NNPN SELECTS THE PARTICIPANTS FOR THE 2008 EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM

National New Play Network’s Executive Committee is pleased to announce that Curious Theatre Company (Denver), Florida Stage (Palm Beach), InterAct Theatre Company (Philadelphia) and Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey (Madison) have been selected to participate in the Emerging Playwrights Residency (EPR) program during the 2008/2009 season, the second year for the program focusing on helping recent playwright graduates from qualified MFA programs kick-start their writing careers by hosting them at NNPN member theatres. Congratulations to each of the host theaters. This year's playwrights are:

JENNIFER FAWCETT is the NNPN Playwright-in-Residence at Curious Theatre Company for 2008/09. is a graduate of the Iowa Playwrights Workshop. Productions in the US and Canada include THEN / AFTER / WATER (Available Light Theatre), GOAT SHOW (Riverside Theatre, SummerWorks Festival), THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JANEY JONES (Waterfront Theatre, Hatchery Festival), and THE TOYMAKER’S WAR (Iowa New Play Festival). She is the winner of the Theatre Masters National MFA Playwriting Award for her short play, THE ECHO, and the KCACTF National Science Playwriting Award for THE ATLAS OF MUD (previously called TWENTY MOMENTS IN THE SPACE BETWEEN). She is a finalist for the 2008 Heideman Award and a semi-finalist for the 2009 P73 Playwriting Fellowship. In the coming months, her work will be presented at the KCACTF at the University of Kansas, Underground Railway Theatre (Boston), 2009 Cultural Conversations at Penn State University and the NNPN National Showcase of New Plays.

DANO MADDEN is the NNPN playwright-in-residence at Interact Theatre Company for 2008-09. He grew up in Boise, Idaho. His plays have been produced by Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Source Festival, Mile Square Theatre, Northwest Playwrights Alliance, Idaho Theatre for Youth, Kitchen Theatre Company, Rutgers University, The University of Tulsa, and Sand and Glass Productions, among others. Dano’s plays have received readings and/or development at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Boise Contemporary Theater, Boston Theatre Works, the NNPN’s University Playwrights Workshop, and the Bonderman. He has received numerous Kennedy Center/ACTF awards including: the 2008 Quest for Peace Playwriting Award for BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN SOLDIER; the 2007 National Student Playwriting Award for In the SAWTOOTHS, and the 1997 National Short Play Award for DROP. Dano was a runner-up for Primary Stages’ 2005 Bug-N-Bub Playwriting Award and a finalist for the 2008 Cherry Lane Theatre Mentor Project. His work has been published by Samuel French, Inc., Applause Books (Best American Short Plays 2005-2006), Playscripts, Inc. and by the Northwest Playwrights Alliance. He was the recipient of the 2001 Idaho Commission on the Arts Fellowship in playwriting. Dano was recently named one of “50 Playwrights to Watch” by The Dramatist magazine. He received his BA from Boise State University and his MFA from Rutgers University.

LIA ROMEO is the NNPN playwright-in-residence at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey for 2008-09. She earned her B.A. from Princeton University and her M.F.A. in playwriting from Rutgers University.. Her play GREEN WHALES was developed at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, the Kennedy Center, the Last Frontier Theatre Conference, and Collaborative Arts Theatre Company. Her play RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME was a finalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights’ Conference, the Centre Stage New Play Festival, and the HotCity Theatre New Play Festival, and won first runner-up in the James W. Rodgers Playwriting Competition. Her play BABIES was developed at the Lark Theatre Playwrights’ Workshop. Her one act play MRS. HENDERSON’S CAT was produced at the Hangar Theatre. Her one act play BABY BOOM won the Goshen Peace Playwriting Contest and was produced at Goshen College, and has also been produced by Collaborative Arts, the Looking Glass Theatre, and New Orleans Theatre Experiment. Her short play YOG SOTHOTH is currently a finalist for the Heideman Award. This and other short plays have been produced by Manhattan Theatre Source, 3Graces Theatre Company, Knutsford Little Theatre, New Jersey Repertory Theatre, Emerging Artists’ Theatre, Theatre Limina, Impact Theatre, Shelterbelt Theatre, Pensacola Little Theatre, Live Girls! Theatre Company, Devanaughn Theatre, Next Big Thing Theatre Company, Kokopelli Theatre Company, and Toy Boat Productions. She and her brother are co-authors of 11,002 Things to Be Miserable About, due out from Abrams Books in 2009.

ANDREW ROSENDORF is the NNPN Playwright-in-Residence at Florida Stage for 2008-09. His plays include BABY STEPS (Florida Stage w/ Susan Hyatt), THE AUTHORITIES (New York International Fringe Festival 2003), TRANQUIL (Fall Eatfest 2008), SAFE (Etcetera Theatre Company), THE FALLING NOTES (Semi-Finalists in the 32nd Annual Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival), and THE GREAT LESBIAN DETECTIVE (The 24 Hour Play Company). His plays have been developed in NYC at Working Man’s Clothes and Epiphany Theater Company.
He has worked with and assisted Michael Bigelow Dixon, Jeffrey Hatcher, Liz Engelman, Jon Marans, and Deborah Zoe Laufer. He was one of the playwrights for the Writing By Degrees Conference 2006, and he also worked with Spyglass Entertainment in 2005. Through Florida Stage, he received the 2003-2004 Marnie Collester Intern Award, and he served as the playwright-in-residence at The Milagro Center in Delray Beach, Florida, where he wrote The Diversity Hot Wing Casserole in collaboration with immigrant children in their after-school program.
He is the Literary Manager of UrbanMyth, the Literary Associate at Working Man’s Clothes, and a script reader for the past three years at Manhattan Class Company. Andrew holds a BA in Theatre from the College of William and Mary and an MFA in Playwriting from The New School for Drama.