Mike Bencivenga to Receive Abingdon's 2014 Christopher Brian Wolk Award

Abingdon Theatre Company announces that playwright Mike Bencivenga, author of the recent Off-Broadway hit Billy & Ray, will receive its 2014 Christopher Brian Wolk Award for his play SUMMER ON FIRE. A presentation of the award and staged reading of the play is set for Monday, December 15, starting at 7:00pm in the June Havoc Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, in Manhattan.

In an ongoing effort to recognize excellence in playwriting, Abingdon established the Christopher Brian Wolk Award to be presented annually to a writer of a full-length play not produced in New York City. The award is based upon the writer's demonstrated ability to reach a mature artistic vision. The honor includes a $1,000 cash award and staged reading of the winning script.

SUMMER ON FIRE is a comedy about sexual misconduct, political turmoil, burgeoning fame, elusive justice, and long-lasting love. Due to a scheduling snafu, an ultra-right wing commentator for FOX News must share his Fire Island rental home with a decidedly left-wing young, lesbian singer and her girlfriend. The clash of politics and personalities make for a lively Labor Day weekend in the summer of 2008.

The cast and director of the reading are to be announced.

SUMMER ON FIRE was nominated along with five other scripts from nearly 400 play submissions submitted to Abingdon during its 2013-2014 season. A selection committee, including actors, directors, playwrights, determined the winning script. Mr. Bencivenga's script was chosen through a blind selection process through which the judges did not know the name or other identifying information about the playwrights of the nominated scripts.

The finalists for this year's award are Richard Atkins for DelikateSSen; Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich for Romeo Chang; Martyna Majok for Petty Harbour; Jenny Seidelman for Henry Moore Is Melting; and Howard Waxman for 18 Villa Seurat.

Since 2001, the Christopher Brian Wolk Award has been given annually to playwrights for full-length scripts submitted to Abingdon during its current season. The award is named after Christopher Brian Wolk, a talented and creative actor, musician, singer, writer and composer who died in an accident in National Glacier Park, Montana. To honor his memory, Abingdon Theatre Company and the Wolk family created the award to celebrate excellence in playwriting. Christopher worked extensively with Abingdon including both the workshop and the main stage productions of Zona, The Ghost of Greenbrier.

During his career, Mike Bencivenga has written, directed, produced and acted in one-act and full-length plays (with MTC and Lightning Strikes Theater Company) as well as improv comedy (as one of the Chainsaw Boys) and sketch comedy in New York, Chicago, Boston and LA. In addition to SUMMER ON FIRE, Bencivenga's full-length plays include Single Bullet Theory, Couplets (a play with music that he created using Shakespeare's sonnets as the dialogue and lyrics), Billy & Ray, and Bad Hearts. In 2013, Billy & Ray won the prestigious W. Keith Hedrick Award for best play and enjoyed a sold out, extended run at The Falcon Theatre in Burbank. The production, directed by the great Garry Marshall, was described by the LA Times as "a delicious world premiere." Billy & Ray just completed a successful, extended Off-Broadway run at The Vineyard Theatre. For film, he wrote and directed Losers in Love starring Nick Searcy and co-wrote and directed Happy Hour starring Anthony LaPaglia and Eric Stoltz. Bencivenga is also an Emmy Award-winning editor/producer at WABC-TV in New York. He attended Adelphi University and NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Beginning February 27, Abingdon Theatre Company continues its 22nd season with the Off-Broadway premiere of Iddo Netanyahu's A Happy End, directed by Alex Dmitriev. Last year's Christopher Brian Wolk Award winner, Mallorca by Sheldon Bull, concludes the season with a run beginning May 29. Dedicated to developing and producing vibrant new plays by emergining and established playwrights, Abingdon is led by Artistic Director Jan Buttram and Managing Director Heather Henderson.

The Christopher Brian Wolk Award ceremony honoring Mike Bencivenga and reading of SUMMER ON FIRE takes place on Monday, December 15, in the June Havoc Theatre (312 West 36th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) beginning at 7:00pm. A reception follows the staged reading. The ceremony and reception are open to the public free of charge. No reservations are necessary.

Photo by Jennifer Broski

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