Ed Herendeen Unveils The 2018 Season Of The Contemporary American Theater Festival With Guest Artists

Ed Herendeen, Founder and Producing Director of the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University, will showcase the Festival's 2018 season at the Shepherdstown Sneak Peek. The Festival, which takes place throughout the month of July, will produce six new plays, including five world premieres. During the Sneak Peek, Herendeen will welcome and moderate a discussion between the creative team of A Late Morning (in America) with Ronald Reagan, playwright Michael Weller and director Sam Weisman.

The Shepherdstown Sneak Peak will take place in the Marinoff Theater on Shepherd University's campus on Friday, March 23 at 7:30pm. This event is free and open to the public.

CATF audiences will remember Weller's previous CATF plays: Fifty Words and The Full Catastrophe. He is also known for his plays Moonchildren and Loose Ends, as well as the movies Hair, Ragtime, and Lost Angels. Weller has been recognized for his work with an Academy Award nomination, N.A.A.C.P Outstanding Contribution Award, and a Rockefeller Foundation Grant.

Audiences can observe Weisman's directing in television shows (Family Ties, Who's the Boss) and movies (George of the Jungle, The Out-of-Towners). His stage credits include Sam Shepard's Buried Child at South Coast Repertory and the world premiere of Gizmo Love by John Kolvenbach. Weisman's talents are not limited to directing, as he is the Co-Creator and Executive Producer of The Sing Off.

Herendeen is "looking forward to introducing to 2018 collection of new American plays: six fresh, powerful stories by playwrights who are driven by their search for meaning, empathy, and compassion. This annual event celebrates the season's repertory as an anthem to the explosive power of live art and the American theater."

In addition to the world premiere of A Late Morning (in America) with Ronald Reagan, the CATF 2018 season will include: The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter; and the world premieres of Berta, Berta by Angelica Chéri; Memoirs of a Forgotten Man by D.W. Gregory; Thirst by C.A. Johnson; and The House on the Hill by Amy E. Witting.

Packages for the Contemporary American Theater Festival will be available March 26; single tickets will be available April 16. For tickets, please call the box office at 800-999-CATF (2283) or 304-876-3473. Box office hours are currently Monday through Thursday, from 12-5pm. For more information, visit catf.org.

The Contemporary American Theater Festival's Shepherdstown Sneak Peek, featuring guest artists from the upcoming 2018 Season, will take place on Friday, March 23rd at 7:30pm in the Marinoff Theater. The theater is located on Shepherd University's campus at 62 West Campus Drive, Shepherdstown, West Virginia. This event is free and open to the public.

The Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University was founded in 1991 by Ed Herendeen. In the past twenty seven-years, the Festival has produced 121 new plays including 47 world premieres and 10 commissions. The 2018 Festival will take place July 6-29. The Contemporary American Theater Festival is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts, West Virginia Humanities Council, and West Virginia Division of Culture & History. For more information, visit CATF online at catf.org or email info@catf.org.

Photo Credit: Lia Chang

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