LOCAL Theater Presents LOCAL Lab Play Festival, Now thru 3/16

This weekend, March 14-16, 2014, LOCAL Theater Company presents the third annual LOCAL Lab-- a new play festival at the state-of-the-art eTown Hall (1535 Spruce Street in Boulder) featuring professionally-staged readings of three new works, discussions led by Jill Rafson (Literary Manager of the renowned Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City- bio below), fun parties, pre-show music by DJ Savior Breath, and a master class with Rafson.

Kicking off the weekend tonight, March 14 at 5:30pm is a launch party for Festival Pass holders and Lab artists (actors, directors and playwrights).

Tonight, March 14 at 7:00pm is the reading of "Faith" by James McLindon. In a suburban American home, a religious fanatic is coming of age. 13-year-old outcast Simon is the only child of single mom (and apostate) Theresa, and is desperate to be deemed God's prophet. So when a beautiful Harbinger of the Lord appears to him outside the Walmart, why does Simon's faith begin to erode? Funny and charming, provocative and absorbing, the award-winning James McLindon spurs us to question (and, perhaps, affirm) our own faith. A discussion with McLindon led by Jill Rafson follows. Tickets are $20 advance/$25 door.

Saturday, March 15 6:00pm is "Thoreau, and Other Assholes" by Kyle Warren. There are about two hundred thousand words in the English language. And not one of them describes what's about to happen to Jean De Bernis. For once, Jean might actually be happy. He's a college professor, his partner's pregnant, and the novel that's going to put him on the literary map is about to be published. But on the day his book is released, he discovers that another author has published a novel identical to his. Forced to fend off accusations of plagiarism, paranoia and worse, Jean fights to maintain a shred of ownership over his work, his words, and, eventually, every thought in his head. The reading is followed by a discussion with Warren led by Jill Rafson and a party at eTown Hall. Tickets are $25 advance/$30 door.

Sunday, March 16, 10:00a.-1:00pm in eTown Hall's downstairs cafe, Jill Rafson, Literary Manager at Roundabout Theatre Company in NYC (the nation's largest not-for-profit theater), guides "The Write Angle," a workshop and discussion on script analysis: ?What elements make a play "work"? Is there a difference between what makes a play right for Broadway vs. Off-Broadway? How do you work with living playwright?s? Designed for theater practitioners and audiences alike who are interested in learning how to look at a play structurally.? Students will be emailed by mid February about a play ?to read or see? in preparation. Tickets are $60/$50 Festival Pass holders/$25 students (class limit: 25).

Closing the festival on Sunday, March 16 at 2:00pm is Alison Carey's newest play, "You're Getting Warmer," is about family, friendship, a barbecue gone wrong, bad behavior, surprising guests, future planning, sudden disaster, our fight or flight instincts, our political divide, and what we owe the planet and each other. And, yeah, some laughs. Carey, cofounder of Cornerstone Theater Company and currently Director of American Revolutions and US History Cycle with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is one of the most compelling and influential women in American theater today. A discussion with Carey led by Jill Rafson follows. Ticket are $20 advance/$25 door.

Nick Forster, co-founder of eTown Hall says of LOCAL's new digs for the Lab, "We love having LOCAL here. When we designed the space, we hoped that it would become a real cultural center in downtown Boulder, a place where music, film, live theater and visual art would find a home. LOCAL had Eve Ensler and Miss Prissy here in October and we had a full house and a TON of happy people. We're hoping that this is the start of a long association between LOCAL and eTown".

Tickets at etownhall.org or 303-443-8696. To avoid service fees, visit the box office in person at 1535 Spruce Street in Boulder. LOCAL Lab Festival Passes include all Lab events except "The Write Angle" (which can be added at the discount rate of $50) plus reserved seating. Festival Passes are $65.00 advance/$70 at the door/$36 student.

The Boulderado has set aside a small allotment of rooms at a discount for the weekend. Get the rates and discount code on LOCALTheaterCompany.org.

Jill Rafson is the Literary Manager of Roundabout Theatre Company, where she also serves as Associate Producer for Roundabout Underground, a theatrical development program that supports the work of emerging playwrights. Plays developed with Roundabout include Stephen Karam's "Speech & Debate" and "Sons of the Prophet" (Pulitzer Finalist), Adam Gwon's "Ordinary Days," Kim Rosenstock's "Tigers Be Still," David West Read's "The Dream of the Burning Boy," Steven Levenson's "The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin," and Joshua Harmon's "Bad Jews." Jill has worked with The Broadway League, New York City Center, and ART/NY and has been a Dramaturg and member of the Artistic Council for the O'Neill Playwrights Conference, in addition to reading scripts for Vineyard Theatre and Deutsch/Open City Films. Jill is a Dramaturg for rising theater company CollaborationTown and for the Flea Theatre's 50-playwright project, The Mysteries. She has served as script consultant for "The Importance of Being Earnest HD" (screened worldwide), lectured for the Commercial Theatre Institute and guest blogged for World Theater Day. She is a nominator for Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Awards, a member of NYFA's Emerging Arts Leaders Boot Camp, and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University.

LOCAL Theater Company develops new American plays by actively seeking and presenting works by up-and-coming authors. In its two-and-a-half years in Boulder, LOCAL has brought John Lithgow to Chautauqua, Eve Ensler ("The Vagina Monologues") to eTown Hall, and a group of 8th grade Casey Middle School students to New York City. LOCAL presented the world premiere of Michael Mitnick's "ELIJAH" (nominated for a 2013 Henry Award for "Outstanding New Play" and originally part of the 2012 LOCAL Lab readings) at The Dairy Center for the Arts and is embarking on its third annual LOCAL Lab new play festival. (Not-For-Profit) For more information visit www.LOCALTheaterCompany.org.

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