RLTP & Saginaw Valley State University Form Educational Partnership

Road Less Traveled Productions (RLTP) is excited to announce The RLTP BETA Program (BETA), a new play development model that provides a collaborative workshop environment for playwrights, theatre students, and faculty, culminating in a fully realized production of new works. BETA launches this year in partnership with Saginaw Valley State University who will host a visiting Western New York playwright while their work-in-progress is produced in conjunction with SVSU students.

BETA allows for experimentation, innovation, and development in a setting primed for such exploration. Often in traditional models of new play development staged readings or abbreviated workshops fail to fully explore textual possibilities. At Saginaw Valley State University, the playwright's participation in the rehearsal process and "preview production" affords a unique opportunity for insight and revision of a work-in-progress prior to its professional debut. In return, BETA gives student actors access to a vibrant new play production experience with an accomplished working playwright, providing valuable training for real-life artistic scenarios. "BETA allows students a great hands-on new play experience," asserted Scott Behrend, Artistic Director of RLTP, "while also providing one of our playwrights with a great opportunity to see her text in production and on its feet in advance of a world-premiere professional production in Buffalo."

Following the BETA experience at Saginaw Valley State University, RLTP will then produce the professional world-premiere of the production in a future season. SVSU students and the production team will be invited to Buffalo to see the developed performance and participate in a moderated discussion with the playwright, the professional actors, the designers, and the director. Thus, Behrend says BETA "will demonstrate for students the progression of the text and performance from their production to the professional world-premiere."

The first play selected for BETA is Safe by RLTP Ensemble Member Donna Hoke. Safe is a world-premiere play that Donna developed in RLTP's 2013 Emanuel Fried New Play Workshop. The story of Safe examines social intolerance (including high school bullying) and its impact upon two suburban households.