Humanitas and CTG Select Five Local Writers for PLAY LA Workshop

From a pool of nearly two hundred Los Angeles playwrights, Humanitas and CTG have chosen five writers for their new PLAY LA Workshop, a year-long development process for local, early to mid-career writers interested in creating stage works from the ground up. Each playwright will receive a $1,500 stipend and access to critiques and feedback from theatre, film and television professionals throughout the year as they develop a new play.

The development of these PLAY LA plays will be overseen by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Shem Bitterman, founder of PlayLab at Los Angeles' renowned Skylight Theatre. One play from PLAY LA will be featured as a workshop reading in a new, year-end PLAY LA weekend celebration of new plays at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

The PLAY LA Workshop serves as one component of the two-part CTG and Humanitas PLAY LA partnership. The new partnership will also be offering a playwriting prize to several local playwrights in addition to the workshop.

The five selected writers are Boni B. Alvarez, Augusto Federico Amador, Carrie Barrett, Tom Lavagnino and Victoria Stewart.

A Filipino American, Boni B. Alvarez's plays have been produced and developed throughout the Los Angeles area, including Playwrights' Arena, LATC, Chalk Rep, Skylight Theatre and Second Generation. He won a 20/20 Development Award from InterAct Theatre and has been a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Aurora Theatre's Global Age Project and Clubbed Thumb's Biennial Commission.

Augusto Federico Amador is a Silicon Valley-born son of a Peruvian jazz composer and an Austrian chef who was previously a writing fellow at The Public Theater in NYC.

Carrie Barrett is a sketch comedian, actress and playwright originally from Chicago. Carrie's plays have been produced or developed at The National Playwrights Conference, The O'Neill and Lincoln Center Director's Lab. She has been produced locally at the Skylight Theatre and the Playwrights Union.

Tom Lavagnino, is the former editor of The 5th Street International Poker Magazine and is originally from Indianapolis. Tom is a journalist and screenwriter, and his plays have been produced in 13 states as well as the UK.

Victoria Stewart, is represented in Southern California by "Rich Girl," currently running at The Old Globe in San Diego. Originally from Boston, she received The Francesca Primus Award, The Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights and a Jerome Fellowship. Her plays have been produced throughout the country.

For more information, visit the Humanitas Prize at www.humanitasprize.org.