Our October offering this year is William Goldman's play Misery, based on the story by Stephen King. Director Miguel Reyna and his cast and crew share their thoughts on how this play speaks to them, what they hope to create, and how horror as a genre, and this play in particular, can provide both an escape and catharsis for intrepid theatergoers.

Our winning playwrights come from as far away as New York and Mexico Cities and as close to home as Santa Cruz. Here are the plays in the 2026 8 Tens @ 8 Festival.