Ensemble Studio Theatre Presents Playwrights Under 30: Unfiltered 2011

The Ensemble Studio Theatre Youngblood program, taking more advantage of its talented roster of emerging playwrights under 30, will present three Studio Productions of new plays under the title Unfiltered 2011 January 13 through February 5 at its percolating playwrights headquarters, 549 West 52nd Street.

The Unfiltered 2011 plays are Patrick Link's Sweet Forgotten Flavor directed by RJ Tolan, Anna Moench's In Quietness directed by Birgitta Victorson and Joshua Conkel's The Sluts of Sutton Drive directed by Lila Neugebauer.

Youngblood is the Ensemble Studio Theatre's collective of emerging professional playwrights under the age of 30. Founded in 1993, Youngblood serves as a creative home for the next generation of theatre artists. Youngblood, Graeme Gillis and R.J. Tolan co-artistic directors, provides artistic guidance, peer support, regular feedback and a fertile production environment which allows our member playwrights to hone their skills and explore their craft. We also provide exposure to the public and the press, professional outreach to the industry, and opportunities for production and publication. Everything you need to know about Youngblood is at www.youngbloodnyc.org.

Recent Youngblood alumni include Amy Herzog (After the Revolution), Annie Baker (Circle Mirror Transformation), Lloyd Suh (American Hwangap) and Michael Lew (Microcrisis).

Sweet Forgotten Flavor
Performances are 7:00 pm on
Thursday; January 13,
Friday January 14;
Saturday, January 15;
Friday January 21; and
Saturday, January 22.
In Patrick Link's Sweet Forgotten Flavor, directed by RJ Tolan, a wealthy lawyer commissions a talented but penniless painter to do a portrait, but during their first painting session a careless proposal releases an unstoppable spring of sin, scandal and sensuality. Cast are Haskell King, Kristin Griffith, Richmond Hoxie, Diana Ruppe and Michael Louis Wells.

Patrick Link is a third-year member of the Youngblood Playwrights Group at Ensemble Studio Theatre. His work has been produced and developed by EST/Youngblood, Ars Nova, Three Graces Theatre Co, Southampton Writers Conference, New York International Fringe Festival, and the Capital Fringe. He has been commissioned by Three Graces Theatre Co, EST/Sloan and published by Original Works. Mr. Link is also the lyricist for the Civil War-themed bluegrass group Great Dog Almighty and is a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill.

In Quietness
Performances are 7:00pm on
Wednesday, January 19;
Thursday, January 20;
Friday, January 28, and
Saturday, January 29 and
8:00pm on Monday, January 24.
In Quietness by Anna Moench, directed by Birgitta Victorson, is the tale of a former CEO who follows her born-again husband to a Southern Baptist seminary and enrolls as a student at the Homemaking House, a place where marital bliss means never having to say thank you for cleaning the toilet. The play features Katie Atcheson, Eric Feldman, Julie Fitzpatrick, William Jackson Harper and Clare McNulty.

Anna Moench's plays include The Pillow Book (59E59 2011), Great Eastern (EST/Sloan Commission), and Gormanzee (The Flea Theater 2010). Her work has been produced at the Old Vic, Dixon Place, Dance Theater Workshop, the Looking Glass Theatre, and FringeNYC. Ms. Moench has developed plays at EST, The Public Theater, New Dramatists, the Great Plains Conference, the Last Frontier Conference, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and The Inkwell. Awards include the 2009 Jerome Travel Grant, the Old Vic T.S. Eliot Fellowship, the Tennessee Williams Scholarship, and first place in Spoke The Hub's 2009 Winter Follies. Memberships: 2010 Emerging Writers Group (The Public), Youngblood (EST), and The Jam (New Georges). Her website is www.annamoench.com.

The Sluts of Sutton Drive
Performances are evenings at 7:00pm
Thursday, January 27;
Thursday, February 3;
Friday, February 4;
Saturday, February 5;
There's one matinee Saturday, January 29, at 2pm
Joshua Conkel's The Sluts of Sutton Drive, directed by Lila Neugebauer, centers on a working mother who enrolls in a strip aerobics class only to realize she hates men, but it's not until she becomes addicted to drinking cleaning products that her life really begins to unravel. The play features Denny Bess, Megan Hill, Amy Staats and Justin Noble.

Joshua Conkel is a playwright and occasional actor from rural Washington State. He is the author of MilkMilkLemonade (Best Off Off Broadway Show of 2009-NY Press, published by Playscripts), The Chalk Boy (Published by Original Works Publishing), Lonesome Winter (co written with Megan Hill), I Wanna Destroy You and countless short plays, of which he is an enthusiastic and prolific writer. He is the Co Artistic Director of The Management and a member of The Dramatists Guild, and TOSOS, New York's oldest LGBT theater company. His first graphic novel, an adaptation of his play The Chalk Boy, is being published by First Second Books. Mr. Conkel writes about obscure pop culture and politics at his blog: www.tarhearted.typepad.com.

For the entire Unfiltered 2011 series, scenic design is by Maiko Chii, sound by Hillary Charnas, costumes by Danielle Schembre and Erica Evans, lighting by Cat Tate Starmer and props by Renee Williams. The production stage manager is Mark Karafin, the production manager is Joshua Scherr and the technical director is Michael Hetzer.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $15 for seniors or students. For a schedule and to order online, click www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/now-playing/current-productions/unfiltered-2011/ .

The Ensemble Studio Theatre < www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org> was founded on the belief that extraordinary support yields extraordinary work. It is a dynamic and expanding family of member artists committed to the discovery and nurturing of new voices and the continued support and growth of artists throughout their creative lives. Through its unique collaborative process it develops and produces original, provocative and authentic new plays that engage and challenge its audience and audiences across the country. Ensemble Studio Theatre's 500 community of member artists include winners of accolades and higher awards including Pulitzer Prizes, Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, and Obies. The Ensemble Studio Theatre is a lifelong artistic home for its member playwrights, directors, actors, designers, technical personnel and administrators. Each year, the Ensemble produces over 300 projects, including readings, workshops, and fully produced mainstage full-lengths.

Youngblood playwrights are all under 30. Graduates from the program include

Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation, which began in Youngblood's weekly Wednesday night meetings, will be the second-most produced play in America in 2011.

Christopher Shinn, Obie Award and Lortel winner and Guggenheim Fellow, is the author of Dying City, which moved from London's West End to Lincoln Center and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Amy Herzog's After the Revolution, staged to acclaim at the Williamstown Theater Festival in summer 2010, before an extended run at Playwrights Horizons garnered raves from the New York critics.

Lloyd Suh's American Hwangap was produced on both coasts through a unique co-production between Ma-Yi Theatre in New York and the Magic Theatre in San Francisco.

Elizabeth Meriwether is the screenwriter of No Strings Attached, a Paramount film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, and Kevin Kline, which opens January 2011. Her play Mistakes Madeline Made was produced at Yale Rep and in New York by Naked Angels at the Culture Project and her Heddatron, her adaptation of Hedda Gabler with live robots, was produced by the Obie-winning Les Freres Corbusier.

Robert Askins's Princes of Waco was the Youngblood production in 2010 and his Youngblood one-act, MATTHEW AND THE PASTOR'S WIFE, was produced in EST's 2010 Marathon.

Qui Nguyen was recognized in 2010 with an Obie Award for his Vampire Cowboys Theatre company, also named in The Village Voice's "Best of NYC." His upcoming Production The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, the conclusion of his Vietnamese Boat Trilogy, opens at HERE in early 2011.

Lucy Boyle has been named a staff writer for the new series Huge on ABC Family.

Lucy Thurber had four major New York productions in the last four seasons: Bottom of the World, Killers and Other Family, Monster and Scarcity.

Steven Levenson's new play Seven Minutes from Heaven had an acclaimed premiere at the Huntington Theater in Boston and will open at HERE Arts Center this season.

Delaney Britt Brewer's play Wolves was produced at 59E59 Theatres in 2010.

Zakiyyah Alexander is the author of Ten Things to Do Before I Die, produced by Second Stage in summer 2010.

Courtney Brooke Lauria's Four Years Apart was produced by the Bridge Theater Company in New York in spring 2009.

David Zellnik is the author, with his brother Joe, of the musical Yank!, which following successful runs in San Francisco and off-Broadway will open on Broadway in 2011.

Ann Marie Healy's play What Once We Felt premiered at Lincoln Center's LCT3 in 2009.

Amy Fox's acclaimed screenwriting debut, Heights starring Glenn Close was based on her one-act in written and presented in Youngblood.

Sam Forman created the Civil War era television pilot Hickory Hill for AMC. He recently wrote the lyrics for the new Musical Broadway's next Season and is the lyricist and co-book author for the musical I Sing! which has been produced commercially off-Broadway and in theaters around the world.

Jeremy Soule is a featured writer for the hit Fox TV series Desire and also Watch over Me. His full-length play Michigan Takedown, originally developed in Youngblood, has been optioned as a teleplay for Showtime.

Elizabeth Gregory Wilder's play Fresh Kills, begun in Youngblood's Asking for Trouble, was produced in London by The Royal Court Theatre.

Edward Lee Murray won the New York Stand-Up Comedy Competition, securing a development deal with Comedy Central. He is a leading video game writer at Nintendo's head office in Seattle.

Maggie Smith's play Good Heif was produced by the Obie-winning New Georges at the Ohio Theater.