Weidman, Bonney and More Among Jury of SPF Play Festival

After accepting over 1000 submissions, the Summer Play Festival (SPF) has assembled a committee of leading theatre professionals to select the 16 plays to be presented as part of the 3rd annual festival which will take place on New York's Theatre Row on 42nd St. in July.

Submissions came from playwrights all over the world including England, Ireland, Australia, Japan, South Africa, and Brazil marking an increase in international interest. Scripts were also sent in from almost all 50 States.

Plays selected for the 3rd Annual Summer Play Festival will be announced in late March.

The final plays will be selected by the following: Walter Bilderback, the dramaturg and literary manager of the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, Broadway producer David Binder (A Raisin in the Sun), director Jo Bonney (The Seven, A Soldier's Play), Polly K. Carl, producing artistic director of The Playwright's Center in Minneapolis, Jeremy Dobrish, writer/director and artistic director of Adobe Theatre Company, David Dower, founding artistic director of Z Space Studio, Gordon Edelstein, artistic director of Long Wharf, Todd London, artistic director of New Dramatists, Eduardo Machado, playwright and artistic director at INTAR, Lisa McNulty, associate artistic director of Woman's Project, playwright Richard Nelson (James Joyce's The Dead), West End producer Matthew Byam Shaw, director Leigh Silverman (Jump/Cut), and John Weidman (librettist of Pacific Overtures, Assassins, Bounce).

Under founder Arielle Tepper (a producer of Broadway's Monty Python's Spamalot, The Pillowman, A Raisin in The Sun, and Freak), The Living Room for Artists/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 visit: www.spfnyc.com.