Martin Casella's DIRECTIONS FOR RESTORING THE APPARENTLY DEAD Wins 2013 Great Gay Play Contest

Pride Films and Plays announces that Directions for Restoring the Apparently Dead by Martin Casella was named the winner of the 2013 Great Gay Play Contest. In this lovely new drama, past and present collide when a straight man and gay man reconnect after life-shattering experiences.

Marty Casella says, "I had an absolute blast in Chicago this weekend attending the Pride Films and Play's Great Gay Play Contest Weekend. Thanks to everyone connected to the festival, particularly David Zak, John Nasca, Keith Stoneking, our director Chuck Bergland, and the amazing cast - Patrick Gannon, Patrick Rybarczyk, Katie Sherman, and Nicholas Stockwell. Chicago theater rocks!"

Martin Casella's award-winning plays includeThe Irish Curse (off-Broadway, London, and LA, where it got a GLAAD nomination), Scituate, Grand Junction, Beautiful Dreamer, Desert Fire, Paydirt, and Mates. He was the bookwriter for Play It Cool (off-Broadway; GLAAD, OCC nomination), Saint Heaven, Paper Moon, Happy Holidays, and Taking Care Of Mrs. Carroll. A Cal Arts graduate, he also teaches playwriting to LBGTQ kids at NYC's Harvey Milk High School. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and WGA. www.martincasella.weebly.com.

Directions for Restoring the Apparently Dead joins the previous contest winners - Learn To Be Latina by Enrique Ureata in 2011 and At The Flash by Sean Chandler and David Leeper in 2012 - that Pride Films and Plays hopes continue to be produced around the world.

The five finalists were performed as "Enhanced Staged Readings" during Gay Play Weekend at Center on Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theatre. The other finalists included Red Train by B. V. Marshall, Dancing in the Mirror by Perry Ojeda, Forbidden Glass by Kirt Shineman, and Sand Man by G. William Zorn. In addition to the readings, the five finalists also each received $400 cash awards.

Pride Films and Plays thanks all of the audiences and artists who made this weekend a success.

Pride Films and Plays is currently judging submissions to its Women's Work Contest for lesbian plays and screenplays written by women. Those will be performed at Women's Work Weekend September 13 to 15 at Center on Halsted.

And entries for our fourth Great Gay Screenplay Contest are being accepted through June 30, and those screenplays will be performed as enhanced staged readings during Gay Film Weekend November 15 to 17, again at Center on Halsted.

PFP's 2012-13 Season included a 20th anniversary production of Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey, and Jeff-recommended world premieres of At The Flash by Sean Chandler and David Leeper, and the musical Under A Rainbow Flag by Leo Schwartz, which was nominated for Jeff Awards for Best Musical, Best New Work, Best Director (David Zak), Best Musical Director (Robert Ollis), and Best Supporting Actor (James Nedrud).

For more information on Pride Films and Plays, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos