2015 Bay Area Playwrights Festival Announces Casting, Special Panels

The Playwrights Foundation's 38th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) runs July 17-26, 2015 at the Tides Theatre in San Francisco. BAPF 2015 builds on the festival's historic legacy of innovation in theater that then moves to theaters across the country. This year's BAPF includes Lauren Gunderson's The Revolutionists and Geetha Reddy's On a Wonderverse, both newly penned plays by highly regarded Bay Area playwrights with national profiles, that are being developed In partnership with national and regional theaters. The BAPF 2015 also features Kara Lee Corthron's Welcome to Fear City and Christine Evans' Galilee; and exceptional works coming from graduate playwriting programs, including Tearrance Chisholm's Hooded or Being Black for Dummies (Catholic University), Sam Lahne's #julys (University of Iowa), and Brendan Pelsue's Read to Me (Yale University).

"These are 21st century writers, pushing the boundaries of playwriting into new storytelling modalities. The characters are a multi-cultural cross section of society, of the 38 BAPF actors, eleven are African American, the remaining ranging from Asian, Pacific Islander, East Indian, Latina/o, and Euro-American." states Amy Mueller, Playwrights Foundation's Artistic Director. Among them are Giovanni Adams (recently: Cutting Ball's Mount Misery as Frederick Douglass); Jeremy Kahn (recently: Aurora Theater's Wittenberg as Hamlet); Robert Parsons (Aurora's A Bright New Boise); Elena Wright (Theatreworks' Silent Sky), Lizzie Calogero (SF Mime Troup), Rotimi Agbabiaka (Marin Theatre'sChoir Boys), and Naomi Newman, a Bay Area treasure. Chosen from hundreds of submissions, the seven selected plays will receive a deep developmental process, and the two public showcases of each play allow audiences to experience vividly performed readings and engage with the playwrights in advancing these plays towards production.

This 2015 BAPF season features plays by Lauren Gunderson and Geetha Reddy that are results of PF's Producing Partnership Initiative. Lauren Gunderson's The Revolutionists (In Partnership with Cincinnati Playhouse) is a comedic feminist quartet about four very real women who lived boldly during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. "We're thrilled to collaborate with Playwrights Foundation to keep [Eleanor Holdridge], the director attached to the project." Blake Robison, Artistic Director of Cincinnati Playhouse remarks, " I'm confident that our premiere of Lauren Gunderson's The Revolutionists at Cincinnati Playhouse will be all the richer for it."

In Geetha Reddy's On a Wonderverse - (In Partnership with Crowded Fire Theater) a brilliant female physicist succeeds in creating a new universe 'from nothing' within a particle collider. Will it provide insight into the origins of our universe, or will it destroy her? "Crowded Fire and Playwrights Foundation have a long history of successful collaborations" states Managing Director Tiffany Cothran. "Most recently, we co-developed and co-produced Christopher Chen's award-winning The Hundred Flowers Project. Our partnership around Geetha Reddy's On A Wonderverse is modeled somewhat on that process"

"In our rapidly changing world, it's fitting that all of the plays in this year's festival are about transformation," says Festival Producer Karen Altree Piemme. "We experience the transformation of an individual, a family, a community, an ecosystem, a nation, and a universe." With Tearrance Chisholm's Hooded or Being Black for Dummies rhythm, repetition and erudition reveal the commonalities between two wildly different black youths. Nietzsche and 2pac may not be all that far apart, after all. Kara Lee Corthron's Welcome To Fear City is a throw-back to the South Bronx in the '70s, as the roots of hip hop and a new black revolution ignite a community and a nation. In Christine Evans's Galilee a tiny coastal town along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the competing economic and environmental forces threaten global catastrophe. Samuel Lahne's #julys is a suspenseful farce complete with hacktivists and bumbling FBI agents, in which a troubled teen loses control of his on and offline identities. In Brendan Pelsue's Read to Me a child living with cancer... and maybe dying... is mentored by Elmo the Shaman and the oldest woman in Alaska.

Playwrights Foundation's 38th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival opens on July 17, 2015 at 8pm with Lauren Gunderson's newest work, The Revolutionists, and continues throughout the weekend (Saturdays at 12n, 4pm & 8pm; Sundays at 11am, 3pm & 6pm), featuring vibrant staged readings of all seven works. Each play repeats July 24-26 after a week of rehearsals and rewrites.

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SPECIAL EVENTS 7/18- 7/26:

The festival also includes a range of free special community events to amplify the experience - all at The Tides Theatre Complex.

Saturday, July 18th -- A Day of Events for the Black Community and Allies-

1:30 -3:30, and 6:30-7:15 - Hip Hop for Change: #blacklivesmatter, public perception and Hip Hop with J'Mal, Frank Vencci and Jay Peezy (Augmenting the readings of 'Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies, and Welcome to Fear City)

1:30-3:30pm: The Oakland community group 'Hip Hop for Change' will host a panel discussion prior to the reading of Tearrance Chisolm's Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies about the intersection of Hip Hop, public perception, and current events..

6:30-7:15 After the play, Hip Hop for Change will treat audiences to performances by Emcee's J'Mal, Frank Vencci and Jay Peezy

The event will be immediately followed by a reading of Kara Corthron's Welcome to Fear City, directed by UNIVERSES member Gamal Chasten. Chisolm, who is an MFA candidate in Catholic University's playwriting program, and Corthron are both writing about contemporary Black urban youth - the former references Trayvon Martin, and transracial identity, and the latter the rise of hip-hop and the black power movement of the 1970's.

"These two plays are very different: one touches on the rise of hip hop culture and beginnings of the black power movement, while the other focuses on the present - one playwright is already a force in theater, while the other is just beginning his playwriting career" comments PF's Artistic Director Amy Mueller. "And yet, these plays tie in so closely and address the struggles of being black in America - one of the most pressing matters we are facing today, with humor, fresh poetic language, and in formally inventive ways."

Friday, July 24th, 3pm-5pm

INTRODUCING: Scriptopia, A Digital Platform to Revolutionize the Play-Making Process

With developer (and national theatrical director) Kay Matschullat

A new product, recently released from beta-testing, will be presented for theater industry professionals, to revolutionize your script development process, and allow you to go paperless. Scriptopia is a new digital platform built specifically for script collaboration between playwrights, directors, actors and production personnel. It has the capacity to transform content creation by supporting artist-to-artist communication and saving pre-production and rehearsal time. Playwrights Foundation has successfully used this format for this year's Festival, handling all rewrites (and distribution among over 70 artists). Join the creator of Scriptopia, Kay Matschullat, for a live workshop/demonstration in use of this transformative platform.

Saturday, July 25th 10:00-11:30am

From the Page to the Stage: Getting Your Play Produced

For playwrights and local professionals

Developmental opportunities (such as those provided by Playwrights Foundation) are an essential part of the process of preparing new plays for the stage. But what's next? Join playwrights who have had their plays produced in theaters around the country, as they discuss their strategies for successfully moving their work from reading to production.

Sunday, July 26th 12:00-1:30

The Real-Life Rabbithole: A Conversation on Fictitious Realities

(supporting the reading of #julys by Sam Lahne)

Join some of San Francisco's leading experience designers and purveyors of immersive illusion for a mind-bending conversation about the blurring of boundaries between fact and fiction, led by internet artist and self-identified "ex-troll" Avram Steiner with local playwright/gaming professional Aaron Loeb.

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ARTISTIC TEAMS

Actors for the festival include:

[Revolutionists]: Lizzie Calogero, Elena Wright, Jessica Lynn Carroll, Safiya Fredericks; [Welcome to Fear City]: Thom Green, Michael Wayne Turner, III, Akilah Walker, Elizabeth Carter, Ryan Vincent Anderson, Marjorie Crump Shears, Rotimi Agbabiaka;

[Galilee]: Marissa Keltie, Lisa Ann Porter, Corey Fisher, Aaron Wilton;

[Hooded]: Eddie Jackson, Giovanni Adams, Myers Clark, Juliana Lustander, Candace Holdorf, Elyssa Mersdorf, Teddy Spencer, Benjamin Ismail;

[#julys]: Jeremy Kahn, Cristina Anselmo, Emily Brown, Douglas B Giorgis, Rob August; [Read to Me]: Tim Garcia, Ryan Tasker, Josh Schell, Ogie Zueleta, Fonatna Butterfield, Naomi Newman; [On a Wonderverse]: Atosa Babaoff, Robert Parsons, Todd Pivetti.

Directors for the festival include: Gamal Chasten, Jessica Heidt, Eleanor Holdridge, Brian Katz, Jessa Brie Moreno, Rebecca Novick, and Christine Young.

Dramaturgs for the festival include: Karen Altree Piemme; Laura Breuckner, Ph.D.; Sonia Fernandez, Ph.D.; Christina Novakov-Ritchey, Ph.D, Candidate; Doyle Ott; Lisa Marie Rollins; and Jayne Wenger.

FULL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF STAGED READINGS & SPECIAL EVENTS

Friday, July 17

8:00pm - The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson

Saturday, July 18

12:00pm - On a Wonderverse by Geetha Reddy

1:30-3:30 - PANEL: Hip Hop for Change: #blacklivesmatter, public perception

4:00pm - Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies by Tearrance Chisholm

6:30-7:15pm - SPECIAL PERFORMANCE: Hip Hop with J'Mal, Frank Vencci and Jay Peezy

8:00pm - Welcome to Fear City by Kara Lee Corthron

Sunday, July 19

11:00am - Galilee by Christine Evans

3:00pm - Read to Me by Brendan Pelsue

6:00pm - #julys by Sam Lahne

Thursday, July 23

8:00pm TBA ATLAS Showcase

Friday, July 24

3:00pm-5:00pm PANEL: INTRODUCING: Scriptopia, Revolutionize the Play-Making Process by Going Paperless with Kay Matschullet

8:00pm - Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies by Tearrance Chisholm

Saturday, July 25

10am-11:30pm - From the Page to the Stage: Getting Your Play Produced

12:00pm - The Revolutionists by Laura Gunderson

4:00pm - Welcome to Fear City by Kara Lee Corthron

8:00pm - Galilee by Christine Evans

Sunday, July 26

11:00 - Read to Me by Brendan Pelsue

12:00-1:30pm - PANEL: The Real-Life Rabbithole: A Conversation on Fictitious Realities

3:00pm - #julys by Sam Lahne

6:00pm - On a Wonderverse by Geetha Reddy

THE ARTISTIC TEAMS

Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies by Tearrance Chisholm

Director: Jessa Brie Moreno Dramaturg: Lisa Marie Rollins

Actors: Eddie Jackson*, Giov,anni Adams, Myers Clark, Juliana Lustander, Candace Holdorf*, Elyssa Mersdorf, Teddy Spencer*, Benjamin Ismail

Welcome to Fear City by Kara Lee Corthron

Director: Gamal Chasten, Dramaturg: Christina Novakov-Ritchey

Actors: Thom Green, Michael Wayne Turner, III, Akilah Walker, Elizabeth Carter*, Ryan Vincent Anderson*, Marjorie Crump Shears, Rotimi Agbabiaka

Galilee by Christine Evans

Director: Rebecca Novick, Dramaturg: Jayne Wenger

Actors: Marissa Keltie*, Lisa Ann Porter*, Corey Fisher, Aaron Wilton*

The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson

Director: Eleanor Holdridge, Dramaturg: Karen Altree Piemme

Actors: Lizzie Calogero*, Elena Wright*, Jessica Lynn Carroll*, Safiya Fredericks*

#julys by Sam Lahne

Director: Brian Katz, Dramaturg: Sonia Fernandez

Actors: Jeremy Kahn*, Cristina Anselmo*, Emily Brown, Douglas B Giorgis*, Rob August

Read to Me by Brendan Pelsue

Director: Christine Young, Dramaturg: Doyle Ott

Actors: Tim Garcia, Ryan Tasker*, Josh Schell, Ogie Zueleta*, Fonatna Butterfield, Naomi Newman*

On a Wonderverse by Geetha Reddy

Director: Jessica Heidt, Dramaturg: Laura Brueckner

Actors: Atosa Babaoff*, Robert Parsons*, Todd Pivetti*

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Tickets, VIP Passes, and special packages for this year's Festival are now on sale at www.playwrightsfoundation.org. 415-626-2176

The Play Development Process at BAPF

The? annual? BAPF? brings? together? a? select? group? of? playwrights? and? professional? directors, dramaturgs, the Bay Area's top actors, and new this year, designers, to? engage ?in an? in-depth? development ?process? of? six new? plays? over? three? weeks, including a three-day artists retreat outside the city, and two weeks of rehearsals during which artistic teams support the playwright's dramaturgical investigations. The? work? leads? to? two? public? staged? readings? of? each? play, with? a? week? for? rehearsal? and? rewriting? in? between? the? readings.

ABOUT THE BAY AREA PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

The BAPF is the oldest and most successful new play festival in the US. Established in 1976 by Robert Woodruff, the festival has continuously discovered original and distinctive new voices in the theater, and invested in the development of their work. Among the first crop of writers at the inaugural BAPF was the young Sam Shepard - little did Woodruff know at that time how Shepard's work would shape the landscape of American theatre. Since then many prize winning, nationally significant playwrights got their first professional experiences on the BAPF. Examples include Nilo Cruz long before he won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize, the young Marcus Gardley, while still a student at Yale, long before his phenomenal national career took hold, Annie Baker prior to her 2014 Pulitzer Prize, Sam Hunter, prior to his 2014 MacArthur Award, Katori Hall and Rajiv Joseph prior to their Broadway debuts. The BAPF's ongoing success in discovering and supporting newly emerging writers is its enduring legacy.

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHTS FOUNDATION

Playwrights Foundation (PF) was founded in 1976, and is today widely recognized as one of the top play development labs in the U.S. Our artistic purpose is to support and champion contemporary playwrights in the creation of new works to sustain theater as a vital, dynamic art form. PF seeks to identify exceptional emerging artists and give them space and time to explore new theatrical ideas and forms in an environment free from the pressures of the marketplace. By providing a creative home for largely unknown, exceptional local and national playwrights, and committing to accelerating their careers, PF fulfills an essential need in the cultural ecology of the Bay Area. In so doing, we have earned a national reputation for introducing a truly diverse range of singular, boundary-breaking new voices to the American stage, challenging assumptions about subject matter and artistic complexity. The only development lab of its size and scope on the West Coast, PF is widely recognized for its programmatic excellence. Our programs include the Bay Area Playwrights Festival; the Resident Playwrights Initiative; the Producing Partners Initiative, which includes our monthly Rough Readings Series; the annual One-Minute Play Festival; and alumni co-productions. We also actively engage younger artists through a robust mentorship program.