Come to Lakewood Theatre Company to see brand new theatre works premiered through the Fertile Ground Festival April 13 – 19, 2026. This year Lakewood will premiere new works as staged readings. Fertile Ground, a Portland-wide festival that involves local theatres, artists, and playwrights, “aspires to increase the appreciation for Portland’s lush creative culture, the artists and projects spawned right here in our native soil.” Fertile Ground is put on by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, a nonprofit volunteer organization in collaboration with local non-profit theatres. Single Tickets for our readings are $10 – $15 at the Lakewood Box Office or click the links in the show names.

Young Playwrights Festival

Featuring gifted young playwrights selected from the Portland
Metro area.
Directed by Matthew Zrebski
Mon., April 13, 2026, 7:00 pm
RUNNING TIME: 70 minutes with talk back to follow

Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) is a collection of short plays by outstanding High School playwrights selected from the Portland metro area to work with professional directors, actors, and playwrights to gain insight, experience, and feedback in developing their plays. The culmination of this process is to experience the audience response at this presentation of their work.
Special Thanks to our festival sponsors:
David B. Avison • City Of Lake Oswego • Lakewood Center Associates

Opposites Attract
A Two Act Play

Playwright:  Mike Westby
Tues., April 14, 7:00 pm
Wed., April 15, 7:00 pm
RUNNING TIME: Two hours with a 15 minute intermission
A musical prodigy is on the cusp of stardom when her trove of unpublished work flashpoints on social media, drawing attention of industry moguls connected to the underworld. Her future has big numbers in it depending on what she’s willing to give up and to whom. Meanwhile the president of her fan club, an introverted scientific genius close to developing a formula that will dramatically improve water resources in third world countries, may be toiling for someone who is out to sell his work – and him – to the highest bidder. Their worlds are about to collide. Can these opposites attract?

Ladybug! Ladybug!
A New Comedy

Playwright: C.S. Whitcomb
Thur., April 16, 7:00 pm
Fri., April 17, 7:00 pm
Running Time: Two hours with a 15 minute intermission
Jilly & Bean was a hit sitcom in the 1990s. The two leads have been estranged for years. When a fire engulfs Bel Air and Bean’s house is destroyed, he shows up on Jilly’s doorstep at 2 a.m. looking for his dog.  Can a longstanding feud be healed?  Can love be found between enemies?  And most importantly, can people in their later years find a way to reinvent themselves and start a whole new life?  Answers and laughs ensue.

Come On By
The Oregon Musical

Music by Hal Logan
Lyrics and Libretto by Bernie Duffy
Sat., April 18, 7:00 pm
Running Time: Two hours with a 15 minute intermission
Tee-Tee’s Roadhouse, in the Coastal Forest Range of Oregon is the setting of this heartwarming musical. Powered by an eclectic mix of country, rock, bluegrass and  Broadway ballads, it tells the story of hardworking folks of the Pacific Northwest who find themselves up against it. Hard times. Strong people. With arms around each other, they cannot be broken. Uplift through struggle and community!