National New Play Network Celebrates 20 Years

National New Play Network, the alliance of professional theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend that life of new plays, celebrated its 20-year Anniversary during this year's Annual Conference, hosted by Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The David Goldman Fund for New American Plays, created by a generous gift from long-time Network supporter Carol Dweck, was unveiled to the membership and Mr. Goldman at an event that kicked off the conference.

David Goldman, the director of the National Center for New Plays at Stanford University, was the driving force behind the creation of National New Play Network in 1998 and its widely acclaimed Rolling World Premiere (RWP) program in 2004. The Network's recent Annual Conference included a celebration of his influence and legacy. Several founding members of NNPN were in attendance for the celebration, speaking about the impact that Goldman's dogged advocacy for the continued life of new plays has had on their lives as artists and leaders of institutions. Founders in attendance included: Scott Vehill and Stefan Brun of Chicago's Prop Thtr, Barclay Goldsmith of Tucson's Borderlands Theater, Jack Reuler of Mixed Blood in Minneapolis, and Seth Rozin of InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA.

The evening also featured a reading of selected scenes from some of the more than 80 plays that have benefitted from the NNPN Rolling World Premiere program, which provides support for theaters that work together to produce three or more separate and distinct full productions of a playwright's new work within a 12-month period. Rozin, who has penned two plays that received RWPs, created a framework for these excerpts: a new short play whose text was comprised of the titles of all of the Rolling World Premiere plays contracted to date and Vehill "roasted" Goldman with songs and stories.

Dweck's gift will be matched by NNPN Board Members, Affiliated Artists, Ambassadors, and friends of Goldman, and will allow the Network to dedicate one of its RWP supported works each year to Goldman via a statement acknowledging him as the organization's founder. This citation will be included in the billing for the play in perpetuity, spreading the word of his vision and impact every time and everywhere that play is produced. If you'd like to support the work of National New Play Network through a gif to the David Goldman Find for New American Plays, you can do so at nnpn.org/support.

Photo: Founders in attendance to celebrate David Goldman: back row - from left: Stefan Brun, Seth Rozin, Barclay Goldsmith
front row - from left: Scott Vehill, David Goldman, Jack Reuler

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