Play Reading of LULLABY FOR WINNIE in New Works Festival
The reading is taking place May 15 through May 25.
Dr. Allan Stewart, aside from being a veterinary internal medicine specialist, is also an award-winning playwright from the Bay Area and a fellow from the Dramatist Guild Foundation National Cohort. He dedicated his first chapter of his life to helping animals and preserving the human animal bond. Now, he dedicates his playwriting to dramatizing important ethical questions and often uses animals to help with those questions. His play Lullaby for Winnie will be coming to NYC as part of the CreateTheater 4th Annual New Works Festival.
As to where the inspiration for his plays come from, Stewart says, "As a veterinary internist I saw countless times when pet ownership helped clients through some very difficult times. Oftentimes these were times of grieving or periods of solitude. I wanted to find a theatrical story and device that could embody those emotions well. I believe this play, Lullaby for Winnie, does it in an exemplary fashion. It's a taut drama made tolerable by the warmth and compassion the characters feel for Winnie, the great Dane (who is portrayed by a puppet)."
"The spark for this paticular play initiated when my director and dramaturg was diagnosed with ALS. It felt like a big bomb exploding. Also, the support she received from the local theatrical family was inspiring. At the same time, I diagnosed an untreatable cancer in our own miniature poodle, Phinneas, who had an indominable spirit. My husband and I lived with the constant concern of when we would have to euthanize him so that he never suffered. The concern for his quality of life was paramount for us. We served him well."
CreateTheater's New Works Festival, under the artistic direction of Off-Broadway producer Cate Cammarata, has a mission to support, develop and celebrate new plays and musicals and the theatermakers who create them. Stewart is a member of CreateTheater's Experts Theater Company (ETC) and partially developed the play in the company.
"I'm incredibly excited to be working with Cate Cammarata and the New Works Theatre Festival," Stewart added. "Cate has been incredibly supportive and helpful and encouraging throughout the process of getting this staged reading put together."
Dedicated to nurturing new voices and bold stories, the CreateTheater New Works Festival has become a launching pad for innovative work and original voices in American theater. Lullaby for Winnie is a contemporary, human story that reflects the vitality and diversity of today's new play landscape. "Our mission has always been to provide a platform where new work can be developed, supported, and celebrated," said Cammarata, Founder and Artistic Director of CreateTheater. "This play is moving and effective at helping us ask the right questions in regards to people in our midst with disabilities. And I believe that Alan Stewart's voice should be known in NYC. I hope you'll join us for Lullaby for Winnie."
ABOUT CREATETHEATER's NEW WORKS FESTIVAL
CreateTheater has been helping writers develop and produce their work since the company was launched in 2016 by Cate Cammarata, an Off-Broadway producer, director and dramaturg.
In 2020 CreateTheater created a resident company, the Experts Theater Company (ETC), to work with a smaller group of writers to personally develop their scripts and to guide them through to production.
The New Works Festival is a collaborative series produced by CreateTheater for ETC members whose shows are ready for their first developmental production in NYC. Past festivals have led to full productions, publishing deals, and commercial interest for participating artists.
The 2025 New Works Festival is possible thanks to the donations to the festival last year. Every penny donated in 2024 went directly into the costs of securing this space to support and encourage new work.
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