Conference Information

HOW THE CONFERENCE WORKS

Thinking about or planning on attending the Valdez Theatre Conference? The following information is intended to answer a lot of questions about how things work. If you don’t find the answers you need here, don’t hesitate to e-mail the Conference Coordinator.

This guide includes:

• How to get to Valdez.
• Where to sleep.
• What to wear.
• How Play Lab readings work, and how to get involved as a reader.
• Getting outside while you’re in Valdez.

• How to get to Valdez

  

  STEP ONE: GET TO ANCHORAGE

  If you’re coming from out-of-state, first you need to get to Anchorage, which has the only major airport in Alaska. Some adventuresome people drive all the way to Valdez on the Alcan Highway. All sorts of useful information on this trip here.

  STEP TWO: GET TO VALDEZ FROM ANCHORAGE

  DRIVING

  The lovely drive from Anchorage to Valdez is 306 miles (approximately six hours). The Conference Coordinator can also help try to connect you with other folks who might want to split a rental car.

  BUS

  There will be an Anchorage-Valdez shuttle bus. Buses will leave the Anchorage Airport's Bus Plaza. The schedule:
  Anchorage to Valdez
  Saturday, June 6, 2:00 p.m.
  Valdez to Anchorage
  Sunday, June 14, 8:00 a.m.

  Seats cost $100 each way.

  FLYING

  Reeve Aviation flies into Valdez 3 times per day, and it takes about 45 minutes, so it’s much quicker than driving. The Conference will shuttle participants from the airport to their accommodations. These are small planes, so early reservations are a good idea. 

  FERRY

  Some people take the ferry to Valdez. Prices and times here.

  MAPS

  For perspective on Valdez, here are some maps.

  STEP THREE: NOW I'M IN VALDEZ

  WHAT'S THE TOWN LIKE

  There are about four thousand residents, though that number can increase by several thousand during the summer months. Almost everything within walking distance. As one might expect from visiting a town that is remote by Alaskan standards, generally everything here is going to cost more than you’re used to.

  WHERE TO RESIDE

  Valdez has lots of hotels and B&Bs. For full listings, visit www.valdezalaska.org. We receive support from the Best Western, the Keystone Hotel, the Glacier Hotel, and the recently rebuilt Totem Inn, and would love for you to support the businesses that support us.

  We have some free accommodations at our student housing which are used to host some of the Lab cast. Rooms are shared by multiple people, often strangers. The facilities have showers and kitchen facilities. There are a limited number of beds and cots available, and linen sets as well. Alternately, bringing an air mattress or sleeping bag can make it much more comfortable. People are welcome to sleep there from the evening of opening weekend's Friday, checking out by the final Sunday. Any additional time would be negotiated directly with PWSC Housing.

  TO BE CLEAR: This housing is provided free of charge to make attending financially viable; people using it share tight communal living spaces with strangers. The price is right, but this is roughing it.

  WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO WEAR?

  Weather in Valdez is highly variable, usually 40 to 75 degrees, so the key is layers. Be prepared to be bundled up, but able to get down to shorts and a t-shirt on short notice. Also, bring a raincoat, and an umbrella is a smart idea.

  Although the week is very casual, the culminating gala is a champagne reception followed by a sit-down dinner. Each year has a different theme that will be mailed out to the participants ahead of time.

   

   

  WHERE DOES THE CONFERENCE TAKE PLACE?

  Almost all events for the Conference happen at the Valdez Civic Center, located up the hill on Clifton Court Road. Again, here's a map for some perspective.

  For more details about the Civic Center, visit their site.

  DOES IT EVER GET DARK THERE?

  Yes. In the summer at about 2:00 a.m. it becomes dusk for a couple hours. If this is going to create sleeping problems, best bring a sleep mask.

  MY PLAY IS BEING READ... WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

  The Play Lab Coordinator casts the readings using a combination of actors from Alaska and ones coming from outside the state. They have the scripts sent to them about a month before the Conference so that they can be familiar with them when they arrive.

  All readings have a single rehearsal a day before the public reading. A director will be provided unless the author prefers to direct their own reading. There is a guide created by Marshall W. Mason on how to direct this reading available, here.

  After your reading there is a response section from three panelists, and a period for audience feedback. The Conference endeavors to follow the development format created at the Circle Repertory Theatre Company, with feedback that neither coddles nor re-writes, but instead opens the writer up to new ways of understanding their play.

  After the reading and critique session, there will be a private one-on-one discussion for the playwright with one of their panelists.

  I WANT TO BE A READER IN THE PLAY LAB... WHAT DO I DO?

  E-mail the Conference Coordinator.

  WHAT ABOUT GETTING OUTSIDE

  Long-time participating playwright Tom Moran organizes hour-long morning hikes; in 2025, they will be on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Tom's put together a PDF of the local trails that is a great guide: Getting Outdoors in Valdez 2025_compressed.

  NO QUESTION IS TOO SMALL!

  If you didn’t find what you needed to hear, e-mail Conference Coordinator.

  

• Town description and maps
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• Getting Outside
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• Housing
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• Weather and clothes
  Panel 5. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
• Civic Center
  Panel 6. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.