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The Church of Broken Things follows the intertwined lives of three childhood friends—KK, Vick and Faith—growing up in rural Oklahoma. Against a backdrop of poverty, broken families and the suffocating influence of small town gossip, the girls navigate adolescence, survival and the search for meaning in a world that repeatedly fails them. As they grow older, their relationships fracture and reform under the weight of secrets, trauma and betrayal. Each character wrestles with her own form of brokenness: KK with her yearning for escape, Faith with her conflicted faith and desire, and Vick with the scars of abuse, abandonment and secrets. The play shifts between dark humor and raw vulnerability, revealing how laughter and friendship become lifelines in a landscape of hardship. Darkly funny and deeply raw, The Church of Broken Things becomes a meditation on resilience, memory, and the messy, unpretty ways that broken people keep going.

Madison New Works Laboratory started at JMU in 2018 and is a national destination for new work development. Our writers and composers have gone on to win awards and fellowships from the Theatre Communications Group, Dramatist Guild, and the Playwright’s Center. Last year, 2018 MNWL Playwright Briandaniel Oglesby returned with his play Basement Demons and Trailer Saints as a part of the JMU Forbes Mainstage Season. Artists-in-residence from across the country join our student actors, stage managers, and faculty for a 10-day residency, collaborating through conversations and rehearsals to develop their work. Each play for the 2026 season was selected through a competitive national search and will receive a staged reading in the Studio Theatre. Join us for a free public reading, where you’ll meet the playwrights, take part in a post-show conversation, and get an inside look at the creative process behind bringing a play to life.