JAW: A Playwrights Festival Lineup Announced

Four scripts have been selected among over 200 submissions to be featured in Portland Center Stage's annual JAW: A Playwrights Festival. This year, all four playwrights make their PCS debuts, bringing fresh scripts that will be developed and presented in staged readings for Portland audiences: Boo Killebrew's Miller, Mississippi, James

Presson's Long Division, Jen Silverman's Wink and Adam Szymkowicz's Colchester. The playwrights will arrive in Portland for two weeks of script development with actors, directors and dramaturgs; concluding with free public staged readings. Readings will be presented on July 24 and 25 at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the U.S. Bank Main Stage in the Gerding Theater at the Armory. No reservations are required. A full schedule will be announced at a later date.

A JAW kickoff event on Thursday, July 23 at 8:30 p.m. will feature staged readings from six Promising Playwrights; Portland-area high school playwrights whose work will be performed in the Ellyn Bye Studio. To add to the excitement of JAW, Press Play brings dynamic performance pieces to engage audience members before and after the staged readings on July 24 and 25. Community Artist Labs will also be held

during the festival, featuring artists from across the nation conducting labs for the local community. Attendance for these labs is limited and determined by lottery. Find more information online: www.pcs.org/jaw.