Event Recap: Playwright Kate Hamill Launches the South Carolina New Play Festival

"Welcome to the inaugural event of the inaugural South Carolina New Play Festival!"

That's how SNPF Executive and Artistic Director West Hyler would have introduced the Q & A with playwright Kate Hamill, held on July 18 at M. Judson Booksellers in downtown Greenville. Unfortunately, Hyler's plane was delayed so his emailed introduction and apologies were read to the audience by scheduled host of the evening, SNPF Artistic Director Shelley Butler.

Butler then launched into an engaging, informative, and humorous question and answer session with the playwright. Hamill's brand new adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER premieres in a staged reading as part of the festival on Friday, August 12 at 7pm, at the Peace Center Gunter Theater.

During the almost one and half hour session, Hamill touched on the beginnings of her career ("I bet my friend $100 that I could write a new feminist classic"), her approach to adapting classic novels ("I try to write in collaboration with the original authors, even though most of them are dead"), the heightened and often comedic nature of her plays ("I'm interested in creating works that are surprising, irreverent, and inherently theatrical" ), and the highs and lows of the creative life ("Despair is an integral part of my creative process").

Butler was the perfect host and the audience stayed enraptured the entire time. Kudos to M. Judson Booksellers for providing the space and to everyone involved with the South Carolina New Play Festival.

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Many familiar faces from the Greenville theatre scene were present, including the following.

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For more information about the South Carolina New Play Festival, visit southcarolinanewplayfestival.org.