New Works Festival 2009

Thanks to my pal Jack Cirillo for sending along everything you need to know about the New Works Festival:

If you think there are no original ideas out there lately, then drop by Marshall University during The New Works Festival 2009 to see the premiere of four new plays by local and national playwrights, presented by Marshall University Theatre Alliance and the Marshall University College of Fine Arts.

The three-night festival will present both staged and unstaged readings of four new plays over three consecutive evenings, June 18-20, 2009. All readings will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Francis Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.

Each evening’s readings will be followed by a discussion/question and answer session with the playwright, director and cast. Participation is both welcome and encouraged.

The schedule of events is as follows:

On Thursday, June 18, 2009, two new one-act plays by talented local/national playwright Jonathan Joy will be presented: Senate Idol, a satirical look at the Ohio senate race using the popular reality television show as a backdrop. Contestants compete for one of the most important jobs in the state of Ohio, not in the polls, but by “phoning or texting.” The only thing that will ensure their place of a senate seat is the TV viewing audience.

Fly By Night is a one-act comedy that asks the question: Is there extraterrestrial life out there, and if there is, are they interested in American politics, marital infidelity and life in southern Ohio?

On Friday, June 19, Clint McElroy’s new holiday comedy will be premiered: The Pep Sturdley Family Christmas Special. Pep is an American icon and his family gathers annually to celebrate the holidays with some good old-fashioned fun, song and humor. The problem is: Pep’s family dysfunction turns the hour-long live broadcast into a chaotic nightmare of epic proportions. Pep’s pain is our pleasure!

On Saturday, June 20, a new musical drama closes out the festival, [Best Imitation] by West Virginia playwright and Marshall University Theatre alumni Jeremy Richter. It's a contemporary twist on the “boy meets girl” musical genre. This is a dark and sensitive story that follows the strained relationships of mismatched couples looking for love and rarely finding it.

Tickets are now on sale. For further information or to purchase tickets, visit the Marshall University Theatre box office in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center or call 304-696-ARTS (2787). Box Office hours are Monday – Friday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Tickets are priced at $12 per evening or a full festival pass (all three nights) at $20.

Let me just add that I attended the first two editions of the New Works Festival (in 2007 and 2008) and had a terrific time. Highly recommended!