FAU’s Theatre Lab Premiers its New Play Festival
The six-day festival features the playwrights debuting their new works.
Florida Atlantic University’s Theatre Lab will premier its New Play Festival from Tuesday, Dec. 8 through Sunday, Dec. 13. The event will take place in Parliament Hall, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. Guests have the option of purchasing individual tickets for events or a Festival Pass for all events, including the closing reception. To purchase tickets to individual events, visit www.fauevents.com, call 800-564-9539, or visit the box office in FAU’s Student Union. Festival Passes are $70 and can be purchased by calling 561-297-2471. Tickets will be available at the door upon availability.
The festival welcomes some of the nation’s most prominent playwrights as they present readings of their newest work before it lands on stages across the country. Each reading is accompanied by a post-show discussion, an opportunity to interact with the playwrights themselves, where they will discuss the process, inspiration, and plans for future development.
The first event takes place on Tuesday evening and offers free readings of original work by FAU student playwrights. The festival officially begins on Wednesday, Dec. 9 and offers readings and discussions from featured playwrights Allison Gregory, Steven Dietz and Carter Lewis. Saturday offers an afternoon reading from Miami-playwright Chris Demos-Brown, a performance of original student work from the Theatre Lab’s educational outreach program, and an evening reading from playwright Jennifer Lane.
The final day of the festival features a keynote address by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Marsha Norman (“night Mother,” “The Secret Garden,” “The Color Purple,” “The Bridges of Madison County”) and a reading of her newest work, “Special Report from The War on Girls.” The festival concludes with a Playwright’s Panel, where a panel of participating playwrights will discuss new-play development and topics central to the state of the American Theatre. Immediately following is the closing reception, a celebration of the festival with drinks and light refreshments.
- Tuesday, Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m., readings of original work from FAU student playwrights, free
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m., reading of “Motherland” by Allison Gregory, tickets: $10
- Thursday, Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m., reading of “This Random World” by Steven Dietz,tickets: $10
- Friday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., reading of “Echo Location” by Carter Lewis, tickets: $10
- Saturday, Dec. 12 2 p.m., reading of “American Son”by Chris Demos-Brown, tickets: $10
- 5 p.m., performance of original student work from Theatre Lab’s “Future Pages” outreach program, free
- 7:30 p.m., reading of “Harlowe,”by Jennifer Lane, tickets: $10
- Sunday, Dec. 13
- 2 p.m. Keynote Address by Marsha Norman, followed by reading of “Special Report from The War on Girls” tickets: $20
- 5:30 p.m. Playwright’s Panel followed by Closing Reception, tickets: $15
Theatre Lab is the professional resident company of FAU that is dedicated to the development and production of new work in American theater. Theatre Lab will provide a bridge for students from the academic to the professional world and also expose students and the South Florida community to new works in American theater. Louis Tyrrell, founding artistic director of Florida Stage and Theatre at Arts Garage, has been named artistic director and Dorothy F. Schmidt visiting eminent scholar in the arts for this new initiative. The fall season of Theatre Lab is generously underwritten by Martin and Judith Stein.
Other Theatre Lab productions include “The Playwright’s Forum,” “Play Slam” and “The Playwright’s Forum.” For more information, visit www.fau.edu/theatrelab, email theatrelab@fau.edu or call 561-297-4784.
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Tags: community | arts and letters