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ANNOUNCEMENTS/SPECIAL EVENTS
08/09/10
CALL 818-841-4404 for Reservations!
08/02/10
MAY 2010
NEWS RELEASE
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Lisa Kenner
310.770.8887
| lisakenner@earthlink.net
THE PLAYWRIGHTS UNION WRITERS BAND TOGETHER
FOR FIRST ANNUAL READING FESTIVAL OF NEW WORK
Los Angeles, CA
The Playwrights Union, a network of Los
Angeles theater artists writing for stage, tv and film, hosts its
first Reading Festival of New Work May 6th through May 9th at the Victory
Theatre Center
in Burbank. Original plays were first drafted during a month-long
writing challenge that nine member writers accepted in February. Plays have
been finished or re-written in the weeks leading up to the Festival. Readings start at 6:30 pm, and a casual
reception will take place on each evening at 8 pm, giving playwrights and audience
members an opportunity to mix and mingle.
The Playwrights Union was
founded in 2009 by Jennifer Haley, a
playwright who had been living in Los
Angeles for only two years, but felt the need to find
a local writing community. According to Haley: “I sent out a few emails to
my contacts in town, hoping to start a small writer’s group, but the response
was so immediate - and involved so many friends of friends - I realized there
were several playwrights out there looking for the same thing.”
Early members of the group met and discovered
they had commonality in that they considered themselves playwrights, but were
living in L.A.
because they either wrote for, or aspired to write for, television and film.
“We identified ourselves as dramatic writers building our chops and contacts in
all genres, determined to remain artists even as we seek to make a living in
our field,” says Haley. The group has expanded to twenty-two members who meet
regularly, run an internal writing workshop, attend each other’s shows and support
each other both personally and professionally with job and development
opportunities.
The Reading Festival follows
up a Writing Challenge that was put to the group in February. Since that
weekend, the writers have taken another pass at their plays, teamed up with
directors and actors, and are set to present their new work. The Victory Theatre Center
in Burbank, who also hosts the Playwrights Union monthly writing workshop, has
graciously offered their space for a weekend for the event.
According to Maria Gobetti, Artistic Co-Director of
The Victory Theatre Center: "A large part of our mission is to promote new plays
by American Playwrights. We've been in business for 30 years. Most of our plays
have been originals or West Coast Premieres. We love the story behind The Playwright's
Union in particular. These writers responded
to a deadline and are coming together to support one another in this festival.
This is a unique opportunity for audiences to see staged readings of new plays
by playwrights who we consider to be the very best in Los Angeles."
The
Festival kicks off Thursday, May 6th with The Nether by Jennifer Haley. (Haley's Neighborhood III: Requisition of Doom recently received
critical acclaim at LA's Sacred Fool Theater. Her plays have been produced and
developed at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, Naked Angels in NYC, LA's Echo
Theater Company, and published by Samuel French and Playscripts, Inc.) Puzzlerby Padraic Duffy (Echo Theater Company and Sacred Fools, Co-Artistic
Director) follows.
On Friday,
May 7th Like a Fact by Aaron Henne (LA Weekly Award-winning playwright and Co-Literary Manager of the Boston Court), is followed
by Large
as Life And Twice as Natural by Dorothy Fortenberry (award-wining works
developed at Arena Stage, Ars Nova, Geva Theatre and Perishable Theatre).
On Saturday,
May 8th Chambers by Lisa
Kenner (The Road Theatre Company,
Theatre of NOTE and The Robey Theatre Company) and The City She Wants Me by
Deron Bos (LA's Circle X Theatre and
Soho Rep in New York) are followed by Frank
and Monica by Steve Serpas (award-winning playwright with productions in LA and Chicago; Point
Zero Pictures just produced his short film, La La Loco Baby.)
On Sunday,
May 9th Anticipating Leftovers by Jennie Webb (Theatricum Botanicum and Rogue Machine Theater) and The
Price by Jeremy Soule (productions at NY's EST, La Mama, and HERE;
staff writer and producer for 20th Century Fox Television's Desire and Watch Over Me ) close the Festival.
For complete playwright bios and play synopses,
please visit www.playwrightsunion.com | 
