NNPN Announces Five Rolling World Premieres Opening Within The Month!

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces five NNPN Rolling World Premieres (RWP): Ready Steady Yeti Go by David Jacobi, Ripe Frenzy by Jennifer Barclay, Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett, The Mermaid Hour by David Valdes Greenwood, and Heartland by Gabriel Jason Dean. The five plays will receive a total of 17 NNPN RWP productions, with each play seeing at least three distinct productions in a 12-month period.

The five Rolls are open or opening within the next 30 days: Ready Steady Yeti Go runs at Azuka Theatre in Philadelphia at The Drake through March 11; New Repertory Theatre's production of Ripe Frenzy runs at Boston University through March 11; Apples in Winter runs at Iowa City's Riverside Theatre March 2-18; The Mermaid Hour runs at Borderlands Theater in Tucson March 15-April 1 and at Milagro in Portland March 22-April 14; and Heartland runs at Geva Theatre Center March 17-April 1.

In an NNPN Rolling World Premiere, the Network provides production support to the playwright and the partnering theaters, including assistance with the creation and the contracting of the premiere agreement, collaborative interactions between the theaters, and travel and housing funds for the playwright to further develop the play in each city.

Show Art courtesy Azuka Theatre ABOUT READY STEADY YETI GO
Ready Steady Yeti Go by David Jacobi will Roll through Azuka Theatre (Philadelphia, PA; February 21-March 11, 2018), Rogue Machine Theatre (Los Angeles, CA; August 5-September 25, 2018), and Stageworks Theatre (Tampa, FL; February 8-24, 2019). Ready Steady Yeti Go was presented at the 2017 National Showcase of New Plays and is NNPN's 76th Rolling World Premiere.

In the aftermath of a hate crime, Junior High pariah Goon befriends one of the victims, Carly, the only black girl in school. While the town plans a rally "to destroy racism forever," a youthful romance blossoms and the two must navigate the pitfalls of falling in love while dealing with the town's prying eyes, especially those of Wikipedia Jones, the crime-solving son of the Chief of Police. Passive-aggressive antics, bad parental advice, and ill-informed gestures of kindness create a "White Guilt Perfect Storm" that threatens to make the course of true love a rocky road indeed.

ABOUT DAVID JACOBI
David's plays have been performed throughout the U.S. and in China, including at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, FringeNYC, Sideshow Theatre, and Penghao Theatre. His work has been developed at Ojai Playwrights Conference, Portland Center Stage's JAW Festival, RISK IS THIS, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Kennedy Center MFA Playwright's Workshop, SLAC Lab, and PlayPenn. He is a winner of the Holland New Voices Award, Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences Award, a Relentless Award semifinalist, and has been nominated for the Weissburger. David was the 2015 Shank Fellow at Pig Iron Theatre Company and is currently under commission from the Denver Center and South Coast Rep. He received a BFA in Dramatic Writing from Purchase College and an MFA from UC San Diego. davidjacobi.net

ABOUT AZUKA THEATRE
Azuka Theatre gives voice to the people whose stories go unheard. Located in Philadelphia, Azuka Theatre was founded in 1999 by a group of young artists participating in the Arden Theatre Company's nationally recognized Professional Apprentice Program. Azuka Theatre has built a reputation for accessible, thought-provoking, and socially conscious theater and been hailed as "a company to watch" and a "major player on the Philadelphia alternative theatre scene," by Philadelphia Weekly. azukatheatre.org

Show Art courtesy New Repertory Theatre ABOUT RIPE FRENZY
Ripe Frenzy by Jennifer Barclay will Roll through New Repertory Theatre (Watertown, MA; February 24-March 11, 2018), Synchronicity Theatre (Atlanta, GA; April 13-May 6, 2018), and Greenway Court Theatre (Los Angeles, CA; May 19-June 17, 2018). Ripe Frenzy received the 2016-17 NNPN Smith Prize for Political Theatre and is NNPN's 77th Rolling World Premiere.

Ripe Frenzy is set in a small town in upstate New York, where the high school is famous for having done the most productions of Our Town of any school, ever. On Opening Night of the school's 40th production, a student opens fire with an AR-15. Time is slippery as the play submerges us in the before, during and after of the shooting, using Our Town as a framework to examine what has become our new American norm. Told from the perspective of the mothers of the town, the play questions our own culpability in the perpetuation of mass shootings in our country.

ABOUT JENNIFER BARCLAY
Jennifer Barclay is a Chicago-bred actor-turned-playwright, recently relocated to DC where she is a member of Arena Stage's 2017-18 Playwrights' Arena. Her play Ripe Frenzy won the National New Play Network 2016-17 Smith Prize for Political Theatre and the 2018 Dramatists Guild Fund Writers Alliance Grant. Ripe Frenzy was developed at Woolly Mammoth, the 2017 Ojai Playwrights Conference, and NNPN/PlayPenn. Jennifer's plays have been produced and developed by Steppenwolf, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, RedCat, The Kennedy Center, Baltimore Center Stage, The International Theatre of Vienna, and The Edinburgh Fringe. Awards include the Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award, Kennedy Center National Science Playwriting Award, and the Pinter Review Gold Medal. Jennifer has been a Fellow at the MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Hawthornden International Writers Retreat in Scotland. She has been a Playwright in Residence at South Coast Rep and Baltimore Center Stage. Jennifer has a degree in Theatre from Northwestern University and an MFA in Playwriting at UC San Diego, where she studied with Naomi Iizuka. She is a proud NNPN Affiliated Artist and an Assistant Professor of Playwriting and Performance at the University of Maryland. Currently, she is developing Danny (upcoming workshop at Boulder Ensemble Theatre), Yellowstone: the ballad of the red-state white man (upcoming readings at Moxie Theatre in San Diego and American Blues Theatre in Chicago) and Housebound (workshopped at Woolly Mammoth, directed by Shana Cooper). BarclayStudios.com

ABOUT New Repertory Theatre
New Repertory Theatre is the award-winning, professional theatre company in residence at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. For over 30 years, New Rep has been a leader of self-produced theatre in greater Boston, producing contemporary and classic dramas, comedies, and musicals in both the 340-seat MainStage Theater and the 90-seat BlackBox Theater. Annually, New Rep serves over 40,000 patrons, including 2,000 season subscribers. In addition to its mainstage productions, New Rep produces Next Voices, a program dedicated to developing new plays with playwrights through staged readings and world premiere production. Under its Lifelong Enrichment Arts Programs (LEAP), New Rep also produces its Classic Repertory Company, Page To Stage, Insider Experiences, and Spotlight Symposium Series. newrep.org

Show Art courtesy Riverside Theatre ABOUT APPLES IN WINTER
Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett will Roll through Riverside Theatre (Iowa City, IA; March 2-18, 2018), Centenary Stage (Hackettstown, NJ; November 9-18, 2018), and Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis, IN; January 18-February 10, 2019). Apples in Winter received the 2015-16 NNPN Smith Prize for Political Theatre and is NNPN's 78th Rolling World Premiere.

Twenty-two years ago, Miriam's son, Robert, committed a horrible crime while in the grips of withdrawal. It was violent and terrifying and resulted in the deaths of two teenagers who did not deserve to die in such a violent and terrifying way. Robert was caught, tried, and convicted of first-degree murder and has been sitting on death row ever since. In seven hours the state will execute him. As is the tradition, Robert is granted a last meal. His request: a slice of his mother's apple pie. This is a play about monsters and the mothers of monsters. And about how we care for each other. And about how to make a really good apple pie.

ABOUT JENNIFER FAWCETT
Jennifer is a founder and Co-Artistic Director of Working Group Theatre. She is the winner of the NEFA National Theatre Project Award (with Working Group Theatre) for her two-play project, Out of Bounds, the National Science Playwriting Award (KC/ACTF) for Atlas of Mud, and she was nominated for the ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award for her play Birth Witches. Her work has been developed and produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Ground Floor, the Lark (New York), the Source Festival (Washington, DC), Palm Beach Dramaworks (West Palm Beach), Hancher Auditorium (University of Iowa), Riverside Theatre (Iowa City), Available Light Theatre (Columbus), Tennessee Women's Theatre Project (Nashville), and Halcyon Theatre (Chicago), among others. A graduate of the University of Iowa MFA Playwrights Workshop, she was the NNPN Playwright-In-Residence at Curious Theatre Company (Denver). Apples in Winter won the 2015-16 NNPN Smith Prize for Political Theatre and was developed at the Banff Playwrights Colony in Canada. jenniferfawcett.org

ABOUT RIVERSIDE THEATRE
Riverside Theatre is a professional theatre in Iowa City, IA that connects artists and audiences through intimate, engaging, and provocative productions from the classics to new works, and provides an artistic home for regional theatre professionals. Founded 1981, Riverside Theatre is currently in their 37th season. We believe the shared experience of live theatre is magical and important. Community members, artists, and collaborators are our lifeblood. From September through April we produce a full season of work at our theatre on Gilbert Street. In June and July, we produce a summer season centered around the classics. riversidetheatre.org

ABOUT THE MERMAID HOUR
The Mermaid Hour by David Valdes Greenwood will Roll through Borderlands Theater (Tucson, AZ; March 15-April 1, 2018), Milagro (Portland, OR; March 22-April 14, 2018), and Actor's Theatre of Charlotte (NC; May 2-19, 2018). Mr. Valdes Greenwood adapted the play into a musical with Eric Mayson, composer, which will be produced as part of the Rolling World Premiere at Mixed Blood Theatre as Mermaid Hour: ReMixed (Minneapolis, MN; April 5-29, 2018). The Mermaid Hour was presented at the 2016 National Showcase of New Plays and is NNPN's 75th Rolling World Premiere.

For Pilar and Bird, navigating their tween daughter Violet's transition is tricky as they juggle not only their own opposing parenting styles but also her impulsive nature. Vi is just as concerned about her best friend Jacob, who she wishes was her boyfriend, and when nothing is going as she wants, she makes a YouTube video that pushes everyone's buttons. As her parents wrestle with all of Vi's choices, they confront the gaps between them as a couple--and which they'll have to overcome to see them all through.

ABOUT DAVID VALDES GREENWOOD
David Valdes Greenwood is a Boston-based playwright whose plays have been staged across the US, UK, and in Asia. Other productions include Full Code by Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company and Raggedy And with Pride Films & Plays. Recent work includes the play The Last Catastrophist, which received 2017 workshops by Company One and the Huntington Theatre Company. He is working on a docutheatre project-in-progress involving the narratives of undocumented youth. His play Brave Navigator is published by Samuel French, as are several of his anthologized short plays. He teaches playwriting at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and English at Tufts University. davidvaldesgreenwood.com

ABOUT BORDERLANDS THEATER
Borderlands Theater is a professional theater company recognized nationally and internationally for the development and production of theater and educational programs that reflect the diverse voices of the U.S./ Mexico border region. Its mission is to champion the development and production of new plays while producing plays by established playwrights whose work resonates with the diversity of its audiences; partnering with regional civic organizations to foster diversity in play development and productions; and producing diverse and quality programs for youth. borderlandstheater.org

ABOUT MILAGRO
As the premier Latino arts and culture center of the Pacific Northwest, Milagro has provided extraordinary Latino theatre, culture, and arts education for the enrichment of all communities since 1985. Teatro Milagro, Milagro's touring & arts education program, presents its original bilingual plays and educational residencies to diverse and underserved communities across the nation. On the mainstage, Milagro produces a full season of regional or world premieres, including one Spanish-language play each year, as well as our long-running Día de los Muertos signature production. We entertain our audiences; we give them pause to think, feel and imagine; and, through the cultural lens of latinidad, we reflect the full spectrum of humanity. milagro.org

Show Art courtesy Geva Theatre Center ABOUT HEARTLAND
Heartland by Gabriel Jason Dean will Roll through Geva Theatre Center (Rochester, NY; March 17-April 1, 2018), New Repertory Theatre (Watertown, MA; January 14-February 9, 2019), The VORTEX (Austin, TX; January 17-February 9, 2019), and InterAct Theatre Company (Philadelphia, PA; January 30-February 17, 2019). Heartland is NNPN's 79th Rolling World Premiere.

Dr. Harold Banks is a retired professor of Comparative Literature and Afghan Studies, waiting for his adopted daughter to return from teaching in Afghanistan, her native country. When Nazrullah, an Afghan refugee, suddenly arrives at his Nebraska doorstep armed only with his daughter's copies of The Diary of Anne Frank and The Old Man and the Sea - the two men become unlikely roommates. Set in both Maiden Shar and Omaha, Heartland is the story of a father, his determined daughter, and a surprising friendship.

ABOUT Gabriel Jason Dean
Gabriel Jason Dean's plays have been produced or developed throughout the United States at places such as New York Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre, Araca Group, The Lark, The Flea, Oregon Shakespeare, The Kennedy Center, PlayPenn, InterAct, Abingdon Theatre, The Playwrights' Center, Davenport Theatrical, ASSITEJ International, American Theatre Company, Red Orchid Theatre, Stage Left, The VORTEX, Theatre [502], Aurora Theatre, Dallas Children's Theatre, People's Light and Theatre, Dad's Garage Theatre, Actor's Express, Horizon Theatre, FronteraFest, Source Festival, the Cohen New Works Festival, Essential Theatre, and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Gabriel's play In Bloom was a finalist for the Laurents / Hatcher Award, received the Kennedy Center's Paula Vogel Prize, and was Runner-Up for the New Dramatist's Princess Grace Award. His play for children, The Transition of Doodle Pequeño received the American Alliance for Theatre & Education Distinguished Play Award, the New England Theatre Conference Aurand Harris Award and was selected for the Kennedy Center New Visions / New Voices Conference, Theatre for Young Audiences Award and was Runner-Up for the Harold & Mimi Steinberg National Playwriting Award. He is the recipient of the Essential Theatre New Play Prize and Austin's 2013 B. Iden Payne Award for "Best Original Script" and "Best Comedy" for Qualities Of Starlight, received an Austin Critic's Table Award for "Best Production" for Terminus and his play Pigskin won the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival. Fellowships include the Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University, James A. Michener Playwriting Fellowship, the Dramatist's Guild Fellowship and the Sallie B. Goodman / McCarter Theatre Fellowship. He has been a finalist for The O'Neill Theatre Conference, Portland Center Stage's JAW Festival, Bay Area Playwright's Festival, Page 73 Fellowship, the Julliard Wallace Fellowship, NNPN Smith Prize and Aurora Theatre Global Age Project. His scripts are published through Samuel French, Dramatic Publishing and Playscripts. Gabriel is currently an Affiliated Writer at The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis and a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop. MFA: UT-Austin Michener Center for Writers. gabrieljasondean.net

ABOUT Geva Theatre Center
Founded in 1972, Geva Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional theatre company dedicated to creating and producing professional theatre productions, programs, and services of a national standard. As Rochester's leading professional theatre, Geva Theatre Center is the most attended regional theatre in New York State, and one of the 25 most subscribed in the country, serving up to 160,000 patrons annually, including more than 16,000 students. The 516-seat Elaine P. Wilson Stage is home to a wide variety of performances, from musicals to American and world classics. The 180-seat Ron & Donna Fielding Stage is home to Geva's own series of contemporary drama, comedy and musical theatre; Geva Comedy Improv; Geva's New Play Reading Series and the Hornets' Nest - an innovative play-reading series facilitating community-wide discussion on controversial topics. In addition, the Fielding Stage hosts visiting companies of both local and international renown. Geva Theatre Center offers a wide variety of educational, outreach, and literary programs nurturing audiences and artists alike. Since 1995, the organization has been under the artistic direction of Mark Cuddy. gevatheatre.org ABOUT ROGUE MACHINE THEATRE
Rogue Machine Theatre was founded in 2008 as a performing arts organization to serve the greater Los Angeles community in developing and nurturing emerging playwrights, introducing important contemporary works to Southern California and engaging diverse audiences by presenting vital, invigorating productions. Rogue Machine only produces world premieres of new plays, primarily by Los Angeles based playwrights, and plays new to Los Angeles, including American, West Coast, and Regional premieres of significant contemporary theatrical works. Rogue Machine seeks to be a theatre of ideas and imagination, a theatre which mirrors and examines contemporary culture, a theatre which nurtures contemporary playwrights, and a theatre whose work continually engages the community and creates a dialogue which resonates after the curtain closes. Rogue Machine also considers building an audience for the future to be an important part of its mission and seeks to attract and serve a younger, more diverse Los Angeles adult audience. roguemachinetheatre.net

ABOUT STAGEWORKS THEATRE
Stageworks Theatre's mission is to provide the highest quality professional theatre which respects, ignites and celebrates the human spirit while challenging the thresholds of intolerance and insensitivity. We respect the individual and believe that individuals who are treated with respect and given responsibility respond by giving their best. We are honest and have integrity in everything we do. We make commitments with care and then live up to them. We believe that work is an important and rewarding part of life. We constantly challenge ourselves and give our best effort to accomplish our goals. We are fiscally responsible. We guard and conserve the company's resources with integrity. We expect success through clarity in the understanding of our mission, our goals and what we expect from each other. We are friendly, courteous, fair and compassionate in everything we do. We strive to create an environment that supports and nourishes our staff, our volunteers, our creative people, our audiences and our community. We provide an opportunity for creative people in the community to serve as active board members. stageworkstheatre.org

ABOUT SYNCHRONICITY THEATRE
Synchronicity Theatre produces smart, gutsy and bold theatre to spark community connections and uplift the voices of women and girls. Synchronicity Theatre was founded in 1997 by four women with a desire to work collaboratively and bring challenging, meaningful theatre to Atlanta audiences. In 2000, after having produced one show per year for three years, we presented our first full season. We now reach nearly 8,000 patrons through our season of plays for adults (Bold Voices) and families (Family Series); community outreach; and educational programming, including our Playmaking for Kids (PFK) summer camps and after-school programs and our award-winning Playmaking for Girls (PFG) program. Our new home is located in the heart of midtown in the Peachtree Pointe building, in our brand-new intimate theatre. With 140 seats, our audiences can get up close and personal, and are never more than a few feet away from the artists. There's not a bad seat in the house! We believe in the power of the bond between artist and audience, and our intimate stage brings us together to experience stories, music, and drama as a community. synchrotheatre.com

ABOUT GREENWAY COURT THEATRE
Greenway Court was initially built by Fairfax High School students in 1939 as a class project and used as a Social Hall by both students and faculty. It sat virtually unused for many years until it was