Utah Shakespearean Festival Presents Three New Plays by American Writers 8/5-27

The Utah Shakespearean Festival's New American Playwrights Project (NAPP) will present three exciting new works by three contemporary American Playwrights. Staged readings of the plays will be presented from Aug. 5 through 27 at 10 a.m., and Aug. 31 through Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. in the Auditorium Theatre. Tickets are $8 per play and can be purchased at 1-800-PLAYTIX and www.bard.org.

"NAPP's main objective is to develop the Shakespeare's of the future by workshopping new scripts with actors and directors from the Festival's summer company," said Charles Metten, director of NAPP. "The staged readings are then performed for Festival patrons for their feedback."

This year's program will feature works by Tom Cavanaugh from Los Angeles, Todd Goodlett from Santa Barbara, and Amanda Waterhouse from Denver. Cavanaugh's "Behold" will perform on Aug. 5, 6, 25 at 10 a.m. and Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. Goodlett's "The Zapruder Film" will perform on Aug. 12, 13, and 26 at 10 a.m. and Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. Waterhouse's "Making Waves" will perform on Aug. 19, 20, and 27 at 10 a.m.
and Sept. 3 at 2 p.m.

Each of the three plays will have a series of staged readings followed by a talkback with the audience to help each playwright advance the development of his or her play.
Playwright biographies are available at http://www.bard.org/plays/napp2009.html.

"NAPP received almost 150 submissions for the 2010 program," said Michael Don Bahr, Festival education director and director of "Making Waves." "Copies of the submissions, minus the information identifying the playwright, were sent to a panel of readers across the western United States who narrowed the field down to the final three.

"Behold," directed by Metten, explores the questions of how to deal with the loss of a child, especially if that child is the victim of a senseless crime. In the play, a suburban family tries to put the pieces of their lives back together and move forward after losing a son in a school shooting.

"The Zapruder Film" will be directed Michael A. Harding, a member of the Festival summer Acting Company. The play unveils the untold story of the Kennedy assassination and Abraham Zapruder, the amateur cameraman responsible for possibly the most famous footage ever shot-the killing of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.

Told in a "living newspaper" style, "Making Waves," directed by Bahr, is a production about teachers and the impact they have on our lives. This is a story written for everyone who has ever taught or been taught. It is a story about all of us.

Intended to encourage the development of new plays, the NAPP program focuses on Western playwrights, giving attention to Western subjects, characters, experiences and themes. New plays featuring classical themes and subjects are occasionally chosen.

The plays in this series are written for contemporary adult audiences and may contain themes and language not appropriate for children and that some may find offensive.

NAPP is now accepting submissions for the 2011 season. For more information visit http://bard.org/plays/napp.html.

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