Jeremy Cohen, foreground. Photo by Tom Wallace.

The Playwrights' Center has announced the programming for its new-play-development programs, the PlayLabs festival and the Ruth Easton reading series.

The 29th annual PlayLabs, which runs Oct. 15-21, will offer two staged readings each of playwright George Brant's "Three Voyages of the Lobotomobile"; Carlyle Brown's "Nobody, No Time"; and Christine Evans' "Can't Complain."

"Lobotomobile" orbits Dr. Walter J. Freeman as he takes his new medical technique, the lobotomy, on a road show. "Can't Complain" concerns a woman confined to a hospital by her daughter and her plan to escape. And Brown's "Nobody, No Time" centers on the contradictions faced by legendary black vaudeville entertainer Bert Williams.

The Ruth Easton night reading series, which runs on the first Monday of the month from December to April, features Qui Nguyen's "War is F**king Awesome"; Mona Mansour's "The Way West"; Adam Kraar's "Karpovsky Variations"; Joe Waechter's "Profiles"; Andy Bragen's "The Dowager."

"Twin Cities theatergoers have come to expect bold, risk-taking new work at the Center, and this season is no exception," producing artistic director Jeremy Cohen said in a release. "These events exist, in part, so that the playwright can experiment with an audience, a crucial dynamic in revealing the truest nature of a new play."