Cohesion Theatre Company Presents the 2019 Playwrights Fellowship Staged Readings

Cohesion Theatre Company proudly announces the staged readings for their 2019 Playwrights Fellowship. The two plays showcased, By Sea by Laura Fuentes and Where Our Dead Are Buried By David J. Hills, will be presented as staged readings across two weekends next month. A constructive conversation with audience members with surveys and refreshments will immediately follow each performance.

"The Playwrights Fellowship has given me the opportunity to push myself artistically, and I've really appreciated having the time and support to work on a piece that felt more ambitious in scope than what I would typically write," says Laura Fuentes, playwright of By Sea. "As someone who writes mostly collaboratively, and mostly on tight deadlines, it was great to have such a long trajectory to work through the writing process in a more rigorous way." She adds, "As someone who already juggles parenting and a full-time job, I can honestly say that I could never have written this piece without the support and structure provided by the Playwrights Fellowship."

By Sea is about Amanda, the steadfast captain of the humble ship Forthright in medieval Elsinore, is trying to keep her business afloat. She must navigate her teenage daughter's wrath, reluctant noble passengers, rowdy actors, and her unnamed feelings for her first mate - all while a certain something is rotting in the state of Denmark.

By Sea will run Saturday, September 14 at 7:00pm and Sunday, September 15 at 2:00pm. The readings will take place at Baltimore Shakespeare Factory's performance space in the Great Hall at St. Mary's in Hampden, Baltimore.

David J. Hills' play, Where Our Dead Are Buried, follows a family in rural West Virginia as they contend with a visit from the queer prodigal son and the buried trauma his presence unearths. With elements of poetry and folktale this play explores what it means to leave and what it means to come home.

"The Fellowship helped solidify my voice as a writer," Hills said. "The support I received from the team encouraged me to push my exploration of the intersections of genre and reminded me of the importance of queer, rural stories and their place in the larger cultural narrative."

Where Our Dead Are Buried will run Saturday, September 21 at 7:00pm and Sunday, September 22 at 2:00pm. Performances will be held at St. Mark's Lutheran Church at 1900 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.

We request that all press that wish to cover the event refrain from reviewing the pieces; this is a workshop and the pieces are still in development.

Tickets are pay what you can starting at $10 and can be purchased online at www.cohesiontheatre.org or at the door.