University of Texas at Austin Showcases New Plays in UTNT, Now thru 12/7

The University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance at Austin presents UTNT (UT New Theatre), today, December 3, through the 7th at the Lab Theatre. Now in its eighth iteration, this annual showcase brings to stage dynamic works by third-year Master of Fine Arts Playwriting candidates Patrick Shaw, Eva Suter, Diana Lynn Small and Brian Kettler. Curated by Steven Dietz and Cara Phipps, these new stories explore a prodigal daughter's return, mysteries at a school, a fight for humanity, and a stranger's arrival prompting unexpected discoveries.

UTNT curator and UT professor Steven Dietz shares, "Tomorrow's plays are at UTNT today. UTNT is known as the launching pad to award winning and widely produced new work for the American stage. Our 2014 plays once again represent the ambition, theatrical verve, and compelling contemporary stories that have become a hallmark of UTNT. With four new plays in rep, major American artistic directors on-site as respondents, and collaborative teams drawn from UT and the local professional community, UTNT is an electric place to glimpse tomorrow's plays today."

The university's Department of Theatre and Dance and Michener Center for Writers have been heralded nationally as incubators for new work (American Theatre). Notable alumni of these programs include Lisa D'Amour (2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Detroit), Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig (2011 Wasserstein Award Recipient), George Brant (2008 Keene Prize for Literature, Elephant's Graveyard), Kimber Lee (2013-2014 Lark Fellow), and Kirk Lynn (2011 USA Fellow in Theatre Arts).

Preview Productions of:

Karlstad

By Patrick Shaw

Directed by Tamara Carroll

December 3 at 7: 30 p.m. and December 6 at 2:00 p.m.

Sally and Pam's roommate, Jules, leaves them in the lurch when she takes off for Germany to understand her roots. Now, in the mysterious company of their new middle-aged German sublessee, the young women begin to question if they're living the life they feel they deserve. But when Jules returns with a second German stranger, they uncover an improbable link between the Occupy movement, East German prisons, and the cheap furniture filling their lower Manhattan apartment.

Patrick Shaw writes plays, acts, dances, and makes music. His scripts have been produced at The Flea, The Drilling Company, Galapagos Art Space, Cherry Pit, Hudson River Guild, Flushnik Art Space, Bradley University (Peoria), Gorilla Tango (Chicago), the Frontera Fest (Austin), and has developed work at Norm's Fish Camp. A Miracle Study and Autobiography of a Sparrow, and Lushly have all been semifinalists for the National Playwrights Conference, and his play, HAMLETTES, was a finalist for the Lark Workshop and was later published by Playscripts, Inc. A graduate of Kenyon College and the National Theater Institute, Patrick has performed with Spessard Dance, Bakerloo Theatre Project, the Duplicates, and Underbelly. He was a founding member of FullStop Collective.

Hold Me Well

By Eva Suter

Directed by Katie Bender

December 4 at 7:30 p.m. and December 6 at 11:00 a.m.

Years ago, a brutal war wiped out half of the world's population (the half with Y chromosomes). Now a group of women protect a cooler containing the hope for humanity's future. As dangerous forces loom nearer and nearer, paranoia and jealousy turn shadows of trees into grabbing hands and misunderstanding into betrayal. In a world where so much has changed, what is still the same?

Eva Suter is a Northwest based writer, theatere artist, and M.F.A. candidate through the Michener Center at UT Austin. In Portland, Oregon, Eva was a founding member of The Working Theatre Collective, a DIY based company dedicated to the production of new and devised works in unexpected spaces. Eva is a Portland Drammy recipient for Medusa, A Perfectly Normal Girl (2010) and an Oregon Literary Arts Fellow in Drama (2012). In the last year she was a participant in The Great Plains Theatre Conference We Only Go Home in Retrograde and Theater Masters' Nona Who Swallowed a Bird.

Good Day

By Diana Lynn Small

Directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh

December 5 at 7:30 p.m. and December 7 at 2:00 p.m.

A prodigal daughter returns home, only she can't get any farther than the front lawn. When three seemingly inconsequential strangers arrive for house calls, she's pulled and pushed towards the front door and a life-changing confession. Under the auspices of California sunshine and a suburban wasp's nest, an average "good day" is revealed to be made-up of so much more in this meditation on grief and reconciliation.

Diana Lynn Small makes art for a live audience. She writes, acts, and directs for the stage. Diana is a M.F.A. candidate in the Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas at Austin focusing on playwriting and poetry. She's made new theatre with Westmont College (Muéveme Muévete, Beauty Bomb, They Must Be Wings, Jupiter I Love You, Songs for Girls), UT Austin (Suspicious Dinner, Be Still and Know Nothing), Theatre Masters (Dogfight), the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (We're Still Kids), Ratatat Theater Group (Nina in the Morning), FronteraFest (Mad & a Goat) and ZACH Theatre (Dream: A Midsummer Forrest Tour). She's a member of the Lit Moon Theatre Company. She co-formed the music collective, Patience, which premiered its rock-narrative Water Will Rise in 2010. Diana returns to stories about the American West, past and present. She grew up in Martinez, California. Diana's new play Enter a Woman, Pretty Enough will premiere as part of the UT season in March 2015.

Lyla School

By Brian Kettler

Directed by Jess Hutchinson

December 6 at 7:30 p.m. and December 7 at 5:00 p.m.

Mary and Ahmed are best friends at Lyla School, a progressive, arts-based academy. They are driven apart when a violent event occurs during a process-drama simulation. Twenty years later, they reconnect as broken adults. Still haunted by their shared, tragic past, they fight to move forward with their lives and uncover the lingering mysteries of Lyla School.

Brian is a third-year M.F.A. candidate in playwriting at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a graduate of Kenyon College and the National Theater Institute. He was the recipient of the 2012 Oregon Literary Fellowship in Drama. His full-length plays include In School Suspension, Personal and Poor Boys' Chorus, which premiered at UT earlier this year. His short play, Clown Room, was featured in the 2014 Theater Masters National M.F.A. Playwrights Festival, with productions in Aspen and New York City.

For more information on UTNT (UT New Theatre), visit www.JoinTheDrama.org.

The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance presents UTNT (UT New Theatre) at the Lab Theatre (300 E. 23rd St.), located west of the F. Loren Winship Drama Building. A map of the campus: www.utexas.edu/finearts/tad/season-tickets/map-directions-parking.

Purchase one ticket to each of the four UTNT productions with the First on the Scene Ticket Package and save 50%! The $20 Ticket Package is only available through Friday, December 5 and must be purchased in-person at Texas Performing Arts' Bass Concert Hall Box Office (2350 Robert Dedman Dr.).

Purchase single tickets online, by phone at 512-477-6060 or 800-982-BEVO or in-person at Texas Performing Arts' Bass Concert Hall Box Office (2350 Robert Dedman Dr.) and F. Loren Winship Drama Building Box Office (300 E. 23rd St.).

ABOUT TEXAS THEATRE AND DANCE - The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.

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