Playwrights Unit News

David Dean Bottrell announced today that he is pleased to bring the newly revised 2019 version of his critically acclaimed One Man show to New York City this February. Partnering with Director Guy Stroman and Producer Akia Squitieri, the show will be presented at the storied Dixon Place Theatre.

Three emerging playwrights - two from St. Louis and one from Chicago - have been selected to participate in a new initiative developed by Shakespeare Festival St. Louis called the Confluence Regional Writers Project. As part of the program, the festival has also selected St. Louisan Carter Lewis, a two-time nominee for the American Theatre Critics Award, as the Festival's 2019 Playwriting Fellow.

Raven Theatre is pleased to announce casting for its Chicago premiere of Anna Jordan's drama YEN directed by Elly Green.

What does science have to tell us about love? Viola Davisand Julius Tennon's JuVee Productions and American Oasis present a moving, funny and thought-provoking drama about science, culture, religion and more. Vicangelo Bulluck directs the West Coast premiere of Paradise by Laura Maria Censabella, running Jan. 26 throughFeb. 17 in a visiting production at the Odyssey Theatre.

 Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the world premiere production of La Ruta by acclaimed Chicago playwright Isaac Gomez, directed by ensemble member Sandra Marquez and featuring ensemble member Karen Rodriguez along with an eight-member all female Latinx cast. Inspired by the lives of Mexican women who live, work-and disappear-along a Ciudad Juarez bus route, La Ruta weaves live music through a story of resilience in the wake of loss.

Two new character-driven relationship plays, both by award-winning women writers and both inspired by events currently at the forefront of our national consciousness, beat out 1241 other submissions in the inaugural Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle Hart New Play Initiative. Hart NPI artistic director Christopher Hart will direct Silver Medallion-winning plays Confederates by Suzanne Bradbeer, opening Nov. 9, and Exit Wounds by Wendy Graf, opening Nov. 16, atGrove Theater Center in Burbank, where the two plays will continue to run in repertory through Dec. 16. One will be named the Gold Medallion winner and open on March 13, 2019 for a six-week, off-Broadway run in the 196-seat "Theater A" at 59E59 Theaters in New York City.

Two new character-driven relationship plays, both by award-winning women writers and both inspired by events currently at the forefront of our national consciousness, beat out 1241 other submissions in the inaugural Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle Hart New Play Initiative. Hart NPI artistic director Christopher Hart will direct Silver Medallion-winning plays Confederates by Suzanne Bradbeer, opening Nov. 9, and Exit Wounds by Wendy Graf, opening Nov. 16, at Grove Theater Center in Burbank, where the two plays will continue to run in repertory through Dec. 16. One will be the named the Gold Medallion winner and open on March 13, 2019 for a six-week, off-Broadway run in the 196-seat "Theater A" at 59E59 Theaters in New York City.

Developing new voices in theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA draws from a wealth of talent, which includes NYFA, NEA, Guggenheim, Obie, Emmy and Writers Guild Award winners. Launchpad offers seven full-length plays, and four short plays. This series is a showcase of plays in long-term development from EST/LA's Playwrights Unit and New West playwrights.

3Arts, the Chicago-based nonprofit grantmaking organization, is honored to award 20 Chicago artists with unrestricted grants at the 11th annual 3Arts Awards Celebration, taking place tonight, November 5 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The celebration will honor the ten annual 3Arts Awards recipients along with ten recipients of Make a Wave-an unprecedented artist-to-artist giving initiative.

This December, Steppenwolf Theatre Company is proud to present the world premiere production of La Ruta by acclaimed Chicago playwright Isaac Gomez, directed by ensemble member Sandra Marquez. Featuring ensemble member Karen Rodriguez along with an eight-member all female Latinx cast, La Ruta is inspired by the lives of Mexican women who live, work-and disappear-along a Ciudad Juarez bus route. La Ruta weaves live music through a story of resilience in the wake of loss.

The 2019 Season of the Blyth Festival promises to be even more successful than this past season, which saw more than 26,000 visitors come to see five mainstage productions.

 Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the world premiere production of La Ruta by acclaimed Chicago playwright Isaac Gomez, directed by ensemble member Sandra Marquez and featuring ensemble member Karen Rodriguez along with an eight-member all female Latinx cast. Inspired by the lives of Mexican women who live, work-and disappear-along a Ciudad Juarez bus route, La Ruta weaves live music through a story of resilience in the wake of loss.

Two new character-driven relationship plays, both by award-winning women writers and both inspired by events currently at the forefront of our national consciousness, beat out 1241 other submissions in the inaugural Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle Hart New Play Initiative. Hart NPI artistic director Christopher Hart will direct Silver Medallion-winning plays Confederates by Suzanne Bradbeer, opening Nov. 9, and Exit Wounds by Wendy Graf, opening Nov. 16, at Grove Theater Center in Burbank, where the two plays will continue to run in repertory through Dec. 16. One will be the named the Gold Medallion winner and open on March 13, 2019 for a six-week, off-Broadway run in the 196-seat "Theater A" at 59E59 Theaters in New York City.

BroadwayWorld is sad to report that composer/lyricist/actress Carol Hall has passed away at age 82.

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) is proud to present the National New Play Network rolling world premiere of Marisela Treviño Orta's Wolf at the Door from October 18 to November 18. Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing Marisela about her career and the upcoming show at NJ Rep.

American Jornalero, a Chicago premiere by Ed Cardona Jr. about a group of Latinx immigrant day laborers who are confronted by self-styled America First vigilantes, is Teatro Vista's official entry in DESTINOS, the 2nd Chicago Latino International Theatre Festival.

Florida Repertory Theatre is pleased to announce an added performance of Refugee by Eric Coble, a world-premiere stage adaptation of Alan Gratz's bestselling novel on Sept. 29th at 6 PM in the Historic Arcade Theatre.

Goodman Theatre's commitment to new works and emerging artists continues in its 2018/2019 Season. Today, the Goodman named four Chicago-based writers to its Playwrights Unit-Georgette Kelly, whose play Ballast was featured on The Kilroys List and received the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding New Play; Dianne Nora, a playwright, dramaturg, theater scholar and comedy writer who works in Chicago, Brooklyn and Dublin; Marisela Treviño Orta, semifinalist for the 2018 O'Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference and 2019 Kendeda Finalist (Alliance Theatre); and Stacey Rose, whose work has been presented at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, National Black Theatre and more. The Playwrights Unit, in partnership with Chicago Dramatists, meets bi-monthly to discuss their commissioned plays-in-progress with the Goodman's artistic team. The residency culminates in a public staged reading of each new play in Summer 2019. 

After great success last year with the inaugural project, Infinitheatre presents the second cohort of the Quebec English-language Playwrights' Unit (The Unit). This rich roster of uniquely Quebec plays is poised for programming in theatres across the country. The Unit, under the guidance of dramaturge and playwright Alexandria Haber, is proud to announce that after a year in development there will be seven staged readings from September 20-23. Readings take place at Centaur Theatre, The Segal Centre for Performing Arts, MainLine Theatre and Espace Freestanding Room. All events are free, with donations gratefully accepted.

Tickets are now on sale for the WORLD PREMIERE production of SECOND SKIN by Kristin Idaszak and directed by Jess Hutchinson STARRING: Stephanie Shum, Hilary Williams and Paula Ramirez. WildClaw Theatre Company, bringing the world of horror to the stage for 10 years in Chicago, is proud to present this three-women-told tale of a secret surfacing from a place thought buried in the deep. Previews begin September 11th and the show opens September 14th at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave.