SIX SCRIPTS SELECTED FOR NATIONAL SHOWCASE OF NEW PLAYS DECEMBER 4-6 IN ATLANTA
Washington, DC, October 16 - The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's leading alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, will produce six new plays in staged reading format at its National Showcase of New Plays, hosted December 4-6 in Atlanta by member theaters Actor's Express and Horizon. A committee of artistic, managing and literary leaders from across the country have selected plays by Kathleen Cahill, Sam Hunter, Pete McElligot, Dominic Orlando, Andrew Rosendorf, and Tammy Ryan for the seventh annual showcase.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SHOWCASE OF NEW PLAYS
The National Showcase of New Plays (NSNP) is a rotating festival, or trade show, that showcases new plays, new playwrights and theaters from across the country in a staged reading format. NSNP creates a unique and invaluable opportunity for dozens of production-ready new plays to be viewed by member theater artistic directors, literary managers, playwright agents, and invited industry guests from around the country. To date, 80 plays have been showcased, of which more than 40 have been subsequently produced professionally inside and outside NNPN. The artistic leaders of the vast majority of our 26 member theaters attend the weekend event.
The 2009 readings will be held at Horizon Theatre (December 4 and December 6) and Actor's Express Theatre (December 5) in Atlanta, times TBA. Tickets for NSNP readings are $5 for the General Public; please check on this site for a Reading Schedule and Box Office information after November 15.
ABOUT THE SELECTED PLAYS
Atlasing Sodom by Sam Hunter (submitted by Phoenix Theatre Company) Ten years have passed since Brent and Andy confessed their secrets to one another. Brent drifts from one small town to the next playing reinventions of Beethoven's Pathétique while Andy, his high school crush, secretly follows him. The signature in this play shifts from past to present to reveal how the boys' relationship caused Andy’s father, Mark, to fulfill his own obsession with Brent to get to the bottom of his son's apparent suicide.
Charm by Kathleen Cahill (submitted by Orlando Shakespeare Theatre) Margaret Fuller is a progressive, free-spirited writer, centuries ahead of her time. Unfortunately, she is not the most feminine or attractive woman of her day, either. As she challenges the powerful artists around her - Thoreau, Emerson, and Hawthorne - both intellectually and romantically, these literary giants become confused boys, unsure of their own prowess and feelings. This comedy of manners asks the age old question, 'Who am I and why am I so confused?'
Danny Casolaro Died for You by Dominic Orlando (submitted by Kitchen Dog Theater) Danny Casolaro is a freelance political reporter. The story he uncovers goes deep into powerful government agency conspiracy and the Justice Department might be directly involved. As Danny peels the layers from this onion, he gets closer and closer to a center people in high places claim does not exist. Based on a true story, Danny Casolaro pursues the truth to an end he may not have foreseen.
Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods by Tammy Ryan (submitted by Playwrights Theatre of NJ) Christine and her 16-year old daughter, Alex, are on their own since Alex's father left. Her life has lost its meaning until she finds an unexpected friendship with Gabriel, a Sudanese "Lost Boy" and employee at her local Whole Foods. Their lives become entwined as Christine tries to help him recover pieces of his former life. When Gabriel gets involved with his friend Panther, an already complicated situation comes to a head.
So It Goes by Andrew Rosendorf (submitted by Florida Stage) Marshall is divorced, poor, and alone, and paying alimony to an unsympathetic ex-wife, Carol. His son Eli returns home asking for tuition for college and his unstable daughter, Sarah, is demanding money she believes she is owed. They both reveal things to Marshall he does not want to hear. On top of it all, Marshall is dying. A portrait of a dysfunctional family caught on film, So it Goes captures each moment of the last memories of a man's life.
With a Bang by Pete McElligot (submitted by Southern Rep) The end is coming. The book says so. Chaplin, who was writing the book, is now dead. His daughter, Margaret, is being tapped by an array of unwilling angels to take up the task and finish the book to save the world. As the end draws nigh in a torrent of blood and magic, the world comes closer to conclusion. But how will the book end?
ABOUT NNPN
The National New Play Network (NNPN) is the country's leading alliance of leading non-profit professional theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has commissioned over a dozen playwrights, provided seven MFA graduates with paid residencies, and supported nearly 50 productions nationwide through its innovative Continued Life of New Plays Fund, which creates "rolling world premieres" of new plays. Through these activities and others, NNPN has granted nearly a half million dollars to theaters and artists in the past ten years. Hundreds of artists have gained employment through these efforts in the 24 regions of the country where NNPN member theaters are located. NNPN receives substantial support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
