Sins Of Our Fathers
By Tom Wachunas
“Then Waves” is the last of the three world-premiere plays in this year’s New Play Conservatory at Canton Players Guild Theatre. Written by Kevin Anthony Kautzman and directed here by Craig Joseph, it is easily the most audacious and startling – even dangerous – drama I’ve seen anywhere for longer than I can remember. Its staying power is not unlike the rude, abusive dinner guest who refuses to leave. And even after he’s been physically dispatched (leaving in his wake painful memories), there are those clingy remnants of yet- to- be- chewed meat particles still lodged in my teeth.
I am cautiously certain that such difficulty in processing this story lies in its complex psychological layerings that, like peeling an onion, reveal progressively unsettling facts and flaws about the characters. Kautzman’s compelling writing is a vigorous and visceral exercise in exorcising – a riveting portrait rendered with a relentless barrage of narrative lightning bolts. This is a story for our time, to be sure. As such it’s a searing cry, a dirge, a howling prayer for redemption.
The play opens with cast members reciting, “Stabat mater dolorosa…,” the beginning of the classic medieval Roman Catholic hymn about Mary’s suffering as she beholds her crucified son. “The sorrowful mother stood…” Stabat mater. Even the Latin words are an eerily relevant onomatopoeia: ‘stabbing matter.’
Most of the scenes take place on a hilltop with a blood-red bench and limp American flag on a pole, overlooking a Veteran’s cemetery in the characters’ hometown. And most are introduced with recited lines from Stabat Mater, giving the proceedings all the dark, ‘sacred’ solemnity of a funereal lament.
The story is built around the life of Brady, a U.S. soldier returned from his Mid- Eastern tour of duty, suffering from PTSD. In the first act we quickly sense that this is a worst-case scenario. Ultimately we’re presented with a man so torn and haunted by the war atrocities he witnessed and committed that his mind, already sickened by past bitter resentments, has snapped beyond retrieval. His is a paranoid-schizophrenic reality immersed in mangled obsession with the Old Testament God of hellfire and vengeance; horrific verbal and physical abuse of his son, Cailin (who, Brady is convinced, is not his own); and the certainty that his wife, Thee, has had an affair with his old school chum, Ryan. Brady confesses to his counselor that a dream has inspired him exactly how and where to kill Cailin. Thus in the second act we as audience become in turn fully immersed in Brady’s nightmarish ‘reality’. Actually carried out, or only imagined? I’ll never tell. Then again, I’m not precisely sure. Still chewing on that one.
The cast here is uniformly excellent. Peter Calac is utterly disarming as the abused son struggling with shattered dreams of a romantic future amid fruitless attempts to heal his broken relationship with Brady. He’s the embodiment of real wounded innocence, tempered by a wisdom and resolve beyond his years. Additionally, it’s fascinating to watch how Maria Work, playing Thee, and Ryan Nehlan, playing Ryan, are transformed from their convincing portrayals of concerned wife and loyal friend, respectively, into equally convincing guilty lovers on-the-attack in the second act.
All of this is certainly a testament to Craig Joseph’s skills as a director. But what’s most astonishing are his skills as an actor. Who or what could have directed him in his portrayal of Brady, other than a profoundly genuine, even selfless submergence in the story? Joseph’s performance is a baptism of sorts, this one complete with not a sprinkling but a frightening torrent of insanely fowl-mouthed chants and ravings that constantly crest and fall throughout the evening like...waves. Despite our “civilized” aversion to such unnerving displays, we watch, captured and mesmerized, like helpless bystanders at a house on fire.
The play ends with the image of much-awaited rainfall washing the cast gathered on the hill. Another wave, then. There is an abiding, haunting sense of inevitability about the moment. In the big picture, such waves – purges- are only temporary, albeit necessary salves on an ageless, painful truth: redemption comes always – and only - with blood.
Amen.
New Play Conservatory at the Players Guild William G. Fry Arena Theatre, located in the Cultural Center for the Arts, 1001 Market Ave. North, Canton, Ohio. All performances at 8p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30p.m. Sundays, Tickets $10. Call (330) 453 – 7617.
“Then Waves,” by Kevin Kautzman, directed by Craig Joseph, July 23 – 25 (violence and adult language). www.playersguildtheatre.com
For more information on playwright Kevin Anthony Kautzman, visit
www.kevinkautzman.com
24 July 2010
10 July 2010
PILLS review by Tom Wachunas
Visit Tom Wachunas' review site for additional reviews on all the best arts events.
http://www.artwach.blogspot.com/
The Life and Death of Possibilities
By Tom Wachunas
In an ambitious new endeavor, Canton’s Players Guild Theatre is kicking off its 78th season with The New Play Conservatory, coordinated by Jeremy P. Lewis. He and a critic’s circle of 13 individuals read and evaluated dozens of script submissions from around the country, and ultimately three plays were chosen for production as world premieres in the Guild’s William G. Fry Arena Theatre.
First in the trio of plays that run for three performances each is “Pills,” (which opened on July 9) written by Michael DeVito of Hartsdale, NY, and directed here by Lewis. It’s a wondrously facile piece of stage literature – part comedy, part morality-play, all riveting and bittersweet in its drama – and a solid vehicle for demonstrating Lewis’ well-honed sensitivity to complicated human relationships.
What fuels this play’s poignant originality, though, is not just its intricate human interactions, but the entities in the form of three characters who are not yet human in a fully physical sense. Whether you call them urgent yearnings, or curious wantings, they represent the essences of unborn children. In those roles, Justin C. Woody, Sonny Gzybowski, and Stacey Essex are marvelously energetic and haunting. They badger and cajole their patient “Guide” - played warmly, with convincing if not enigmatic authority by Kathy Boyd – to help them understand where and what they are, and where they want to go. They are simultaneously the sources and victims of their potential parents’ mental and emotional anguish over whether or not to bring children into the world.
The potential parents are two New York City couples – one married (Max and Sally), one not (Seth and Karen) - struggling fiercely with their relationships as well as deeply conflicting decisions about having children. Marvin A. Vance Jr. plays the free-wheeling Seth with a disarming combination earthy honesty and detached emotions, tinged with cavalier wisdom. Karen is his new girlfriend, still smarting from a recent breakup. To that role Bethany Taylor brings an endearing desire for answers and stability, sometimes tainted with vitriolic sarcasm.
As Max, Nate Ross is both hilarious and scary in his credible portrayal of an obsessive-compulsive, right-fighting moralizer who distrusts any medication designed to balance a depressed mind, and thinks bringing children into this miserable world would be an intolerable selfishness. He – not birth control pills or mind-fixing drugs - is the real pill in this scenario. Megan Rosenberg plays Sally with equal authenticity – a combination of genuine pain, uncertainty, and desperate hope amid emotional turmoil. For them, resolution comes in the final scene. We see them on their backs, gazing up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in an intriguing recap of the scene when we first met them. They recall Max’s dream of seeing the painted image God, in the act of creating Adam, crashing to the floor, leaving Adam in the presence of a gaping hole. It’s a thoroughly tender scene that promises the couple just might be filling in the void that plagued them.
Yet for all of the electrifying performances that these artists consistently imparted through their crisp, rapid-fire dialogue, one scene has seared itself into my memory as the high (or “low”, depending upon your predisposition) point of the evening. And ironically enough, the moment, delivered by Stacey Essex (one of the unborn children whose time on stage is relatively brief), wasn’t powered by spoken words at all. It came at the point in the story when Karen aborted her child, fathered by Seth. One can only wonder how director Lewis was able to elicit from Essex such heartrending emotion, or what depths of memory and experience such a young actress needed to plumb. Fallen to a crumpled heap, she unleashed a long, liquid cry that chillingly escalated to a bone-shattering scream.
For those of you think it’s not a theatre critic’s place to moralize, get over it. The fact of the matter is, the scene I just described utterly impoverishes any defense of abortion, and makes even the most eloquent verbal objections to it pale by comparison.
New Play Conservatory at the Players Guild William G. Fry Arena Theatre, located in the Cultural Center for the Arts, Canton, Ohio. All performances at 8p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30p.m. Sundays, Tickets $10. Call (330) 453 – 7617.
Next up: “Mona Lisa” by Ron Burch, July 16 – 18 www.playersguildtheatre.com
24 June 2010
PLAYWRIGHT BIO's - Get to know the Playwrights!
PILLS by Michael DeVito from Hartsdale, NY
World Premiere July 9, 10 and 11, 2010
Directed by Jeremy Lewis
About the Playwright
Michael DeVito’s plays are up and running across The United States. His play In Loco Parentis will be produced as part of the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival (inlocoparentisplay.com), and Pills (already booked for its second production – following its World Premiere at The Players Guild Theatre, Canton, OH) will be part of Chicago’s Black Ship Company’s inaugural season in 2011. He has had productions and readings in New York with Ten Grand Theater Company, Emerging Artists Theater, The Playwrights Group, and The Manhattan Theater Source. His He has studied playwriting at Queens College, Gotham Writers Group, and is a founding member of The Playwrights Group. He also has studied literature at Brooklyn College, and teaches high school in Westchester County. He lives in Hartsdale, New York, with his wife and two young children.
MONA LISA by Ron Burch from Los Angeles, CA
World Premiere July 16, 17 and 18, 2010
Directed by Mark Monday
About the Playwright
Ron Burch is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and makes his living as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. His movies include; Yours, Mine & Ours; Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Head Over Heels. In television he was nominated for a primetime Emmy for the Tom Selleck show, The Closer. His plays have been produced and developed by the Adirondack Theatre Festival, New York Theatre Workshop, The Lark, The Public Theater, ASK Theatre Projects, and others. Mona Lisa won the 2010 Rocky Mountain Theatre Association's Full Length Play Competition, where it was given a staged reading. Other staged readings have been at Northern Writes: 4th Annual New Play Festival, Penobscot Theatre, Bangor, ME, and at Live @ the Libe, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, and Los Angeles, CA. Ron's play, The Baby, was a recent finalist for “The National Ten-Minute Play Contest” at Actors Theatre of Louisville; it was produced in April 2010 as part of the American Globe Theatre's “NYC 15-Minute Play Festival” and had a production at Tre Stage in Hollywood, CA. His first novel, Bliss Inc., has just been published.
THEN WAVES by Kevin Kautzman from Saint Paul, MN
World Premiere July 23, 24 and 25, 2010
Directed by Craig Joseph
About the Playwright
Kevin Anthony Kautzman is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. and the Playwrights’ Center; and has been selected as a 2009 Tennessee Williams Scholar and a 2009-10 Jerome Fellow. A writer of many full length and short plays, his play Down: A Fable recently ran in the Red Eye Theatre’s production of 2010 Works-in-Progress series. The play THEN WAVES was a finalist for the 2009 Yale Drama Series and received readings in New York City during the summer of 2008 at the Living Theatre and Poliglot Theater. Most recently the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis presented a reading of THEN WAVES. He is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota, where he studied history and philosophy, and has been a resident of the Twin Cities for nearly a decade. He can be found online at www.kevinkautzman.com.
World Premiere July 9, 10 and 11, 2010
Directed by Jeremy Lewis
About the Playwright
Michael DeVito’s plays are up and running across The United States. His play In Loco Parentis will be produced as part of the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival (inlocoparentisplay.com), and Pills (already booked for its second production – following its World Premiere at The Players Guild Theatre, Canton, OH) will be part of Chicago’s Black Ship Company’s inaugural season in 2011. He has had productions and readings in New York with Ten Grand Theater Company, Emerging Artists Theater, The Playwrights Group, and The Manhattan Theater Source. His He has studied playwriting at Queens College, Gotham Writers Group, and is a founding member of The Playwrights Group. He also has studied literature at Brooklyn College, and teaches high school in Westchester County. He lives in Hartsdale, New York, with his wife and two young children.
MONA LISA by Ron Burch from Los Angeles, CA
World Premiere July 16, 17 and 18, 2010
Directed by Mark Monday
About the Playwright
Ron Burch is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and makes his living as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. His movies include; Yours, Mine & Ours; Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Head Over Heels. In television he was nominated for a primetime Emmy for the Tom Selleck show, The Closer. His plays have been produced and developed by the Adirondack Theatre Festival, New York Theatre Workshop, The Lark, The Public Theater, ASK Theatre Projects, and others. Mona Lisa won the 2010 Rocky Mountain Theatre Association's Full Length Play Competition, where it was given a staged reading. Other staged readings have been at Northern Writes: 4th Annual New Play Festival, Penobscot Theatre, Bangor, ME, and at Live @ the Libe, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, and Los Angeles, CA. Ron's play, The Baby, was a recent finalist for “The National Ten-Minute Play Contest” at Actors Theatre of Louisville; it was produced in April 2010 as part of the American Globe Theatre's “NYC 15-Minute Play Festival” and had a production at Tre Stage in Hollywood, CA. His first novel, Bliss Inc., has just been published.
THEN WAVES by Kevin Kautzman from Saint Paul, MN
World Premiere July 23, 24 and 25, 2010
Directed by Craig Joseph
About the Playwright
Kevin Anthony Kautzman is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. and the Playwrights’ Center; and has been selected as a 2009 Tennessee Williams Scholar and a 2009-10 Jerome Fellow. A writer of many full length and short plays, his play Down: A Fable recently ran in the Red Eye Theatre’s production of 2010 Works-in-Progress series. The play THEN WAVES was a finalist for the 2009 Yale Drama Series and received readings in New York City during the summer of 2008 at the Living Theatre and Poliglot Theater. Most recently the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis presented a reading of THEN WAVES. He is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota, where he studied history and philosophy, and has been a resident of the Twin Cities for nearly a decade. He can be found online at www.kevinkautzman.com.
29 May 2010
CAST LIST announced for PILLS, MONA LISA, and THEN WAVES
The New Play Conservatory Cast List
ALL CAST Memebers (required) for our KICKOFF workshop / production meeting on May 31st. We started promptly at 6:00pm. Arrive 10-15 minutes early.
PILLS
Sony Gzybowski
Stacey Essex
Justin Woody
Kathy Boyd
Nate Ross
Marvin Vance Jr.
Bethany Taylor
Megan Rosenburg
MONA LISA
Amy Crawford
Dave Osso
Tom Bryant
Leland Pettis
Grayden Provance
THEN WAVES
Maria Work
PJ Calac
Christopher Gales
Charactger Roles will be assigned at our kickoff.
Thank you to all that auditioned.
ALL CAST Memebers (required) for our KICKOFF workshop / production meeting on May 31st. We started promptly at 6:00pm. Arrive 10-15 minutes early.
PILLS
Sony Gzybowski
Stacey Essex
Justin Woody
Kathy Boyd
Nate Ross
Marvin Vance Jr.
Bethany Taylor
Megan Rosenburg
MONA LISA
Amy Crawford
Dave Osso
Tom Bryant
Leland Pettis
Grayden Provance
THEN WAVES
Maria Work
PJ Calac
Christopher Gales
Charactger Roles will be assigned at our kickoff.
Thank you to all that auditioned.
07 May 2010
AUDITIONS for Pills, Mona Lisa, and Then Waves (ages 15 through 70)
Audition Dates and Requirements:
Monday, May 24 and Tuesday, May 25 from 6:30-9:30
Men and Women, Ages 15 to 70, All Races (Parental Content Waiver for Minors)
(Any youth under 15 wishing to audition may request an interview considering the youth is extremely mature and willing to work with difficult/adult subject matters)
Call to schedule an audition time for 6:30, 7:30 or 8:30 on either day
Auditions include a cold read and movement; monologues/resumes encouraged, not required
Callbacks on Wednesday, May 26 from 6:30-9:30
If cast, five free acting workshops featuring certified master artists and university instructors
Productions Dates:
Each Play Runs One Weekend (Three Performances) in July on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
PILLS: July 9, 10, and 11 MONA LISA: July 16, 17, and 18 THEN WAVES: July 23, 24, and 25
To Schedule an Audition or For More Information Call
Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development 330-453-7619 ex: 500
PILLS by Michael DeVito from Hartsdale, NY
The Manhattan Theatre Source produced playwright and Masters in Playwriting and English Lit.
(2 M, 2 W and 4 Flex – ages 15 to 70 – content advisory for sexuality discussion and language)
Drama with Comedic Heart: Combining the wit of Seinfeld and the universal tone of Our Town, two New York couples on unstable mental and emotion ground articulate and explore their fears of conceiving children, in doing so, bring to life the ideas and emotions of the children they just might have together.
MONA LISA by Ron Burch from Los Angeles, CA
Produced Writer for Universal Pictures, Disney, American Globe Theatre, and Theatre Studio, NYC
(4 M and 1 W – ages 17 to 70)
Dramatic Comedy Romance: A historical fiction revealing the Mona Lisa painting and why she smiles, this play follows Leonardo da Vinci and his desire to pursue art and forbidden love.
THEN WAVES by Kevin Kautzman from Saint Paul, MN
Internationally Produced Playwright and Yale Drama Series Finalist
(3 M and 1 W – ages 15 to 40 – content advisory for violence and language)
Intense Drama: A discharged American soldier returns from war to do violence upon his estranged son, who may not be his son at all. Set in the American Midwest, THEN WAVES explores the issues of violence’s echo, the cost of war, and the impulses toward destruction that ravage families and destroy the future.
Monday, May 24 and Tuesday, May 25 from 6:30-9:30
Men and Women, Ages 15 to 70, All Races (Parental Content Waiver for Minors)
(Any youth under 15 wishing to audition may request an interview considering the youth is extremely mature and willing to work with difficult/adult subject matters)
Call to schedule an audition time for 6:30, 7:30 or 8:30 on either day
Auditions include a cold read and movement; monologues/resumes encouraged, not required
Callbacks on Wednesday, May 26 from 6:30-9:30
If cast, five free acting workshops featuring certified master artists and university instructors
Productions Dates:
Each Play Runs One Weekend (Three Performances) in July on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
PILLS: July 9, 10, and 11 MONA LISA: July 16, 17, and 18 THEN WAVES: July 23, 24, and 25
To Schedule an Audition or For More Information Call
Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development 330-453-7619 ex: 500
PILLS by Michael DeVito from Hartsdale, NY
The Manhattan Theatre Source produced playwright and Masters in Playwriting and English Lit.
(2 M, 2 W and 4 Flex – ages 15 to 70 – content advisory for sexuality discussion and language)
Drama with Comedic Heart: Combining the wit of Seinfeld and the universal tone of Our Town, two New York couples on unstable mental and emotion ground articulate and explore their fears of conceiving children, in doing so, bring to life the ideas and emotions of the children they just might have together.
MONA LISA by Ron Burch from Los Angeles, CA
Produced Writer for Universal Pictures, Disney, American Globe Theatre, and Theatre Studio, NYC
(4 M and 1 W – ages 17 to 70)
Dramatic Comedy Romance: A historical fiction revealing the Mona Lisa painting and why she smiles, this play follows Leonardo da Vinci and his desire to pursue art and forbidden love.
THEN WAVES by Kevin Kautzman from Saint Paul, MN
Internationally Produced Playwright and Yale Drama Series Finalist
(3 M and 1 W – ages 15 to 40 – content advisory for violence and language)
Intense Drama: A discharged American soldier returns from war to do violence upon his estranged son, who may not be his son at all. Set in the American Midwest, THEN WAVES explores the issues of violence’s echo, the cost of war, and the impulses toward destruction that ravage families and destroy the future.
19 April 2010
Actor Audition Dates
Auditions will be held Monday, May 24 and Tuesday May 25 (6:30-9:30)
Call-Backs will be held Wednesday, May 26 (6:30-9:30)
Actors will have the great opportunity to:
• Attend auditions for all roles in the three productions by reading scenes, performing monologues, and executing movement
• Enter into a six week rehearsal period with weekly performance training master classes from area acting professionals and educators. The training master classes will focus on an aspect of performance (voice, body, text, new play development, advanced methods) and include the whole actor’s ensemble
• Act in three performances of a full length new play in the intimate 139 seat Bill Fry arena theatre
• Participate in final performance post-mortem (group and individual evaluation and reflection on the artistic process) and feedback process for the playwright and the Players Guild Theatre specific to their play (This portion is for involved artists only)
• Attend the other two new full length plays and stay for post play discussions open to the public
All the above, specifically training and attendance of other shows is expected. This great conservatory style production process is indeed a unique experience for any actor in theatre.
Actor Audition Materials and Requirements
• A resume or come prepared to list your experience and training
• A comprehensive list of conflicts (no additional conflicts may be accepted after call backs)
• A non-musical contemporary monologue, if you have one, specific to your age range
• Clothing you are able to perform comfortable in and with easy
• A folder for all production information
• More information regarding ages, genders, cast sizes, and the plays themselves will be available at the end of April of early May
Call-Backs will be held Wednesday, May 26 (6:30-9:30)
Actors will have the great opportunity to:
• Attend auditions for all roles in the three productions by reading scenes, performing monologues, and executing movement
• Enter into a six week rehearsal period with weekly performance training master classes from area acting professionals and educators. The training master classes will focus on an aspect of performance (voice, body, text, new play development, advanced methods) and include the whole actor’s ensemble
• Act in three performances of a full length new play in the intimate 139 seat Bill Fry arena theatre
• Participate in final performance post-mortem (group and individual evaluation and reflection on the artistic process) and feedback process for the playwright and the Players Guild Theatre specific to their play (This portion is for involved artists only)
• Attend the other two new full length plays and stay for post play discussions open to the public
All the above, specifically training and attendance of other shows is expected. This great conservatory style production process is indeed a unique experience for any actor in theatre.
Actor Audition Materials and Requirements
• A resume or come prepared to list your experience and training
• A comprehensive list of conflicts (no additional conflicts may be accepted after call backs)
• A non-musical contemporary monologue, if you have one, specific to your age range
• Clothing you are able to perform comfortable in and with easy
• A folder for all production information
• More information regarding ages, genders, cast sizes, and the plays themselves will be available at the end of April of early May
Last CALL for Directors and Stage Managers
DIRECTORS: Looking for two (2) guest stage directors
Resume Package due (not posted marked) in office by April 27th
Interviews will be held late April and early May
Includes $500 stipend
STAGE MANAGERS: Looking for three (3) production stage managers
Theatre resume due (not post marked) in office by May 7th
Interviews will be held early May
Volunteer Position – includes free tickets for three full length productions
PLAYS FOR PRODUCTION: Three (3) World Premiere Full Length Plays
The new plays submissions are in review by a team called The Critic’s Circle
The three selected plays for production will be announced near April 30th at
thenewplayconservatory.blogspot.com
Rehearsal begins May 31st and each show runs one weekend in July 2010
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESUME: Email, Post Mail, or Drop Off
Be sure you have read all the production and resume requirements
By EMAIL: All emails must be submitted as RTF files.
Send to jeremy_paul_lewis@yahoo.com
By MAIL: Address Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development
1001 Market Ave N. Canton OH 44702
By DROP OFF: Come Monday through Friday between 11am – 4pm
Use the Canton Museum Parking off Market Ave
Enter through “The Players Guild Theatre Stage Door”
For information: TheNewPlayConservatory.blogspot.com/
Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development 330.453.7619 ex: 500
Resume Package due (not posted marked) in office by April 27th
Interviews will be held late April and early May
Includes $500 stipend
STAGE MANAGERS: Looking for three (3) production stage managers
Theatre resume due (not post marked) in office by May 7th
Interviews will be held early May
Volunteer Position – includes free tickets for three full length productions
PLAYS FOR PRODUCTION: Three (3) World Premiere Full Length Plays
The new plays submissions are in review by a team called The Critic’s Circle
The three selected plays for production will be announced near April 30th at
thenewplayconservatory.blogspot.com
Rehearsal begins May 31st and each show runs one weekend in July 2010
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESUME: Email, Post Mail, or Drop Off
Be sure you have read all the production and resume requirements
By EMAIL: All emails must be submitted as RTF files.
Send to jeremy_paul_lewis@yahoo.com
By MAIL: Address Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development
1001 Market Ave N. Canton OH 44702
By DROP OFF: Come Monday through Friday between 11am – 4pm
Use the Canton Museum Parking off Market Ave
Enter through “The Players Guild Theatre Stage Door”
For information: TheNewPlayConservatory.blogspot.com/
Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development 330.453.7619 ex: 500
24 March 2010
Received Play Submissions and Playwrights
New Play Submissions - Received for Review and Production
in THE NEW PLAY CONSERVATORY Updated April 6th, 2010
playwright deadline - April 9, 2010 - adults
April 17, 2010 - students (now open to undergraduates)
director interviews - end April 2010
actor auditions - mid May 2010
production dates - July 9th through July 25th (one new play each weekend)
Absinthe by Musso, Joe
Anniversary of a Forgotten Occasion by Zinober, Richard
The Ape's Polemic by Bonde, David
Baby Boots by Kim, JeeSue
Barren Shadows by Ophardt, Moriah
Beatrix and Bobby by Ferguson, James
Black Widows by Middaugh, Susan
Body Politic by Altschuler, Beverly
The Canton Project by Hostetler, Matthew
Carry Me Back to WV by Dukore, Lawrence
Dancing with God by Kaufman, Murray
Dies Faustus by Berry, Maggie
The Dying Words of Edison Strange by Gray, Nicholas
Endangered Species by Baum, Tom
Euphoria by Ridge, Mark
The Experts by Rigney, Mark
Fairy Tale Romance by Sapp-Yardwood, Debra
Family Portrait by Guilford-Blake, Evan
The German Lesson by Fowkes, Willian
The Green Gospel by Noe, Tom
Goodbye Memories by Simons, Anita
Heartland by Simons, Anita
Hypathia by Shankle, Bill
Just Neighbors by Donahue, Jack
Last Refuge by Burgan, Michael
Little Scholar by Roberts, Lavinia
Ludwig and Wolfgang by Motz, Frank and Rochelle Haas
The New York Play by Phelan, Anne
Numbnuts by Johanson, Lynn-Steven
Meditation on a Theme by Tabachnick, R. Elena
Momsy by Collier, Adam
Mona Lisa by Burch, Ron
Once Upon a Life by Starzyk, Joe
Out of Court by Fischer, Esta
Peaches En Regalia by Lyons, Steve
Pills by DeVito, Michael
Radio Ridiculous by Orloff, Rich
Refuge by Kornblatt, Marc
Room 414 by Pote, K.P. and Lafayette Bronx
Seeking Flight by Boardman, Joan
Silent Night by Hutchinson, Stephanie
Sirena by Flack, Andrew
Skin Deep by Orloff, Rich
Spiritual Bliss by Cooper, Stephen
Stages of Bloom by Fentress, Liz
Starin' at a Box by Shankle, Bill
Solving Sunflowers by Milton, Patricia
Squeeze Play by Dubois Reed, Katherine
Tango by Valenti, Britain
Then Waves by Kautzman, Anthony
Titus by Newton, Leon
Underneath by Smith, Rob
Wake Me When It's Over by Laurenty, Michael
Waking Up In Brahmin Heights by Campana, Jillian
Wishing Well by Laurenty, Michael
Young Miss Nightingale by Ashby, Sylvia
Thank you to each playwright. Selections will be make near the end of April, 2010
in THE NEW PLAY CONSERVATORY Updated April 6th, 2010
playwright deadline - April 9, 2010 - adults
April 17, 2010 - students (now open to undergraduates)
director interviews - end April 2010
actor auditions - mid May 2010
production dates - July 9th through July 25th (one new play each weekend)
Absinthe by Musso, Joe
Anniversary of a Forgotten Occasion by Zinober, Richard
The Ape's Polemic by Bonde, David
Baby Boots by Kim, JeeSue
Barren Shadows by Ophardt, Moriah
Beatrix and Bobby by Ferguson, James
Black Widows by Middaugh, Susan
Body Politic by Altschuler, Beverly
The Canton Project by Hostetler, Matthew
Carry Me Back to WV by Dukore, Lawrence
Dancing with God by Kaufman, Murray
Dies Faustus by Berry, Maggie
The Dying Words of Edison Strange by Gray, Nicholas
Endangered Species by Baum, Tom
Euphoria by Ridge, Mark
The Experts by Rigney, Mark
Fairy Tale Romance by Sapp-Yardwood, Debra
Family Portrait by Guilford-Blake, Evan
The German Lesson by Fowkes, Willian
The Green Gospel by Noe, Tom
Goodbye Memories by Simons, Anita
Heartland by Simons, Anita
Hypathia by Shankle, Bill
Just Neighbors by Donahue, Jack
Last Refuge by Burgan, Michael
Little Scholar by Roberts, Lavinia
Ludwig and Wolfgang by Motz, Frank and Rochelle Haas
The New York Play by Phelan, Anne
Numbnuts by Johanson, Lynn-Steven
Meditation on a Theme by Tabachnick, R. Elena
Momsy by Collier, Adam
Mona Lisa by Burch, Ron
Once Upon a Life by Starzyk, Joe
Out of Court by Fischer, Esta
Peaches En Regalia by Lyons, Steve
Pills by DeVito, Michael
Radio Ridiculous by Orloff, Rich
Refuge by Kornblatt, Marc
Room 414 by Pote, K.P. and Lafayette Bronx
Seeking Flight by Boardman, Joan
Silent Night by Hutchinson, Stephanie
Sirena by Flack, Andrew
Skin Deep by Orloff, Rich
Spiritual Bliss by Cooper, Stephen
Stages of Bloom by Fentress, Liz
Starin' at a Box by Shankle, Bill
Solving Sunflowers by Milton, Patricia
Squeeze Play by Dubois Reed, Katherine
Tango by Valenti, Britain
Then Waves by Kautzman, Anthony
Titus by Newton, Leon
Underneath by Smith, Rob
Wake Me When It's Over by Laurenty, Michael
Waking Up In Brahmin Heights by Campana, Jillian
Wishing Well by Laurenty, Michael
Young Miss Nightingale by Ashby, Sylvia
Thank you to each playwright. Selections will be make near the end of April, 2010
16 March 2010
Announcing the Critic's Circle
The Critic’s Circle consists of twelve artists divided into four teams. The Director of New Play Development will make script cuts/selections after review of submission material assign 'scripts with promise' to Critic's Circle teams. Each script assigned to the Critic’s Circle will be considered for production in July, 2010. The feedback provided will shape and influence the final selection of three scripts (from one youth and two adult playwrights) made by Josh Erichsen, Producing Artistic Director and Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development.
And we are not just doing a staged reading. We are actually producing three full length plays that will each receive three performances. In addition, all playwrights making it to the Critic's Circle will receive feedback.
Team 1
Judi Christy
Zach Christy
Bethany Taylor
Team 2
Tom Wachunas
Megan McFee
Dan Takacs
Team 3
Amanda Medley
Jon Scavelli
Jen Conklin
Team 4
Stephen Thomas
Carrie Spina
Carole Eaton
Cierra Spina
And we are not just doing a staged reading. We are actually producing three full length plays that will each receive three performances. In addition, all playwrights making it to the Critic's Circle will receive feedback.
Team 1
Judi Christy
Zach Christy
Bethany Taylor
Team 2
Tom Wachunas
Megan McFee
Dan Takacs
Team 3
Amanda Medley
Jon Scavelli
Jen Conklin
Team 4
Stephen Thomas
Carrie Spina
Carole Eaton
Cierra Spina
seeking DIRECTORS and ACTORS
Directing Interviews: Late April - $500 and free weekly master acting classes
Actor Auditions: Mid May - free weekly master acting classes
The Director’s Collaborative (Seeking Guest Directors)
Directors interview at the end of April for two guest director positions and will be paid $500 upon completion of the project. The director’s collaborative will:
• Analyze and stage an actor focused performance
• Lead auditions and assist the Director of New Play Development in casting
• Collaborate with the Director of New Play Development and Players Guild Theatre staff in production meetings, solving problems of production, and establish a welcome and nurturing theatre atmosphere
• Enter collaborative discussions to learn ‘play directing and actor/director relationships’ from Players Guild Theatre staff and established area directors.
• Assist in post play discussions, post-mortems, and performance review feedback
• Enter performance training alongside actors during rehearsal
Directors must be available and willing to perform all the above duties, other additional duties required by the Producing Artistic Director or the Director of New Play Development and be available from mid May to the end of July for auditions, rehearsals/trainings, productions meetings, and performances. See playwright section and below resources for further production information.
Director Resume Package
• Cover letter stating the reason you wish direct at the Players Guild Theatre, what you have to offer as a director (practical strengths and/or philosophy), your definition of a great actor/director relationship, and your experience or interest in directing new works.
• Resume
• Reference page
• Any directing samples (encouraged, by not required – samples will not be returned)
Send Director Packages to:
Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development
Players Guild Theatre
1001 Market Ave North
Canton OH, 44702
The Actor’s Ensemble (Seeking Stage Actors)
Actors will audition mid May, tentatively the week of May 17th and will have the great opportunity to:
• Attend open auditions for all roles in the three productions by reading scenes, performing monologues, and executing movement
• Enter into a six week rehearsal period with weekly performance training master classes from area acting professionals and educators. The training master classes will focus on an aspect of performance (voice, body, text, new play development, advanced methods) and include the whole actor’s ensemble
• Act in three performances of a full length new play in the intimate 139 seat Bill Fry arena theatre
• Participate in final performance post-mortem (group and individual evaluation and reflection on the artistic process) and feedback process for the playwright and the Players Guild Theatre specific to their play (This portion is for involved artists only)
• Attend the other two new full length plays and stay for post play discussions open to the public
All the above, specifically training and attendance of other shows is expected. This great conservatory style production process is indeed a unique experience for any actor in theatre.
Actor Audition Materials and Requirements
• A resume or come prepared to list your experience and training
• A comprehensive list of conflicts (no additional conflicts may be accepted after call backs)
• A non-musical contemporary monologue, if you have one, specific to your age range
• Clothing you are able to perform comfortable in and with easy
• A folder for all production information
• More information regarding ages, genders, cast sizes, and the plays themselves will be available at the end of April of early May
Actor Involvement and Information Requests:
Jeremy Lewis
Director of New Play Development
330.453.7619 ex: 500
Actor Auditions: Mid May - free weekly master acting classes
The Director’s Collaborative (Seeking Guest Directors)
Directors interview at the end of April for two guest director positions and will be paid $500 upon completion of the project. The director’s collaborative will:
• Analyze and stage an actor focused performance
• Lead auditions and assist the Director of New Play Development in casting
• Collaborate with the Director of New Play Development and Players Guild Theatre staff in production meetings, solving problems of production, and establish a welcome and nurturing theatre atmosphere
• Enter collaborative discussions to learn ‘play directing and actor/director relationships’ from Players Guild Theatre staff and established area directors.
• Assist in post play discussions, post-mortems, and performance review feedback
• Enter performance training alongside actors during rehearsal
Directors must be available and willing to perform all the above duties, other additional duties required by the Producing Artistic Director or the Director of New Play Development and be available from mid May to the end of July for auditions, rehearsals/trainings, productions meetings, and performances. See playwright section and below resources for further production information.
Director Resume Package
• Cover letter stating the reason you wish direct at the Players Guild Theatre, what you have to offer as a director (practical strengths and/or philosophy), your definition of a great actor/director relationship, and your experience or interest in directing new works.
• Resume
• Reference page
• Any directing samples (encouraged, by not required – samples will not be returned)
Send Director Packages to:
Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development
Players Guild Theatre
1001 Market Ave North
Canton OH, 44702
The Actor’s Ensemble (Seeking Stage Actors)
Actors will audition mid May, tentatively the week of May 17th and will have the great opportunity to:
• Attend open auditions for all roles in the three productions by reading scenes, performing monologues, and executing movement
• Enter into a six week rehearsal period with weekly performance training master classes from area acting professionals and educators. The training master classes will focus on an aspect of performance (voice, body, text, new play development, advanced methods) and include the whole actor’s ensemble
• Act in three performances of a full length new play in the intimate 139 seat Bill Fry arena theatre
• Participate in final performance post-mortem (group and individual evaluation and reflection on the artistic process) and feedback process for the playwright and the Players Guild Theatre specific to their play (This portion is for involved artists only)
• Attend the other two new full length plays and stay for post play discussions open to the public
All the above, specifically training and attendance of other shows is expected. This great conservatory style production process is indeed a unique experience for any actor in theatre.
Actor Audition Materials and Requirements
• A resume or come prepared to list your experience and training
• A comprehensive list of conflicts (no additional conflicts may be accepted after call backs)
• A non-musical contemporary monologue, if you have one, specific to your age range
• Clothing you are able to perform comfortable in and with easy
• A folder for all production information
• More information regarding ages, genders, cast sizes, and the plays themselves will be available at the end of April of early May
Actor Involvement and Information Requests:
Jeremy Lewis
Director of New Play Development
330.453.7619 ex: 500
03 February 2010
NEW FULL LENGTH PLAY SUBMISSION DETAILS
Scripts must be new, un-produced plays (scripts may only have had a non-profit or academic staged reading)
Adults (local, national, or international, ages 18 and older)
· Two non-musical scripts will be selected, all genres encouraged
· Selected adult playwrights will be paid $90 ($30 per performance)
· There is NO submission fee
Students (must live in Stark County, OH or attend a Stark County high school or middle school)
· One non-musical script will be selected, all genres encouraged
· Selected student (or group) playwright is unpaid, but will have the chance
· There is NO submission fee
All Submission
Packages must include materials in this order:
(1) Letter of interest stating your passion for your script, why you wrote it, and your submission status (student or adult)
(2) Résumé
(3) A one page synopsis
(4) Two complete, numbered copies of script(s)* including a title/contact page, a character description page, and a scene breakdown & general properties page
*Scripts should NOT be bound, but may be connected by clip and/or three hole punched.
Deadline: Post-marked on or before Friday, April 9, 2010
Send Completed Script Packages to:
Players Guild Theatre
c/o Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development
1001 Market Ave N
Canton , OH 44702
Adults (local, national, or international, ages 18 and older)
· Two non-musical scripts will be selected, all genres encouraged
· Selected adult playwrights will be paid $90 ($30 per performance)
· There is NO submission fee
Students (must live in Stark County, OH or attend a Stark County high school or middle school)
· One non-musical script will be selected, all genres encouraged
· Selected student (or group) playwright is unpaid, but will have the chance
· There is NO submission fee
All Submission
Packages must include materials in this order:
(1) Letter of interest stating your passion for your script, why you wrote it, and your submission status (student or adult)
(2) Résumé
(3) A one page synopsis
(4) Two complete, numbered copies of script(s)* including a title/contact page, a character description page, and a scene breakdown & general properties page
*Scripts should NOT be bound, but may be connected by clip and/or three hole punched.
Deadline: Post-marked on or before Friday, April 9, 2010
Send Completed Script Packages to:
Players Guild Theatre
c/o Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development
1001 Market Ave N
Canton , OH 44702
THE NEW PLAY CONSERVATORY
Event and Involvement Outline
First Phase (February 1st – April 9th)
Playwrights and ‘The Critic’s Circle’ Playwrights and theatre groups (adult and student) submit new, un-produced
full length plays to compete for one of three production slots
Theatre artists, writers, and students request to collaborate as The Critic’s Circle, a discussion group providing feedback to the playwright and professional staff
Second Phase (April 9th – May 1st)
Script Selection and Guest Directors
Professional staff will select two adult and one youth written script to be produced in the intimate 139 seat Bill Fry theatre
Directors interview for two guest director positions and will analyze and stage an actor focused performance in conservatory style as well as enter performance training alongside actors
Third Phase (May 15th – July 7th)
Auditions and Conservatory Rehearsal
Actors attend open auditions for all roles in the three productions by reading scenes, performing monologues, and executing movement
Selected actors enter into conservatory rehearsal and training with the play’s director under professional staff as they work toward developing a full length play
Fourth Phase (July 8th – July 25th)
Performances and Audience
Each weekend in July features three performance of a new full length play and will close with an artists post mortem (an open discussion and review of the process) with all artists in attendance
Audiences are encourage to attend all performance via a bundle package including an audience and artist post play discussion
For Event Information and Involvement Procedures Contact:
Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development
330.453.7619 ex. 500
Event and Involvement Outline
First Phase (February 1st – April 9th)
Playwrights and ‘The Critic’s Circle’ Playwrights and theatre groups (adult and student) submit new, un-produced
full length plays to compete for one of three production slots
Theatre artists, writers, and students request to collaborate as The Critic’s Circle, a discussion group providing feedback to the playwright and professional staff
Second Phase (April 9th – May 1st)
Script Selection and Guest Directors
Professional staff will select two adult and one youth written script to be produced in the intimate 139 seat Bill Fry theatre
Directors interview for two guest director positions and will analyze and stage an actor focused performance in conservatory style as well as enter performance training alongside actors
Third Phase (May 15th – July 7th)
Auditions and Conservatory Rehearsal
Actors attend open auditions for all roles in the three productions by reading scenes, performing monologues, and executing movement
Selected actors enter into conservatory rehearsal and training with the play’s director under professional staff as they work toward developing a full length play
Fourth Phase (July 8th – July 25th)
Performances and Audience
Each weekend in July features three performance of a new full length play and will close with an artists post mortem (an open discussion and review of the process) with all artists in attendance
Audiences are encourage to attend all performance via a bundle package including an audience and artist post play discussion
For Event Information and Involvement Procedures Contact:
Jeremy Lewis, Director of New Play Development
330.453.7619 ex. 500
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