Walsh, Clapp & Birney Lead Cast Of O'Neill Theater Center's Playwrights Conference

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, recently awarded the 2010 Regional Theater Tony Award, has announced cast members for this summer's National Playwrights Conference.

The Conference, under the leadership of Artistic Director Wendy C. Goldberg, runs from July 2 through July 31 and will develop seven plays.

In commenting on the cast for this year's NPC plays, Ms. Goldberg said: "It is a joy to have so many O'Neill alumni and new actors join our summer company. These artists will contribute to our artistic community and help give voice to the next generation of theatrical storytellers"

Creation, by Kathryn Walat, with staged public readings on July 9 and 10, will feature Mia Barron*, Piter Marek*, John Preston*, and Nick Westrate*.

The Dream of the Burning Boy, by David West Read, with readings July 14 and 15, will feature Reed Birney*, recipient of an Obie award for ensemble performance in Playwrights Horizons' critically acclaimed Circle Mirror Transformation, Jessica Cummings*, Ben Gunderson*, Ben Morrow, Caitlin O'Connell*, JD Taylor, and Libby Woodbridge*.

Follow Me to Nellie's, by Dominique Morisseau, with readings July 16 and 17, will feature Nyahale Allie*, Peter Jay Fernandez*, Lynda Gravátt*, Kelly McCreary*, Warner Miller*, Amirah Vann*, Nick Westrate*, and Michelle Wilson*.

Close Up Space, by Molly Smith Metzler, with readings July 21 and 22, will feature Reed Birney*, recipient of an Obie award for ensemble performance in Playwrights Horizons' critically acclaimed Circle Mirror Transformation, Michael Chernus*, Jessica Digiovanni, Laila Robins*, and Libby Woodbridge*.

The Burden of Not Having a Tail, by Carrie Barrett, with readings July 23 and 24, will feature Alison Weller*.

A Devil at Noon, by Anne Washburn, readings July 28 and 29, will feature Walter Charles*, Emmy Award-winning Gordon Clapp*, who received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross, Scott Drummond*, Rebecca Hart*, Scott Lowell*, and David Ross*.

Comes A Faery, by James McLindon, readings July 30 and 31, will feature Rob Campbell*, Ryan King*, Nicole Lowrence*, Danielle Slavick* ,and Barbara Walsh*, who appeared in the Broadway productions of Company and Hairspray, and received a Tony nomination for Falsettos.

*Denotes a member of Actors' Equity Association.

Tickets are now on sale for this year's summer conferences, including along with National Playwrights Conference: National Puppetry Conference 20th Anniversary performances June 18 and 19, National Music Theater Conference staged public readings June 26 - July 16, and Cabaret & Performance Conference presentations August 4 - 14. Tickets may be ordered online at www.theoneill.org or through the box office at 860.443.1238. Discounted tickets are available to O'Neill Members; for information, email Membership@theoneill.org or call 860-443-5378 x211.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964 in honor of Eugene O'Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize Winner and America's only playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, is the country's preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the American theater. The O'Neill has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full production at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, Off-Broadway and major regional theaters.

O'Neill programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Critics Institute, National Puppetry Conference, the Cabaret & Performance Conference, and National Theater Institute, which conducts semester-long, fully intensive theater training programs and Theatermakers, a six-week summer program.

In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates Monte Cristo Cottage as a museum open to the public. Childhood summer home of Eugene O'Neill, the Cottage is a National Historic Landmark.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center received the 2010 Tony Award for Regional Theater, a special Tony Award for Theatrical Excellence in 1979, the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theatre Excellence, and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. For more information, visit www.theoneill.org or email theaterlives@theoneill.org

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