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Get a sneak peek at new plays and musicals being developed in the Washington area! Saturday, Sep. 2 / Sunday, Sep. 3 / Monday, Sep. 4 Throughout the Kennedy Center from 2-10 p.m. FREE! No tickets required, limited seating available Schedule and artists subject to change without notice. See below for PARTICIPATING THEATERS, PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTIONS, and FULL SCHEDULE. During this three-day event, the Kennedy Center welcomes more than 35 theaters from the D.C. metropolitan area with the goal of producing and supporting the success of new plays and musicals. Featuring free readings, special events, and panel discussions, the festival lets you catch a glimpse of upcoming Washington premieres in the 2006–2007 theater season. This year will include new works by Norman Allen, Joe Calarco, Richard Dresser, Thomas Keneally, Jon Klein, James Magruder, and more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PARTICIPATING THEATERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AccokeekCreek TheatreCo | Active Cultures | African Continuum Theatre Company | The Art Riot Theatrical Co. | Baltimore Playwrights Festival | Black Women's Playwright's Group | Bouncing Ball Theatrical Productions | Catalyst Theater Company | Catholic University Department of Drama | CENTERSTAGE | Charter Theatre | Contemporary American Theater Festival | DC Dollies & The Rocket Bitch Revue | Forum Theatre & Dance | Horizons Theatre | Journeymen Theater Ensemble | Kennedy Center Kenan Program | Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences in association with the White House Historical Association | MetroStage | Pangea Project of Theater Alliance | PlayGround Playwrights of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company | Playwrights Forum | Quotidian Theatre Company | Rorschach Theatre Company | Scena Theatre | Shakespeare Theatre Company | Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting | Signature Theatre | Synetic Theater | Taffety Punk Theatre Company | Theater Alliance | Theater J | The Hatchery | Venus Theatre | Washington Improv Theater | Women's Work Writer's Group | Yellow Taxi Productions | Young Playwrights' Theater ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AccokeekCreek TheatreCo SHORTSTACK V2 Directed by Bob Bartlett and Renee Charlow Six new short pieces range from topical tales of snipers to everyday tales of human interactions. Works by Audrey Cefaly, D.W. Gregory, Stephen LaRocque, Michael Leicht, Mark Scharf, and Steven Schutzman. Active Cultures HANSEL & GRETLE EAT CRABS By Mary Resing In this musical retelling of the timeless fairytale, two young girls become lost on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. African Continuum Theatre Company A FRESH FLAVAS SHOWCASE Don't miss selections from new plays by David Emerson Toney, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, and Steve Langley. The Art Riot Theatrical Co. THE OFFENSIVE By R.L. Nesvet It's 1355, and the Venetian Senate has refused to put to death a graffiti artist who insulted the recently elected Leader of the Republic. Can the leader successfully turn a terrorist cell into respectable "Patriots" overnight? Baltimore Playwrights Festival Baltimore Playwrights Festival presents two new works. Split, by Ira Gamerman, is about an insecure 24 year old with two imaginary friends, an overprotective girlfriend who bears resemblance to his mother, and a confused ex-girlfriend who has come back into his life after a three-year absence. Past Is Present is a compilation of plays by Joe Dennison, Carol Weinberg, Kimberley Lynne, Mark Scharf, and Rich Espey. Black Women's Playwright's Group EVERYDAY GUMBO Enjoy selections from plays by Pamela Armstrong de Vreeze, e. christi cunningham, Debbie Minter Jackson, Maria Jones, Debra Mims, Debra Rose, and Lois A. Wiley. Bouncing Ball Theatrical Productions CAUTIONARY TALES FOR ADULTS AND THE MANY ADVENTURES OF TRIXIE TICKLES By Shawn Northrip Directed by Shirley Sirotsky Children's storybook character Trixie stars in her own educational children's television programming, in which kids learn such valuable life lessons as "being pretty is all that matters." Catalyst Theater Company LEFTOVERS By Anna Ziegler Directed by Merry Alderman Four Jewish D.C.-area high school students struggle with identity and growing up amidst the backdrop of terrorism, genocide, and iTunes. Catholic University Department of Drama Three new works range from a forensic anthropologist's excavation of her abusive past, to a life-threatening religious conversion, to a dysfunctional, politically conservative family's pursuit of happiness. Works by Stephen Spotswood, Deborah DeGeorge Harbin, and Meg Schadl. CENTERSTAGE AMERICAMISFIT By Dan Dietz Featuring Bobby Smith and Tara Giordano Of Mice and Men meets Natural Born Killers meets your high school American history class taught by a Jerry Lee Lewis look-alike. Playwright Dan Dietz dishes out democratic smackdown the likes of which textbooks have never seen. Charter Theatre SLEEPING AND WAKING By Chris Stezin Featuring Chris Lane This play explores the implications of attaching a human head to a donor body. Contemporary American Theater Festival THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS By Richard Dresser Directed by Ed Herendeen Featuring Mark Blum and Matthew Arkin Neil and Annie live vicariously through their daughter Jodi, but when Jodi announces she won't go to college, they take a look at their own lives in this hilarious look into the American psyche. DC Dollies & The Rocket Bitch Revue SAFEWORD By Callie Kimball Directed by Sarah Denhardt Featuring Michael Willis, Jeorge Watson, Donna Migliaccio, Mark Sullivan, Kimberly Gilbert, and Abby Wood A semifinalist at this year's O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Safeword reveals the secrets of two D.C. families and asks why is it easier to get what we need from strangers? Forum Theatre & Dance THE ADVENTURES OF ALI AND ALI AND THE AXES OF EVIL By Marcus Youssef, Guillermo Verdecchia, and Camyar Chai Directed by Colin Hovde Featuring Alexander Strain Refugees attempt to seduce the audience into providing them with food, refuge, security, freedom, and the material benefits of Western consumer society, failing miserably at every step. Horizons Theatre EVIL Written and directed by Leslie Jacobson Adapted from the novel by Diane Bell Featuring Caren Anton This play revolves around energetic and idealistic students, secretive clerics, practical and manipulative administrators, eccentric professors, and a sexy feminist/cultural anthropologist "of a certain age." A post-performance discussion with Diane Bell and cast follows the performance. Journeymen Theater Ensemble IN SERVICE OF THE QUEEN By Bo Wilson Featuring Ellen Young, Scott McCormick, and Matt Dunphy A solitary, middle-aged Englishwoman and her strange cargo sail to The Colonies, carrying out a mission that grows more mysterious and more personal with every league traveled. Kennedy Center Kenan Program THE DUMB CLASS Written and performed by Daniel Frith Directed by Wendy McClellan This solo performance explores what happens when students at a strict private grammar school on the British territory of Bermuda take innocent mischief too far. Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences in association with the White House Historical Association TOY SOLDIERS By Jon Klein Directed by Serge Seiden In the last days of the Civil War, Tad Lincoln learns valuable lessons from his father about the sacrifices made by men in uniform. MetroStage Don't miss Words and Music: The Stephen Schwartz Project, a new revue of songs by the creator of Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, and The Baker's Wife. Also enjoy selections from The Bingo Long Traveling All Stars and Motor Kings, a new musical about a black barnstorming ball club in 1939. Pangea Project of Theater Alliance MINOR GODS By Charles Forbes Directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch A prominent geneticist has discovered how to erase one's genetic defects. Teetering on the thin lines between ethics and genetics, and sin and sexuality, he must decide what is right. PlayGround Playwrights of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Three new pieces range from a cross-country tour of America in a Winnebago, to a quest to find a solution for rudeness, to a chess-player's struggle with anti-depressants. Works by Kristen DeWulf, Laura Zam, and Maurice Martin. Playwrights Theater Forum CHARADE PARADE By Denise Hart Directed by Ernie Joselovitz Featuring Doug Brown Don't miss this new piece created from the Playwrights Theater Forum workshops. Quotidian Theatre Company MILL TOWN GIRLS Written and directed by Audrey Cefaly Set in the Florida panhandle, Mill Town Girls navigates the unlikely friendship of a reluctant shutter-bug and a heavy-metal preacher's kid. Rorschach Theatre Company BIRDS By Jennifer Maisel Directed by Wendy McClellan An urban post-9/11 adaptation of a Grimm Fairy tale, Birds is about a woman taken on a dark ride into New York's underbelly when she gives a homeless man her lover's coat. Scena Theatre SABOTEUR! By Robert McNamara, adapted from a piece by Otho Eskin Directed by Gaurav Gopalan Saboteur! is a true story of terrorists who attempt to destroy D.C. and New York. Shakespeare Theatre Company in association with the Kennedy Center SWANSONG By Patrick Page Directed by David Muse Featuring Andrew Long, Lawrence Redmond, and Tom Hammond Enjoy a speculative account of playwright Ben Jonson's attempt to compile the first Folio of William Shakespeare's work after the Bard's death. Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting WOULD THAT YOU WERE COLD OR HOT By James Magruder Directed by Paul Douglas Michnewicz Featuring Timmy Ray James, Catherine Weidner, Dan Crane, Adele Robey, Lynn McNutt, Ian Lockhart, and Barbara Chisholm Famous fundamentalist healer Ruth Dupree's three contentious children are nervous: their mother has disappeared from her front porch in the Ozarks. Has Ruth gone into hiding to wait out the Tribulation, or is this a publicity stunt? And what are all those nerve gas victims doing down in the meadow...? Signature Theatre HOLDING PATTERN By Joe Calarco Featuring Nancy Robinette and Paul Morella Set in an airport bar in different times and places, Holding Pattern chronicles the journey of a woman seeking and traveling, and a family waiting while flights arrive and depart. MUSICAL VOICES AT SIGNATURE The region's premier hothouse for new musical theater showcases songs from projects in development: The Underground Railroad, book by Grace Barnes, music and lyrics by Matt Conner... SSA: Ass Backwards, book by James Gardiner, music and lyrics by Nick Blaemire... The Next Big Thing, music and book by Tom Donoghue, lyrics by Tom Donoghue and Jermaine Hardy... Saving Aimee, book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford, music by David Pomerantz and David Friedman. Synetic Theater FRANKENSTEIN Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili Choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili In this open rehearsal for the upcoming world premiere at the Kennedy Center, Helen Hayes Award-winning Synetic Theater brings its own blend of "cinematic vitality" (The Washington Post) and sweeping drama to Mary Shelley's classic work. Taffety Punk Theatre Company PANGEA By Stephen R. Culp Directed by T-Punk Christopher Marino Featuring Marcus Kyd, Anna Kepe, Maia deSanti, Amy Quiggins, James Ricks, Kimberly Gilbert, Michael Kramer, Sheila Hennessey, and George Grant A team of scientists in Antarctica, undercover operatives in Istanbul and Kazakhstan, and a 15-year-old Sacramento boy unravel a conspiracy that threatens the entire world. THE PHOENIX AND TURTLE By William Shakespeare Choreography by T-Punk Erin Mitchell and guest artist Jeffrey Scott Bailey, with Paulina Guerrero, Mindy Woodhead, and Vanessa Vaughn Music direction by T-Punk Marcus Kyd, with Katy Otto, Erin McCarley, and Kathy Cashel The Taffety Punk Theatre Company rocks one of Shakespeare's lesser known poems with live music and dance. Theater Alliance THE HOUSE HALFWAY By Norman Allen Directed by Jeremy Skidmore Featuring Kathleen Coons, Jennifer Mendenhall, Alexander Strain, and Michael Russotto This comedy is about a bed & breakfast that welcomes those who wish to end their life. But one man finds his suicide plans thwarted by fellow guests and the surprise arrival of his wife. Theater J EITHER, OR By Thomas Keneally Directed by Daniel DeRaey Featuring Andrew Long and Ralph Cosham Booker Prize winner Thomas Keneally-author of the novel Schindler's List-tells the true-life story of Kurt Gerstein, an adored young German caught on the wrong side of history. The Hatchery WORK WEAK By Sarah Sander Directed by Jessica Burgess This tragicomedy is set in a North Dakota office park. Someone has murdered the corporate mascot, layoffs are starting, and a group of coworkers discover how little they know one another. Venus Theatre THE SPINDLE By Carolyn Gage Featuring Rosalie Fischer, K.C. Wright, Ellie Nicoll, Wendy Wilmer, and Janey Richards This adult retelling of Sleeping Beauty puts a dark spin on the timeless tale with themes of homosexuality and incest. Washington Improv Theater (W.I.T.) STAGED By The Reality Ensemble Players Directed by Mark Chalfant Featuring Anne Acorn, Mark Chalfant, Cissy Fenwick, Ken Hays, Dan Hodapp, Mikael Johnson, and Justin Purvis WIT's players solicit the audience for the title and theme of a new one-act play, along with other pieces of information, and then present a staged reading of that play on the spot, entirely improvised (down to the stage directions!). W.I.R.T. (WASHINGTON IMPROV RADIO THEATER) Directed by Molly Woods Featuring Mark Chalfant, Colin Murchie, Natasha Rothwell, and Molly Woods Music by John Kamman WIT brings listeners an improvised radio drama based on audience suggestions. Music, vocally-created sound effects, an announcer, and a few words from our sponsors will bring the golden age of radio into the modern age. Women's Work Writer's Group MISSING PAGES By Susan Austin Roth Directed by Nancy Robillard Featuring Larry Sifford, Aniko Ohnah, David Elias, and Bryant Sullivan A World War II master spy-catcher is losing his mind to Alzheimer's and his children desperately try to make peace with him before it's too late. A post-performance discussion follows. NIGHT SKY By Patricia Connelly Directed by Michael Russotto A 76-year-old woman rebels against her family and the inescapable changes of aging in a desperate attempt to hold onto her home, her independence, and life as she knows it. A post-performance discussion follows. Yellow Taxi Productions LANTERNS ON LAMAR By Warren Perry Directed by James Phillips August 16, 1977. Elvis has just died, but his ghost walks among old friends-trying to convince them to seek treasure buried in the lawn at Graceland. Young Playwrights' Theater The theater presents two plays by students at Bell Multicultural High School. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Limited seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. General admission seating opens approximately 30 minutes prior to each event. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH 4 p.m. TWO PLAYS Young Playwrights' Theater MILLENNIUM STAGE NORTH 6 p.m. WORDS AND MUSIC: THE STEPHEN SCHWARTZ PROJECT and THE BINGO LONG TRAVELING ALL STARS AND MOTOR KINGS MetroStage SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER 4 p.m. SABOTEUR! Scena Theatre 7:30 p.m. SHORTSTACK V2 AccokeekCreek TheatreCo NORTH ATRIUM FOYER 2 p.m. SPLIT and PAST IS PRESENT Baltimore Playwrights Festival 7:30 p.m. SELECTIONS FROM NEW WORKS Catholic University Department of Drama THEATER LAB 2 p.m. THE ADVENTURES OF ALI AND ALI AND THE AXES OF EVIL Forum Theatre & Dance TERRACE THEATER 2 p.m. EVERYDAY GUMBO Black Women's Playwright's Group 7:30 p.m. A FRESH FLAVAS SHOWCASE African Continuum Theatre Company TERRACE GALLERY 2 p.m. AMERICAMISFIT CENTERSTAGE 7:30 p.m. WORK WEAK The Hatchery FAMILY THEATER 2 p.m. CHARADE PARADE Playwrights Forum 7 p.m. TOY SOLDIERS Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences in association with the White House Historical Association SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH 3 p.m. FRANKENSTEIN Synetic Theater (open rehearsal) 7:30 p.m. MILL TOWN GIRLS Quotidian Theatre Company MILLENNIUM STAGE NORTH 6 p.m. THE PHOENIX AND TURTLE Taffety Punk Followed by a preview of THE DUMB CLASS Kennedy Center Kenan Program SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER 2 p.m. PlayGround Playwrights of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company 7:30 p.m. THE OFFENSIVE The Art Riot Theatrical Co. NORTH ATRIUM FOYER 4 p.m. LANTERNS ON LAMAR Yellow Taxi Productions 7:30 p.m. THE SPINDLE Venus Theatre Company TERRACE THEATER 2 p.m. EVIL Horizons Theatre 7:30 p.m. STAGED Washington Improv Theater 8:15 p.m. THE DUMB CLASS Kennedy Center Kenan Program 9:15 p.m. W.I.R.T. (WASHINGTON IMPROV RADIO THEATER) Washington Improv Theater TERRACE GALLERY 2 p.m. MISSING PAGES Women's Work Writer's Group 4 p.m. NIGHT SKY Women's Work Writer's Group 7:30 p.m. MINOR GODS Pangea Project of Theater Alliance FAMILY THEATER 2 p.m. BIRDS Rorschach Theatre Company 7 p.m. CAUTIONARY TALES FOR ADULTS AND THE MANY ADVENTURES OF TRIXIE TICKLES Bouncing Ball Theatrical Productions 8:30 p.m. SAFEWORD DC Dollies and Rocket Bitch Revue MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MILLENNIUM STAGE NORTH 6 p.m. MUSICAL VOICES AT SIGNATURE Signature Theatre SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER 4:30 p.m. HANSEL & GRETLE EAT CRABS Active Cultures NORTH ATRIUM FOYER 4:30 p.m. LEFTOVERS Catalyst Theater Company THEATER LAB 2 p.m. WOULD THAT YOU WERE COLD OR HOT Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting 7:30 p.m. THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS Contemporary American Theatre Festival TERRACE THEATER 2 p.m. EITHER, OR Theater J 7:30 p.m. SWANSONG Shakespeare Theatre Company in association with the Kennedy Center TERRACE GALLERY 2 p.m. PANGEA Taffety Punk 4:30 p.m. IN SERVICE OF THE QUEEN Journeymen Theater Ensemble 7:30 p.m. Sleeping and Waking Charter Theatre FAMILY THEATER 2 p.m. THE HOUSE HALFWAY Theater Alliance 7:30 p.m. HOLDING PATTERN Signature Theatre |
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