PREVIEW: The Troy Foundry Theatre Explores ‘Becoming’ Through Eight-Day Festival
October 23, 24, 28, 29, and 30 @ The Waiting Room, Troy
Half-Baked Homebody by Emily Curro, provided
“Who doesn't love a little bit of batter before they throw the cake in the oven?”
Returning for its fourth year with new, spine-tingling plays, Troy Foundry Theatre’s “Half-Baked Festival of Emerging Work” begins on October 23, 2026. The eight-day festival at The Waiting Room in Troy will feature in-development plays that explore body horror, the uncanny, fairy-tale darkness, grief, obsession, and more.
“The whole point is that the festival was created to provide a platform, space, resources, and a small amount of financial funding for artists to come up here and present work that is still in the middle of the creation process, which is a rare thing, especially in the area,” says Producing Director Emily Curro.
Every piece presented at the Half-Baked Festival is a play in progress. Attendees have the unique opportunity to watch new projects find their voices and inspiration in an environment that is sparkling with electricity and creativity.
“Are you trying to flesh out some specific details in your story? We've got your back,” says Associate Producer Shayne David Cameris. “Do you want to find out if this story even works? We want to find out, too. Do you have a single scene, and you're just not sure where this thing is heading? It's all unapologetically Half-Baked. Who doesn't love a little bit of batter before they throw the cake in the oven?”
“It’s so important for artists to have this type of environment and creative playground,” continues Curro. “They have access to actors, directors, and professionals that bring the pieces to life, so they can choose to do rewrites during this time, or they can simply hear it out loud for the first time.”
Half-Baked Crystal Clear Living by Katie Pedro 2024, provided
Known affectionately as just ‘Half-Baked,’ Curro calls the festival a ‘celebration’ of playwrights and their work. This year, writers will be arriving from across the country: New York City, Philadelphia, and even Texas.
“We get to bring creatives from outside of the region to the region,” explains Curro. “They get to experience a little bit of the magic of Troy as well.”
Additionally, regional talent will be on display through Troy Foundry Company’s Artistic Director David Girard and Cameris, who submitted his play and was accepted for his new work, The Thing About Jeremy…
Ruminating on the festival’s themes, Cameris shares how he would sneak peeks of the cult-classic Anaconda when his parents brought home the rented VHS. The memory brought him back to his roots: the ‘90s. Like a memory, a hazy, grungy story began to form in his mind, inspired by Cameris’ love of Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana.
“I trusted the process and ended up writing a story about grief, the past, the future, and about figuring out how to fight again,” says Cameris. “It plays on that idea of being blinded by nostalgia: if someone shows up on your door and you haven't seen them in over a decade, no matter how close you were...do you really know that person anymore?”
There will also be appearances from Skidmore Associate Professor Eunice S. Ferreira, Will Kempe’s Players performers Jack D. Ellis and Shae Fitzgerald, and many more talented local actors, directors, and writers.
This year’s theme, ‘Becoming,’ reflects the sinister side of its October run: slate-gray skies, skeletal trees, and the darker side of human nature. The Troy Foundry Theatre specifically asked writers for pieces that explore dystopia and the grotesque. Perhaps the most frightening of them is a comedy, titled Untitled Student Loan Horror, by playwright Leah Barker.
“I’m really looking forward to that one,” notes Curro.
Half-Baked is a donation-based festival, and the community is invited to experience the fascinating world of play development. Gauging audience reactions and feedback is essential to shaping the final vision of the plays.
“I would really advise, even if you're not super into new play development, to just come to see all the amazing acting and directing work that’s going into all of this,” says Curro. “We encourage people to come because we can’t have audience engagement without an audience.”
As a small professional theater company in the heart of the Capital Region, Curro observes that since the COVID-19 pandemic, everything has become more financially difficult for theaters. Grant funding, audience engagement, and nationwide support for the arts are at a low. To the Troy Foundry Theatre, the Half-Baked Festival is more than a week of plays — it’s a steadfast reminder of why they keep fighting.
“There's a reason I love my TFT family so much,” says Cameris. “We help each other take these risks.”
“To get really excited about a project is what keeps us going,” says Curro. “We get excited about new work: it’s what we live and breathe at Troy Foundry.”
The full schedule of events can be found at www.troyfoundrytheatre.com. To learn more and reserve a spot, visit https://buytickets.at/troyfoundrytheatre.
