Summer Play Festival (SPF) Announces Ongoing Programs

The Summer Play Festival (SPF), apart from presenting 15 shows at Theatre Row in July, will continue its advanced programming to nurture playwrights and other theatre artist. The SPF Programs occur during and after the festival.

A list of upcoming programs and events follows.

Naked Angel's / Summer Play Festival Thursdays@9

Every Thursday at 9:00 during the Summer Play Festival Naked Angels and SPF collaborate to create a free reading series for writers and actors who want the opportunity to have their work seen and heard by an audience and their peers. This program is based on Naked Angels' popular reading series Tuesdays@9.

SPF July Industry Panels

During the second and fourth Monday in July (7/10 and 7/24) SPF will house free industry related panels for the public with theatre's elite to discuss the present position and future direction of theatre. Panelists will include playwrights Adam Rapp and Theresa Rebeck among others. Interested parties should visit www.spfnyc.com for location and times. Attendees should reserve seats by emailing info@spfnyc.com for the panels interested in attending.

Donmar Residency Program

Two writers showcased at the Summer Play Festival are selected and sent to work with the award winning Donmar Warehouse in London as part of a writer's residency program. The three-month program allows the writers to work intimately with the artistic staff of the theatre to nurture their craft while engulfing themselves in the culture of the London theatre scene. Last year Michelle Carter (Ted Kaczynski Killed People with Bombs) and Kristoffer Diaz (Welcome to Arroyos) attended the program.

Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting Industry Panels

Throughout the year, the MOFTB and SPF co-produce free panels addressing careers in acting, theatre management and theatrical production and support. The program is intended to educate New Yorkers about the diverse job roles in the industry, and connect them with resources, organizations and opportunities in the field. The last two panels occurred in January and April. Past panelists included: Steve Winton, CEO of Clear Channel Theatrical and Harold Wolpert, Managing Director of the Roundabout Theatre Company, Michael Hurst, Managing Director of The Public Theater, Amy Jacobs, General Manager at Nina Lannan Associates, Gene O'Donovan, President of Aurora Productions Inc., and William Russo, General Manager of Playwrights Horizons. Two more panels are planned for after the Festival.
The production lineup for this year's Summer Play Festival is:

The Butcherhouse Chronicles by Michael P. Hidalgo, directed by Thomas Caruso, is "a darkly comic horror show about four high school students in search of their missing history teacher."

Father Joy by Sheri Wilner, directed by Pam MacKinnon, is "a fantastical comedy about a girl whose father is actually disappearing before her very eyes."

The Fearless by Etan Frankel, directed by Scott Schwartz, "follows the decade-long journey of three friends who form a rock band in college, and find out what its like to live their dream."

Gardening Leave by Joanna Pinto, directed by Michael Goldfried, "finds a British man whose life is turned around when a pretty young Iranian woman comes to help with his rooftop garden."

Hardball by Victoria Stewart directed by Lou Jacob "is a comedy about a rising female Republican political pundit. What happens when news becomes entertainment and politics become a performance?"

Hitting the Wall by Barbara Blumenthal- Ehrlich, directed by Drew Barr, "is a dark comedy about a pair of neighbors putting their lives back together after the death of one of their children."

Marge by Peter Morris, directed by Alex Timbers, "is a comedy about a man who
hires a prostitute to help murder his wife."

Millicent Scowlworthy by Rob Handel, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll, is "a 'ripped from the headlines' story that finds teenagers reenacting a murder that took place in their community."

Sonia Flew by Melinda Lopez, directed by Justin Waldman, follows a Cuban exile haunted by the memories of her past when her son announces his intention to join the Marines.

Spain by Jim Knable, directed by Jeremy Dobrish, "is a comedy about a woman, recently left by her husband, who encounters a sixteenth-century conquistador in her twenty-first century living room."

Splitting Infinity by Jamie Pachino, directed by Matt Shakman, "is an explosive poignant drama about a Rabbi and his old friend, an astrophysicist, who wants to prove that God does not exist."

The Squirrel by Alex Moggridge, directed by Patrick McNulty, is a black comedy that follows a woman and her oversensitive husband, overbearing sister, and a man she just hit with her car.

Swansong by Patrick Page, directed by David Muse, "is a fictitious tale about real life playwright Ben Jonson putting together the first Folio of William Shakespeare's work after his friend the Bard's death."

Training Wisteria by Molly Smith Metzler, directed by Evan Cabnet, "is a tragicomedy that combines a dysfunctional family with a dirty yard and home improvement on the evening of the son's graduation party."

A Wive's Tale by Christina Ham, directed by Rosemary Andress, "is a futuristic drama about a group of barren women conspiring to create the perfect society."

Under founder Arielle Tepper (a producer of Broadway's Monty Python's Spamalot, The Pillowman, A Raisin in The Sun, and Freak), The non-profit organization The Living Room for Artists Inc./Summer Play Festival provides emerging writers, directors, designers and producers an opportunity to work on their material and their craft in a protected environment, guided by established professionals at no cost to them. The festival takes place throughout the month of July at Theatre Row on 42nd Street. Tickets to all SPF shows are $10 each.

For more information please visit SPF's website www.spfnyc.com or contact Michael Gravison at 212-279-4040 or Michael@spfnyc.com.

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