About the Show

Festival@First 13: Superstitious, features 8 original short plays by Massachusetts playwrights which explore the weird, wacky, and sometimes spooky world of superstition.

A superstition is a widely held belief, typically not based on reason or science, that future events can be influenced by one's behavior in some supernatural way. Why do some people have all the good luck, while others seem like they've been cursed? Are we surrounded by ghosts who haven't found their eternal rest? Do we really have free will, or are our lives dictated by forces beyond ourselves? 

Join Theatre@First for a night of theatre that's sure to be hilarious, uncanny, and maybe a little twisted!

Performances

Friday, August 15, 2025 at 8pm

Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 8pm

Sunday, August 17, 2025 at 8pm

Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 8pm - Masked Performance

Friday, August 22, 2025 at 8pm

Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 2pm - Matinee!

Masking Policy

Our Thursday night performance will require audience members to wear a face mask. If you forget to bring one, a mask will be provided at the door.

Location

Festival@First 13 will be presented at Unity Somerville, 6 William Street, Somerville.

The performance space is not wheelchair-accessible.

Parking on William St is by permit only. General parking is available on College Ave. Please read signs carefully to avoid ticketing.

Content note: Non-consensual touch and discussion of abusive/coercive relationships, unhealthy teenage female friendship, bullying.

A couple brings an unusual—but adorable—case to the Department of Occult Difficulties, looking for help. 

Beth and Mac are both magnets for bad luck, but it never affects them directly. When they have a meet-cute in a restaurant it's the people around them who pay the price.

A mother and daughter head into the graveyard to confront old ghosts, literal and figurative.

In the courtyard of the Casa di Giulietta stands a bronze statue of Juliet Capulet, and legend has it that if you rub the statue’s right breast, you will be lucky in love. When Rosalyn visits the statue one summer afternoon on a trip to Verona, she finds herself making an unexpected connection.

The show is over and the audience is gone; the theater is dark. After Beatrice’s last performance before retirement, she and stage manager Helena linger on the stage. But are they truly alone, or are there ghosts listening?

A group of teenagers meet in a parking lot to summon the spirit of a beloved family member, but the manner in which they perform the ritual may prove to have dangerous consequences.

Amy and Olivia want to use a ouijia board to contact the ghost of a girl who died on the grounds of their high school, but another student they don’t know warns them of a few things they hadn’t considered. 

In the moment between moments, the forces of fortune—foul, fair, and fickle—meet to determine the fate of a village. Black cat, white rabbit, and crow barter destinies grand and small, each with their own agenda. 

If you are interested in joining the Production Team, or being a House Volunteer, please email us!