Photo Flash: Pacific Playwrights Festival

South Coast Repertory's Pacific Playwrights Festival celebrated its 11th annual edition May 2 through May 4 with a lineup composed of seven SCR-commissioned plays.  On the eve of the Festival, May 1, Artistic Directors David Emmes and Martin Benson received the 2007-08 Margo Jones Medal before an enthusiastic audience in the Julianne Argyros Stage.  The prestigious award honors those who have demonstrated a significant impact, understanding and affirmation of the craft of playwriting, with a lifetime commitment to the encouragement of the living theater everywhere.  The Festival then slipped into high gear for the next three days with fully-produced productions of new plays by Kate Robin (What They Have) and Richard Greenberg (The Injured Party), a workshop production of Sunlight by Sharr White and staged readings of plays by Amy Freed (You, Nero), Lauren Gunderson (Emilie – The Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life at the Petit Théâtre at Cirey Tonight), John Kolvenbach (Goldfish) and Lynn Nottage (By the Way, Meet Vera Stark).

The artists and staff of South Coast Repertory's 11th annual Pacific Playwrights Festival.

South Coast Repertory's 2008 PPF playwrights: (l. to r.) Sharr White, Lauren Gunderson, Lynn Nottage, Amy Freed and John Kolvenbach. (Missing: Richard Greenberg and Kate Robin.)

South Coast Repertory founders, David Emmes and Martin Benson (center), receive the Margo Jones Award

South Coast Repertory founders, David Emmes and Martin Benson (center), receive the Margo Jones Award

Daniel Blinkoff and Katrina Lenk in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of Lauren Gunderson's Emilie, directed by Kate Whoriskey

Director Kate Whoriskey, back, and playwright Lauren Gunderson at a rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of Emilie

Daniel Blinkoff, Linda Gehringer and Emily Bergl in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of Lauren Gunderson's Emilie, directed by Kate Whoriskey

(l. to r.) Katrina Lenk, Daniel Blinkoff, Nathan Baesel and Emily Bergl in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of Lauren Gunderson's Emilie

Kathy Baker and Jessi Campbell in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of in John Kolvenbach's Goldfish, directed by Loretta Greco

Alex Lubischer, Kathy Baker, Bradford Anderson and Jessi Campbell in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of John Kolvenbach's Goldfish, directed by Loretta Greco

(l. to r.) Bradford Anderson, Alex Lubischer, Graham Beckel, Kathy Baker, Lue Morgan Douthit, Jessi Campbell and Loretta Greco in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of John Kolvenbach's Goldfish

(l. to r.) Reg Rogers and Cynthia Harris in the World Premiere of Richard Greenberg's The Injured Party

(l. to r.) T. Scott Cunningham, Cynthia Harris, Marin Ireland, Reg Rogers and Caroline Lagerfelt in the World Premiere of Richard Greenberg's The Injured Party

Barbara Tarbuck, Sarah Rafferty and Robert Foxworth in the 2008 PPF workshop of Sharr White's Sunlight, directed by David Emmes.

Sarah Rafferty, Robert Foxworth and Robert Curtis Brown in the 2008 PPF workshop of Sharr White's Sunlight, directed by David Emmes.

Playwright Lynn Nottage and dramaturg Megan Monaghan in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of By the Way Meet, Vera Stark.

Toi Perkins and Erica Tazel in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of Lynn Nottage's By the Wa,y Meet Vera Stark, directed by Mark Rucker.

Director Mark Rucker and playwright Lynn Nottage in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of By the Way, Meet Vera Stark.

Erica Tazel and Kevin Daniels in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of Lynn Nottage's By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, directed by Mark Rucker.

Nancy Bell and Kevin Rahm in the World Premiere of Kate Robin's What They Hav

(l. to r.) Kevin Rahm, Nancy Bell, Matt Letscher and Marin Hinkle in the World Premiere of Kate Robin's What They Have

Susannah Schulman, Danny Scheie and Erik Sorensen in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of Amy Freed's You, Nero, directed by Sharon Ott

Danny Scheie, Hal Landon Jr. and Mark Harelik in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of Amy Freed's You, Nero

Director Sharon Ott, playwright Amy Freed, Freed's student and dramaturg John Glore in rehearsal for the 2008 PPF reading of inFreed's You, Nero , directed by Sharon Ott

Richard Greenberg

Lauren Gunderson

John Kolvenbach

Amy Freed

Lynn Nottage

Kate Robin

Sharr White.

Photos by Henry DiRoco.