Corkscrew Theater Festival Announces Inaugural Season at Paradise Factory

Corkscrew Theater Festival Artistic Director Thomas Kapusta announced the new festival today, which features 45 performances of 10 world premiere plays in repertory over 4 weeks this summer at the Paradise Factory Theatre.

Corkscrew Theater Festival aims to increase access to production opportunities for a varied set of early-career artists, especially those developing work through innovative and unusual collaborative models.

Performances begin on August 7, 2017 and run through September 3, 2017.

Kapusta said, "Through Corkscrew's open submission process, we found artists who were seeking to redefine creative roles and make theater in new ways. Every play in our festival, from the productions to the reading series, is marked by a central, generative collaborative relationship between artists. The festival will work closely with each team to nurture that relationship and foster a community among festival participants and audiences."

Though there was no thematic suggestion for festival submissions, nonetheless a through-line emerged. "Corkscrew's plays center on an urgent need to be seen - by the institution that won't listen to you, by the sibling whose struggles affect both of you, by the boyfriend who doesn't understand that you're turning into a werewolf," said Kapusta. "We're proud to give these artists and these stories - some joyful, some tragic, some hilarious - the chance to be seen and heard in repertory at Corkscrew Theater Festival."

Corkscrew Theater Festival is a partnership between The Brewing Dept., a nonprofit theater collective that seeks to improve and remake the traditional model of theatrical production according to the principles of artistic collaboration, and producer Alexander Donnelly's Fortress Productions. Fortress's work on Broadway includes Sunday in the Park with George, Waitress (Co-producer) and Oh Hello. Alex's other credits include Dream Ticket (Fringe Festival, nominated for best director) and Plath (Fringe Festival, sold out run and nationally reviewed), both of which made the Producer's Perspective list of "10 shows that stand out at Fringe." Most recently, Fortress co-produced Providence, RI in The Tank's Flint and Tinder series.

Tickets for the festival will go on sale June 1, 2017. All performances will take place at the Paradise Factory (64 E 4th St). Visit corkscrewfestival.org for more information.

PRODUCTIONS:

High School Coven

August 8 - August 20, 2017

by Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, directed by Felicia Lobo

TBH high school is v v v hard, especially if you're a witch! Liana, Naomi, Rachel, and Trina form a coven to cope with the pressures of being a teenage girl, like finding the perfect homecoming dress, locating a suitable familiar, and something more sinister -- reporting sexual assault within the education system. Join us for this dark comedy about female friendship and the art of magick!

Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin is a Brooklyn­based writer, producer, designer & performer. Founding member of Undiscovered Countries, co­-creator of original series 2 Girls | 1 Asian. Recent credits include Ambition: the female American serial killer musical (Ars Nova, Tom Noonan's Paradise Factory, Dixon Place); wardrobe at Blue Man Group; writer for upcoming series BKPI created by Hye Yun Park. BFA, NYU.

Felicia Lobo is a Brooklyn-based director who specializes in horror and fantastical theatre. BFA: NYU Tisch Drama, Atlantic Acting School (2014). Co-Artistic Director of Insomnium Theatre Company and Literary and Community Manager of Pipeline Theatre Company.

All of My Blood

August 11 - August 20, 2017

by Robert Zander Norman, directed by Taylor Haven Holt

A young woman struggles to articulate her feelings and meaningfully communicate with the people around her, including her boyfriend. The difficulty is exacerbated by the fact that she may be becoming a werewolf.

Robert Zander Norman is from San Jose, California. He is the founder and publisher of curtainboy books and a graduate of NYU's Dramatic Writing program. His plays have been performed in New York and the Bay Area.

Taylor Haven Holt is a New York based director and choreographer currently serving as the Assistant Director for the 1st National Tour of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Select directing: Peter Turo's Aerosmith for Slow-Dancing (TinyRhino), Cary Gitter's My Only Friend is Jesse... (EST), Balloon Boy (NYMF), The Sasquatch Project (MTF), Factory Girls (54 Below), David Jacobi's The Battle of Coney Island (Theater Masters/C.O.W. Theater). Select associate/assistant directing: Cirque du Soleil's Paramour (Broadway, Lyric Theatre), Hand to God (Broadway & MCC).

False Stars

August 18 - August 27, 2017

by Nora Sørena Casey, developed in collaboration with the cast and creative team

directed by Jenny Reed

When neuroscientist Larry Neils falls ill, his rapid decline lures an unlikely group to his home in Oxford, Mississippi. As visitors from Larry's complicated past and present lay claim to his legacy, family and community tensions are exposed in a searching series of reveals. Putting a sharply funny modern twist on the Southern Gothic family drama, False Stars unravels a timely tale about six individuals striving to find fulfillment in a society that can't seem to recognize them.

Nora Sørena Casey is a playwright currently pursuing her MFA at Columbia University. Her full-length plays include Take the Car (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Dreams of Malinche (Everyday Inferno), and Not Afraid (PowerOut). A frequent collaborator with The Motor Company, her free, site-specific plays include Derek and the Sheep, Intimate Bar Plays, and Absolutely Somewhere. Nora is the 2016 and 2017 Playwright-In-Residence with Athena Theatre Company and a member of Project Y's playwriting group.

Jenny Reed is a director and co-Artistic Director of The Pack. Recent projects include Trapper (4th Street Theater/The Shelter Theater), Future Honey (59E59, Edinburgh Fringe Festival/The Pack), Houseworld (New York Magazine Critics Pick), Broken Bone Bathtub (Best Solo Performance, NY Innovation Theater Awards), Death of A Salesman (RTA). As an assistant director she has worked for Aya Ogawa, Connie Grappo, and Lee Sunday Evans. She is an associate for Young Jean Lee.

Ex Habitus

August 23 - September 3, 2017

by Lilla Goettler and Katie Hathaway, directed by Lilla Goettler

Holly and Miles are heirs to an etiquette dynasty. Following in the footsteps of their aspiring media-moguls best friends, Ben & Jen, Holly and Miles launch a new brand targeted at manner-less #millennials. Will privilege, politesse, and podcasts save them from destroying one another?

Katie Hathaway is an interdisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. Her plays and musicals have been performed and developed at Ars Nova, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, The Flea Theater, New Dramatists, The Bushwick Starr, Dixon Place, The Prelude Festival, New York Musical Theatre Festival, Joe's Pub, the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, and the Yale Institute For Music Theater. She is a MacDowell Colony fellow, New Georges affiliated artist, and an alumna of Barnard College; she received her MFA in playwriting from Brooklyn College.

Lilla Goettler (Director/Co-Writer) Recent directing/writing credits include: Stacking the Brooms (Ars Nova ANT Fest), Far Away (Barnard College) and the world premiere of Sarah Sander's Playgrounds. Recent assistant credits include: Dear ElizaBeth By Sarah Ruhl (WP Theater), Nomads by Julia Jarcho (Incubator Arts) and Bright Half Life by Tanya Barfield (WP Theater).

Cradle Two Grave

August 25 - September 3, 2017

by Morgaine Gooding-Silverwood, directed by Morgaine Gooding-Silverwood & Raquel Chavez

Combining elements of Greek tragedy with contemporary devised theatre, Cradle Two Grave uses authentic found recordings, interviews, original music and raw text to draw its audience into the ongoing tug-of-war between twin sisters and chronic mental illness. While our patient Frances takes us on a journey through the fraught history of mental illness by way of her own experiences in and out of treatment, her twin sister, Mo, grapples with her own fears and frustrations. Mo ultimately comes to terms with that which she cannot control - her sister's diagnosis, and her unconditional love for the diagnosed.

Morgaine Gooding-Silverwood is a theatre artist and activist based in New York who draws on their background in gender studies and Theatre of the Oppressed in their work as a theatre educator with incarcerated women. Endeavoring to bridge physical aesthetic with an authentic queer voice, Mo became a training artist with Siti Company, where they began development of Cradle Two Grave.

Raquel Chavez is a theater artist based in NYC by way of the Bay Area. Infused by her training in jazz and modern dance, her work strives to explore the subtle, yet meaningful junction of physical theater and choreographic storytelling, while keeping a watchful eye on the socio-political tides that shape our emotional landscapes.

Reading Series

A Day in the Life: A Performance Piece of Performance Pieces

August 7, 2017

by Uzunma Udeh, directed by Uzunma Udeh & Ann-Kathryne Mills

One day, one black woman, and every style of performance art that NEEDS to be lampooned!

Mad Cool

August 11, 2017

by Ayo Edebiri and Nick Parker, directed by Diane Chen

Daniel's white, Tina's black, and they're finally moving in together - into gentrifying Brooklyn on the hottest day of the year. What could go wrong?

Hot Cross Buns

August 14, 2017

book and lyrics by Julia Izumi, music and lyrics by Grace Oberhofer, directed by Logan Reed

A twisted musical comedy about one lady bunny's journey to understand the meaning of life. Nothing fluffy about it.

Gonzo

August 18, 2017

by Laura Winters, directed by Noam Shapiro

Miami's amateur porn world isn't just spray tans and Snap filters -- for the women in Gonzo, it's a constant battle over who gets filmed and who gets f***ed.

The New Order

August 25, 2017

by Ryan Bernsten, directed by Kristin Skye Hoffmann

A family of survivors begins to rebuild their lives after a worldwide nuclear holocaust, until an order of otherworldly Sisters arrives at their farm to punish them for their past sins and establish a new balance of power.