April 22, 2021
While the theatre world continues to engage in much-needed conversations about how to make our art form more inclusive and equitable, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is offering a tangible example of what that can look like. Its New Works Festival Online will stream an advance look at tomorrow's boundary-breaking plays and musicals from an astoundingly diverse array of theatre makers. Transforming the Tony-winning company's annual festival into a virtual experience, New Works Festival Online offers digital audiences an extraordinary opportunity to view new plays and selections from new musicals, and learn more about the development process in conversations with the playwrights. New Works Festival Online runs April 23 - May 15, 2021 with performances streaming live. Streaming access is available at pay what you can pricing ($10 minimum for a festival pass) at theatreworks.org. BroadwayWorld recently spoke with Giovanna Sardelli, TheatreWorks Artistic Associate and Director of New Works, from Las Vegas, where she was born and raised and has been spending most of the pandemic away from her actual home in New York. Sardelli has made a career out of championing new works and seeking out voices we may not have heard before, and her enthusiasm for her work is infectious. Any conversation with her is bound to convince you that you need to venture away from the tried and true and take a chance on a playwright you may be unfamiliar with. Not only will it expand your horizons, but you will also be moved and entertained.