A Recap of the 2018 New Strands Festival

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By Taylor Steinbeck

Last weekend's third-annual New Strands Festival was four full days of exciting new works read aloud for the first time, festivalgoers mingling and moving to the sounds of female DJs, and audiences rising to their feet. The Strand Theater was packed with San Franciscans and theater-lovers ready to be wowed, and the artists behind the new plays rose to the challenge. From emotional coming-out stories such as Thao Nguyen's Bend with Me and Dipika Guha and Jeremy Cohen's Malicious Animal Magnetism to larger-than-life epics such as Ngozi Anyanwu's Nike, Or We Don't Need Another Hero, this year's festival was one to remember. Here are some of the highlights:

Justin Genna and Clinton Roane in rehearsal for Dipika Guha and Jeremy Cohen's Malicious Animal Magnetism.
 Photo by Taylor Steinbeck.

Festivalgoer @xle responds on Instagram. Photo courtesy @xle on Instagram.

Ngozi Anyanwu (Nike, Or We Don't Need Another Hero playwright), Kate Sullivan (Untitled Tegan and Sara Musical director), Emily Simoness (Executive Director of SPACE on Ryder Farm), and Emily Kaczmarek (Untitled Tegan and Sara Musical book writer). Photo courtesy @spaceonryderfarm on Instagram.
Festivalgoer @bunjeeventure responds on Instagram. Photo courtesy @bunjeeventure on Instagram.
The cast of Untitled Tegan and Sara Musical take in their standing ovation.
Photo courtesy @spaceonryderfarm on Instagram.
Festivalgoer Kristy Lin Billuni. Photo courtesy @SexyGrammar on Twitter.
Festivalgoer Olivia Chavez-French with Untitled Tegan and Sara Musical actor Solea Pfeiffer.
Photo courtesy @livinaday on Instagram.
Festivalgoer Olivia Chavez-French responds on Instagram. Photo courtesy @livinaday on Instagram.
The cast and creative team behind Nike, Or We Don't Need Another Hero.
Photo courtesy of Tiffany Tenille on Facebook.
Festivalgoer Krystyna Finlayson responds on Facebook. Photo courtesy Krystyna Finlayson on Facebook.
See you next year! To learn more about the New Strands Festival, click here.

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