Jessica Bird News

The Festival offers public readings live streamed and hosted on Vimeo in addition to panel discussions on Facebook Live, Youtube, and directly on Playwrights Foundation's website.  Tickets are available now on a sliding scale of $5-45 for wider accessibility. Theatre Professionals Weekend will take place July 24-26. Panels are free.

The West Coast's premiere launchpad for exceptional plays and playwrights, Playwrights Foundation announces the artistic teams for the 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF), featuring playwrights Tyler English-Beckwith, Stefani Kuo (e??a??ae??), Jordan Ramirez Puckett, Deneen Reynolds-Knott, and Noelle Viñas. The 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival runs July 17-26, 2020 in an online format available worldwide . 

The West Coast's premiere launchpad for exceptional plays and playwrights, Playwrights Foundation announces the artistic teams for the 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF), featuring playwrights Tyler English-Beckwith, Stefani Kuo (e??a??ae??), Jordan Ramirez Puckett, Deneen Reynolds-Knott, and Noelle Viñas. The 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival runs July 17-26, 2020 in an online format available worldwide . 

Playwrights Foundation, the West Coast's premiere launchpad for exceptional plays and playwrights announces the lineup for the 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

Playwrights Foundation, the West Coast's premiere launchpad for exceptional plays and playwrights, has announced the semifinalists and finalists for the 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF), which is scheduled to run July 17-26, 2020.

The Playwrights Foundation's  Executive Artistic Director Jessica Bird Beza announces the 2020 dates for the 43rd annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival July 17 - 26, 2020. a?oePlaywrights Foundation is committed to developing five playwrights' new, unproduced work at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2020 in July...a?? remarks Jessica Bird Beza  a?oeWhile there is hope that it will be possible to do so in person, we are actively developing plans to create a virtual aspect to the Festival, if necessary, due to COVID-19, to protect the health and safety of the artists, staff and audiences.a?oe  

Company Founder & Executive Artistic Director AJ Baker who recently brought her successful 3-decade long career as founder and partner of her own law firm to a close in order to dedicate herself to the company and its projects full time has asked a broad array (see what we did there?) of Bay Area women writers, performers and theatre-makers to reimagine history 'knowing what we know now' at the 9-day Festival; highlights include Mother Lear; an evening dedicated to the theme of 'Hindsight is 2020' and 'flipping the script' that includes a short play & tip of the hat to Caryl Churchill's Top Girls called Bottoms Up!; an evening of LezWritesBTQ performances, and the staged readings of the two Salon Series finalist's plays competing for the Festival Prize: Swimming with Puppies by Susan Jackson and Meth by Elizabeth Flanagan

Playwrights Foundation's March Rough Reading is The Pitch by Aaron Loeb, who is a Playwrights Foundation Alum, with these readings presented in partnership with San Francisco Playhouse. The Pitch by Aaron Loeb readings are on March 2, at 7:30 PM, Roble Hall, Stanford University, March 3 at 7:30PM, Theatre of Yugen (SF).

3Girls Theatre Company returns to Z Below for its 8th New Works Festival, the first since company Founder and Executive Artistic Director AJ Baker brought her 3-decade long private law practice to a close in order to dedicate her time and energy to the company exclusively. 'My specialty as a lawyer has been employment law, often revolving around high-stakes contracts and payouts. I've seen firsthand how unless you take action to stop it, history has a way of repeating itself. So, 'flipping the script' is an important tool to understanding our world, which is why this year's theme is 'Hindsight is 2020.' I'm thrilled that close to a decade after starting the organization I've arrived at the place where I can dedicate myself to it full time.'

Playwrights Foundation's second 2020 Rough Reading is Side Effects by Star Finch, a Playwrights Foundation Resident Playwright, that will have its world premiere at Campo Santo April 1-April 19, 2020.

Playwrights Foundation announces the appointment of Jessica Bird Beza as Executive Artistic Director for the 43 year-old San Francisco Bay Area arts organization. She brings a range of executive and artistic experience to the position, including serving in leadership roles with The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse and Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company, producing three different new play festivals and directing at San Diego REP, La Jolla Playhouse and Theatreworks Silicon Valley.

Lovers of new theatre will gather this August for an advance look at tomorrow's hits at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's 2019 New Works Festival at Palo Alto's Lucie Stern Theatre. This unique festival offers audiences an extraordinary opportunity to experience new plays and musicals in their early stages of development, and hear about the creative process in a "Meet the Artists" panel discussion. With multiple performances of each work, playwrights and composers are able to revise and refine their shows during the festival, allowing audiences to view the exciting evolution of brand new pieces of theatre. The popular festival runs August 9 - 18, 2019 at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto. Festival passes ($65 general$49 season subscribers) and single event tickets ($20) can be purchased online at theatreworks.org or by calling (650) 463-1960.

Today, we continue a series of feature stories, focusing on the four emerging playwrights and their new works which will premiere over the next ten days at the Ingram New Works Festival. First up is Lindsay Joelle, whose play The Messengers will have its premiere public exposure in Nashville.

Playwrights Foundation's 7th Rough Reading of the season will be The Garbologists by Lindsay Joelle, directed by Jessica Bird Beza on Monday, May 20, 7:30pm, Roble Hall, Stanford University; and Tuesday, May 21, 7:00pm,

Don Nguyen's reading will help him polish the script for its world premiere at the Dallas Theatre Center, opening June  3- July 12 at their Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. A highly comic take on the bratty coming of age of Kim Jong-Un, yes the very North Korean dictator we are all too familiar with. The #RoughReadings Series is a monthly series of new works by rising national playwrights. It is in its 12th year thanks to the National Center for New Plays at Stanford University. Come join us to listen to a new work in development, meet the writer, and participate in the creative effort of bringing contemporary theater to life. Like the Playwrights Festival the works are presented by Bay Area professional actors and directors. Two readings are held for each script. The Rough Readings are produced in partnership with National Center for New Plays at Stanford University. All readings are Pay What You Can.

Playwrights Foundation's 6th Rough Reading of the season will be Breakout Session (or Frogorse) by Nikkole Salter, directed by Beth Wood on Monday, March 11 at 7:30 PM, Roble Hall, Stanford University; and Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00PM.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) announced today that A.C.T.'s Education & Community Programs, Young Conservatory (YC), and Destiny Arts Center will present the world premiere of A Place to Belong (formerly titled SeaChange)-a new play from playwright Marisela Treviño Orta and this year's Collaborative Youth Arts Project co-produced with Destiny Arts Center and A.C.T.'s Education & Community Programs. In addition, A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory will present the Tony Award-winning satirical musical Urinetown: The Musical.

Playwrights Foundation announces FlashPlays!, its 8th annual winter festival on December 16 and 17, featuring an evening of newly penned micro plays that together evoke a complex mosaic of San Francisco with its shimmering beauty, fascinating legacy, and the current challenges written by a cadre of the Bay Area's finest playwrights. FlashPlays! features 40+ Playwrights, 80+ Plays, and 90+ Minutes of Fast and Furious Fun!

Playwrights Foundation announces FlashPlays!, its 8th annual winter festival on December 16 and 17 (Sat.& Sun.), featuring an evening of newly penned micro plays that together evoke a complex mosaic of San Francisco with its shimmering beauty, fascinating legacy, and the current challenges written by a cadre of the Bay Area's finest playwrights.

Playwrights Foundation announces FlashPlays!, its 8th annual winter festival on December 16 and 17, featuring an evening of newly penned micro plays that together evoke a complex mosaic of San Francisco with its shimmering beauty, fascinating legacy, and the current challenges written by a cadre of the Bay Area's finest playwrights. FlashPlays! features 40+ Playwrights, 80+ Plays, and 90+ Minutes of Fast and Furious Fun!