'Contemporary Monologues For A New Theater' to be Released This October

What is the theater's continued appeal? How does it stay relevant? The answer is simple: human experiences, when depicted by living, breathing actors an arm's length away, expose aspects of our being that would otherwise pass unnoted. As in-home streaming services and blockbuster movies reach the eyes of millions and rack up record sums, small playhouses continue to punch above their weight, inspiring, astonishing, and entertaining audiences around the world with a continued barrage of compelling new perspectives and material.

Applause Books is here to celebrate the effort and accomplishments of the playwrights who make it all possible. Curated by producer, director, dramaturg, and educator Cate Cammarata, CONTEMPORARY MONOLOGUES FOR A NEW THEATER (Applause Books; October 2, 2018; $16.99) presents nearly one hundred monologues from new and underrecognized dramatists, extending their work to a global readership of actors, producers, directors, and theatregoers. Divided into monologues for male and female characters, the collection weaves a rich tapestry imbued with the diversity of our time.

The fragmented dramas presented here hold a mirror to our fractured society. By simply shifting our perspective, they enable us to examine the faint contours and refracted colors of life hidden in plain sight. For millennia, theater has openly endeavored to make an audience feel-and, perhaps, act-more fully human. These monologues are at once a testament to the enduring allure of our most intimate art form and a stark reminder of theater's perennial importance. As Cammarata puts it in her "Introduction," "We want to know the human experience. We want to know how individuals charted their way through difficult times . . . We want to be amazed at the human spirit and inspired to endure our own tough times."

CATE CAMMARATA is an off-Broadway producer, director, and dramaturg. She is the associate artistic director of Rhymes Over Beats, a hip-hop theater collective. Specializing in new play development, her mission is to create and produce new work that reflects our diversity and to promote gender parity within the theater industry. Digital ARCs are now available on Edelweiss and Yumpu; review copies forthcoming 10/2. Please contact Steve Thompson at steven@palimpsestpr.com or 732-439-2252 for additional information.

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