Stephen Riordan welcomes Owen Robertson, the multi-hyphenate founder of Tampa Bay’s Lab Theater Project. While most local theaters go dark for the summer, Lab Theater Project keeps its doors open, dedicating its entire mission to producing new works and nurturing emerging playwrights and artists.
Key Discussion Highlights

The Mission: Founded during Robertson’s MFA program to create a pipeline for new plays, the theater now receives 300 to 500 script submissions a year. It has produced works by 67 playwrights and given 23 artists their first professional opportunities.
True Collaboration & Dramaturgy: The theater operates as a safe, non-authoritarian space where actors, directors, and playwrights collaborate to reshape scripts.
Stepping Away from Corporate America: Both Riordan and Robertson bond over leaving stable corporate careers (Robertson in 2010, Riordan in 2023) to commit entirely to the arts, noting how supportive the creative community is when you dare to ask for help. Robertson is also currently pursuing a PhD in Education to further advocate for the intrinsic value of the arts.

Current Productions

“The Cross and The Saber” (Closing July 19)

Written by Wendy Graf, this timely play explores First Amendment rights, Christian nationalism, and politics in a near-future setting.

The Sci-Fi Element: The script incorporates artificial intelligence, featuring a terrifying courtroom sequence where the protagonist's entire legal defense, investigation, and prosecution are handled entirely by androids, prompting questions about human agency in an AI-driven world.

Workshops and Digital Innovation

Pitch to Production Workshop: Launching this fall, this rigorous 12-week, master ’s-level course guides local writers from an initial pitch to a completed draft, utilizing seasoned national playwrights as mentors.
On-Demand Streaming: To assist long-distance playwrights and expand ticket sales, the theater streams its productions on demand for 24 hours during the final weekend of each run.

Learn More: Visit labtheaterproject.org for tickets, workshop registration, and script submissions.

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