CAN'T COMPLAIN Set for Centenary Stage's Women Playwrights Series, 4/17

Three generations of women come together in the rich and complicated personal tapestry of "Can't Complain," by Award-winning Australian playwright, Christine Evans, which will be the second presentation of the Centenary Stage Company's annual Women Playwrights Series (WPS) in Hackettstown on Wednesday, Apr 17 at 7:30 PM.

In "Can't Complain", Rita finds herself restlessly confined in a hospital for "a few tests", which her daughter has arranged. Rita begins to plot her escape with the help of her elderly Irish roommate Iris, her granddaughter Jansis, and her cat's new best friend, the Devil.

"Can't Complain" will be performed in the Lackland Center (715 Grand Ave), and will be followed by talk-back with the playwright and cast, with light refreshments.

Originally from Australia, Christine Evans is an internationally produced playwright now resident in the U.S. Her work has been produced and developed at the American Repertory Theater (Trojan Barbie, world premiere), Playbox Theatre, United.Kingdom, New Vic (London), Belvoir St. Theatre (Sydney), the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, the Magic Theatre, New Jersey Rep, Ohio Theatre (NYC), The Irish Rep (NYC), Boston Playwrights Theater, Rattlestick Theatre, the Women's Project and Cutting Ball. Evans' honors include an Australia Council for the Arts New Work Award, a Rockefeller Bellagio Center Fellowship, two MacDowell Colony Fellowships, the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award; a Fulbright Award in Visual and Performing Arts; the Rella Lossy Playwriting Award; the 2009 Playwrights Theatre "Plays for the 21st Century" Award; the 2009 Rhode Island State Council for the Arts Playwriting Fellowship; the Monash National Playwriting Award (Australia); the Weston Award in Dramatic Writing; and Perishable Theatre's Women's Playwriting Award (2000 and 2001). Christine holds an M.F.A. (Playwriting) and a Ph.D. (Theatre & Performance Studies) from Brown and lectures in playwriting at Harvard.

The 2013 WPS annually presents three new plays in rehearsed staged readings on Wednesday evenings in April, which will also include "The Bigsley Project" by Catherine Castellani on April 24. In addition to performances of new works, the Series includes a variety of complementary activities, including talks with the authors, and a free writing workshop for the public (which was held this year on April 6).

Now in its 21st year, the CSC Women Playwrights series, led by Catherine Rust, is dedicated to providing a working forum for the unique and underserved voice of women writing for the theater today. The WPS offers emerging playwrights a chance to work with professional directors and actors in a short rehearsal period, followed by a staged reading of the work in front of a live audience, with audience feedback and discussion. Each presentation features refreshments for all, and lively "talk-backs" with the playwright and cast following the performance. The Series features the finalists in the Centenary Stage Company Susan Glaspell contest, which offers the winner further development support worth $30,000 in a full production on the CSC professional Equity main-stage, as well as a cash payment to the author.
Centenary Stage Company is an affiliate member of the National New Play Network (based in Washington, D.C.), and participates in the "Extended Life" and "Rolling World Premiere" programs, designed to give playwrights larger exposure and sustained life throughout the country in their first year of production.

Admission to the "Can't Complain " is by donation and reservations are requested. For reservations and information contact the Centenary Stage Company Box Office at 908-979-0900, or visit online at www.centenarystageco.org, where patrons may also purchase tickets for the CSC World Premiere of "THE ENGLISH BRIDE " by Lucile Lichtblau , a play which received development in the 2011 WPS series, and won the Susan Glaspell Award for best new play that year. "The English Bride" will run in full production at the Lackland Center through April 21st , and will be followed by its New York run at 59E59 Theatre in October, 2013.

Pictured: Christine Evans

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