I did an email interview with my pal Jon, and here's what he had to say:
Q: What is the New Works Festival?
Jon: It's a three-night festival of new plays presented by Marshall University Theatre Alliance and the Marshall University College of Fine Arts. It's an opportunity for artists and audience alike to take part in the playwriting process and to experience premieres of new comedy and drama that are "hot off the press."
Q: Tell us about your work that's being presented.
Jon: I have two new plays premiering Thursday night. Senate Idol is 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.
Also, Fly By Night, a one-act comedy that asks the question: Is extraterrestrial life out there, and if there is, are the aliens interested in American politics, marital infidelity and life in southern Ohio?
In addition to my plays, which run about 25 minutes each, two short student-written productions will be presented. I got to see these Monday night at the tech rehearsal and I was impressed with the concepts and dialogue they have created in just a matter of weeks. This is a really talented group of students.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
Jon: Senate Idol is loosely based on a play that I wrote in 2006 titled Just Another Day In November. That play was a political comedy based on the making of campaign commercials. I decided to take the concept one step further and put our cast of would-be politicians in a reality TV world where they must compete for votes in a very non-conventional way. After all, American Idol and Survivor are so popular. Why not pick our leaders the same way?
The idea for Fly By Night came out of a writing assignment that I have used with some of my students. We were working on details in descriptive writing and I asked them to imagine a conversation with a being from another world. How would you describe your life, job, neighborhood, etc. to someone with no basis for comparison? It prompted a pretty interesting discussion and I thought the concept had some nice comic possibilities. What I came up with is a short play with an alien interviewing a guy on his front porch one summer night. It's a simple concept, but I got some really interesting ideas from it.
Q: How does a venue like the New Works Festival benefit a playwright?
Jon: It's a valuable experience. As a playwright, the work created is meant to be performed in front of an audience. You get to hear the audience respond live and there is no more direct way to analyze what works and what doesn't. The "Q & A" period after the shows is helpful, too. It's interesting to hear thoughts, comments and suggestions from everybody in attendance. It always gives me something to think about when I go back to revise or when I start another project.
Q: This is the third year for the Festival - what's different this time around, and what hasn't changed?
Jon: In some ways it's very different. The Marshall University Theatre students have been more involved than ever. Both of my plays are cast entirely with students (under the direction of Jack Cirillo) and several new works written by the students will be presented.
In other ways, it feels very similar to the first two years. There are a lot of familiar faces from the community and the format for the plays and the "Q & A" period at the end of each night is basically the same as before.
I think an audience member whose been there before will see a familiar format with some nice surprising changes/additions.
Q: Why would you recommend the Festival to theatre fans out there?
Jon: It's a fun and interactive theatre experience. Audience members will get to see some great works in progress and add his/her input. These plays only premiere once. That makes it a really exciting and special event for me, and I believe, many of the actors involved and the audience present will feel the same. Audiences will laugh and have a great time, too. Additionally, in this case, the audience could even shape the future development of each play.
Q: Tell us the times, dates and location for the New Works Festival.
Jon: 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.
For tickets or information, call 304-696-ARTS (2787). Tickets are priced at $12 per show or a full festival pass (all three nights) for $20.
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:
Thursday, June 18 - two short comedies: Fly By Night and Senate Idol by Jonathan Joy
Friday, June 19 - new musical comedy: The Pep Sturdley Family Christmas Special by Clint McElroy
Saturday, June 20 - new musical drama: Best Imitation by Jeremy Richter
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