About the Philadelphia Young Playwrights

Philadelphia Young Playwrights envisions a joyful world in which youth in the Greater Philadelphia area are empowered to use their voices to tell stories that matter to them, using their words to build their sense of agency, inspire change, and create theater that speaks to the future of our region and our world

Since 1987, Philadelphia Young Playwrights (PYP) has partnered with educators to bring the transformative power of playwriting into classrooms and community settings across Greater Philadelphia. Placing students at the center of their learning, PYP's intensive writing residencies advance writing-based literacy skills while developing critical 21st century skills like creativity, communication, and collaboration.​

About the 2026 New Play Development Conference

PlayPenn’s nationally recognized New Play Development Conference brings together readings of new plays alongside a citywide series of civic gatherings, workshops, artist exchanges, and public conversations focusing on art, democracy, historical memory, belonging, and collective imagination. This community-focused approach to new play development reflects a broader vision of theatre in a shared civic life that illuminates what theatre can do, who participates in it, how it unfolds, and why it matters. 

The 19-event Conference brings together 22 playwrights participating across workshops, conversations, and five new work presentations while expanding its scope to include an interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eboni Booth (Primary Trust), free playwriting workshops for adults, teens, and women over 50, and a public conversation examining constitutional history and civic identity.

Additional programming includes a community workshop for queer theatre makers; a convening on innovation in theatre-making with leaders from Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Cannonball Festival, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Lemonade Stand, and Tiny Dynamite; and an acting lab focused on approaches to new play development and cross-community exchanges among theatre artists.