Book excerpt: The Humana Festival of New American Plays is the center of the nation's playwriting universe (The Miami Herald). It is an event whose impact has enlivened and enriched stages in the United States and around the world (The Irish Times). This year's plays have been selected from more than 500 script submissions for production and these plays feature some of the most talented and adventurous playwrights writing for the American stage today. Includes After Ashley by Gina Gionfriddo, The Ruby Sunrise by Rinne Groff, Sans-Culottes in the Promised Land by Kristen Greenridge, Kid-Simple, a radio play in the flesh by Jordan Harrison, At the Vanishing Point by Naomi Iizuka, and Tallgrass Gothic by Melanie Marnich.