Durango Playfest Unveils Four Mainstage Plays Selected For August 4-10 New Works Festival

Durango Playfest today announced the four plays that will headline its new works festival, as well as other special events planned for the August 4-10, 2019 program. PlayFest, which debuted last year, brings top-tier playwrights, directors and actors to Durango to incubate new plays, hold workshops for the community, and culminate the week with staged readings. The four mainstage plays selected for this year's festival are:

-My Antonia (playwright Meg Miroshnik, director Devin Brain) - a new adaptation of Willa Cather's classic novel detailing the immigrant experience in Nebraska at the end of the 19th century;

-A Shift in Gravity (playwright Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, director Jennifer Nelson) - a clash of wills disrupts the friendship between two middle-aged female writers when a young, male journalist insinuates himself into their lives;

-The Ways of Necessity (playwright Stephen Nathan, director TBD) - when a successful father finds out he has terminal cancer, a secret from his past emerges and family drama ensues; and

-Two Hander (playwrights Lois Walden and Barry Kleinbort, director Sheryl Kaller) - a 20-year look at the seesawing relationship between a professor/playwright and his star pupil who become collaborators and lovers.

In addition, Durango PlayFest plans to hold a PlayFest Exclusive Preview cold read of Pulitzer-prize-nominated playwright Lee Blessing's new work, Hallow, in which a woman's ex-husband and a granddaughter she hasn't seen in 10 years reappear on Halloween. Other special events to be held during the week include an improv workshop led by Mary Quinn, panel discussions, talkbacks, and parties where attendees can meet and mingle with directors, playwrights and actors.

"PlayFest's inaugural year proved that our unique Four Corners region can attract world-class talent and serve as a wonderful incubator for established and emerging playwrights. We're building on last year's momentum with more plays and more opportunities for the community to experience the creative process," said Festival Director Felicia Lansbury Meyer. "We've put together a diverse slate of plays designed to engage, enrich and challenge the audience, and really look forward to bringing our community together in this celebration of the arts."

The four plays and the preview reading will feature nationally recognized actors, along with community members and students from Fort Lewis College. Casting will be completed within the next month. Last year's three mainstage plays featured actors including Wendie Malick ("Dream On," "Just Shoot Me"), Mike Farrell ("M*A*S*H"), Dan Lauria ("The Wonder Years") and Laura Spencer ("The Big Bang Theory"). Tickets will be available in July at www.durangoplayfest.org.

ABOUT DURANGO PLAYFEST (www.durangoplayfest.org)

The second annual Durango PlayFest will be held August 4-10, 2019. The festival brings nationally known and emerging artists to Durango, engages and educates the community, and bolsters economic vitality through the development of new works in an intimate and collaborative forum. PlayFest strives to make artistic expertise and experience accessible to students, educators and community members in the Four Corners region, and to provide a nurturing environment to playwrights for development of their new work. Partners of the non-profit Durango Playfest include: Fort Lewis College, a public, four-year institution that blends small classes, dynamic academic programs, and a liberal arts perspective; and The Acting Company, a New York-based professional touring theater company that also provides educational programming.