BWW Previews: New Twist on FINNIGAN'S FESTIVAL OF DERBY CITY PLAYWRIGHTS

It's no secret that Louisville has an abundance of theatre. With so many shows and production companies, there is no dearth of opportunity for actors, directors and designers to get involved and do what they love to do. What perhaps are lacking in the community are platforms for local playwrights to showcase their work. That's where Finnigan's Festival, founded by Brian Walker in 2007, comes in.

Walker began producing his own plays 10 years ago and drew significant attention as a local playwright mounting his work in the community, which led to the idea of Finnigan Productions and its subsequent festival. "Playwrights just started sending me stuff and asking me questions about playwriting," he recalls. "And I thought, there are so many playwrights who don't have really have a platform...so I thought it would be nice to have something for the locals to see their work done and then also grow and become better at their craft."

Held every Spring in The Bard's Town Theatre, the festival is composed of 10 fully produced ten-minute plays written by Louisville-based playwrights. Each of those plays is then directed by a local director and is filled out by a chorus of 15 local actors that take part in multiple shows. To allow 10 different plays to be performed, along with the two minute plays that are interspersed throughout the others, the set simply consists of nine black rehearsal cubes, and, as Walker explains, "each director has the nine at their disposal, and they can design their stage however they want using the nine cubes." With such momentous potential and an artist ensemble of 35 individuals, the environment inevitably becomes a fecund hotbed for creative growth and development.

Walker is ecstatic about the opportunities provided to local artists - especially the playwrights. While the festival for the past seven years has allowed anyone to submit a play for consideration - Walker claims he would receive anywhere from 30 to 50 submissions a year - this year things are getting a little more exclusive. Instead of being Finnigan's Festival of Funky Fresh Fun, as it has been called for the past seven years, this time, the name is Finnigan's Festival of Derby City Playwrights, indicating the fact that all 10 plays are works written by the members of the Derby City Playwrights.

"It's a new play development lab for local playwrights," Walker says of the company. "We meet once a month; we bring pages of plays in progress to the meetings; we read each others work; we give feedback on it. The goal is for each of the 12 of us in the group to have a full-length play at the end of the season that we will present to the community as a staged reading for feedback."

Walker founded the company along with David Clark last year and is thrilled that Finnigan's Festival can now showcase the work of these very dedicated playwrights. Because it was formerly open to anyone and everyone, the festival would often receive submissions that were not written by individuals who truly wanted to focus on playwriting. By limiting the festival to the Derby City Playwrights, Walker hopes more long-term artistic growth can be achieved.

The works featured in the festival are not necessarily the more expansive projects the playwrights are working on, but rather more concise works that illustrates to the community the playwrights' artistic capabilities and potential. Going forward, the festival will continue to feature the Derby City Playwrights. The selection process for season two of the company will be open July 1-15, and Walker expects both new and old faces to show up for the coming year and consequently next year's festival.

It is undeniable that Finnigan's Festival of Derby City Playwrights provides an unparalleled setting for local talent. But one of Walker's favorite aspects of the festival is the artistic collaboration the festival both encourages and, ultimately, demands. "I think this is great way for a lot of people to cross paths who maybe wouldn't have," he muses. By bringing together such an array of talent and creating a festival that is entirely local in each component, it is clear that Walker's festival will encourage creativity, artistry and, above all, collaboration for years to come.

This year's Finnigan's Festival of Derby City Playwrights will feature playwrights Ben Unwin, Amanda Haan, David Clark, Becky LeCron, Todd Zeigler*, Eli Keel, Bryce Woodard, Tad Chitwood, Rachel White and Brian Walker, with Nancy Gall-Clayton and Ben Gierhart serving as writers of the two-minute plays.

The festival will take place April 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30pm at The Bard's Town Theatre, located at 1801 Bardstown Road. Tickets are $16 and may be purchased by calling The Finnigan Box Office at 502.876.0532 or emailing finniganproductions@gmail.com.

(*Editor's note: Todd Zeigler is BroadwayWorld.com regional editor for Louisville.)

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