TheatreWorks presenting annual New Works Festival

The festival is already underway with “Old Cock,” billed as a special event. Directed and performed by Jorge Andrade and written by Robert Schenkkahn, it tells of the Rooster of Barcelos, Portugal’s most popular souvenir.

Legends say he miraculously came back to life at the dinner table to save a pilgrim wrongly accused of a crime, but the rooster himself has more than a few questions about his own story. He demands answers from Prime Minister Salazar, the fascist dictator who ruled Portugal for 40 years. It continues through July 29.

The official kickoff is at 6 p.m. Aug. 8, with a reception followed by excerpts from the second cohort of the Susan Fairbanks Writers Group at 7:30 p.m.

Three staged readings of six more plays and musicals follow Aug. 9 through Aug. 17. These offerings include the following:

“Vienna,” a musical with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who also created “Come From Away.” Four people find themselves in Vienna at three different moments in time, all looking for the same answers: what makes them who they are, how they connect to one another, and how much can people really change?

“Alice Formerly of Wonderland,” by Mark Saltzman. This musical tells the true story of the secret romance between the real-life Alice (Alice Liddell) and Prince Leopold, son of Queen Victoria and great-great-uncle of today’s Prince Harry. As a child, Alice was Lewis Carroll’s inspiration for the girl who fell down the rabbit hole. But now Alice is falling in love and intends to stick with her prince, despite the furious reactions of the Queen.

“The Bridge,” with music and lyrics by the Kilbanes. It’s New York in 1867, and newlyweds Emily and Washington Roebling are not a typical couple. Washington, the chief engineer building the Brooklyn Bridge, isn’t bothered by Emily’s disinterest in domestic matters. Then tragedy strikes; Washington is badly injured at the worksite and then permanently bed-bound with a mysterious neurological condition. To fend off corrupt politicians who are threatening to fire him and compromise the bridge, Emily begins running his project for him — and succeeds.

“Malcriados,” by Christopher Oscar Peña. Two estranged brothers are reunited when their mom passes away. As they navigate being back in each other’s worlds, they wrestle with the different relationships each had with their mother and who gets to decide where she’s laid to rest. 

“The Employee Dharma Handbook,” by Geetha Reddy. As an important rocket launch approaches, Val, an HR executive at an aerospace company, suspects that Leela, a young engineer, was overlooked for a promotion. Leela, a first generation American, doesn’t want to talk about it, but Val suspects sexism. What they don’t expect to uncover are simmering tensions of ancient origins among the company’s Indian immigrant employees.

For tickets and a complete schedule call (877) 662-8978 or visit theatreworks.org.