Plays and Playwrights 2008

"For theater attendees who are smorgasbored the new anthology is a casbah of theater happenings...there is a nostalgic feel to this future-gazing collage..this a collection for those who suffer from irony-poor blood & a must read for the dramatics-addicted"

Dr. Larry Myers, Professor at St. John's University, playwright

THE TELLING TRILOGY by Crystal Skillman
A gripping and and often chilling full length play that explores the nature of loss, comprising three linked tales of the supernatural. CRYSTAL SKILLMAN is a playwright born in San Diego, CA. She holds a degree in theatre studies from The New School. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN by Daniel Talbott
Two young men, brothers who have recently been separated, reunite of a night of reminiscence and truth telling. DANIEL TALBOTT is a graduate of The Juilliard School. He is an actor, director, playwright, and artistic director of Rising Phoenix Repertory. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

ANTARCTICA by Carolyn Raship
In this sometimes surreal fantasia of growing up, Magda and Winnie set out to become the first American Girls to make an expedition to the South Pole. CAROLYN RASHIP is a writer, director, and illustrator.She has held various positions with the New York International Fringe Festival for the past ten years. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

CLEANSED by Thomas Bradshaw
An envelope-pushing drama about a biracial teenage girl who joins a white supremacist group, written by one of the Village Voice’s “Best Provocative Playwrights of 2007.” THOMAS BRADSHAW is a playwright born and raised in New Jersey. He has a BA in both sociology and playwriting from Bard College and an MFA in playwriting from Brooklyn College. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

LINNEA by John Regis
A young writer who is obsessed by Dostoyevsky lives out his own NYC dream version of The Idiot in this remarkable coming-of-age tale. JOHN REGIS is an actor, director, teacher, and playwright. He was born in Massachusetts and received a BA from Fordham University. He is a founding member of the Storm Theatre. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

…AND WE ALL WORE LEATHER PANTS by Robert Attenweiler
In this wild and pyrotechnically poetic comedy, a Midwestern American family searches for redemption in the world of heavy metal & glam rock. ROBERT ATTENWEILER, born in Ohio, is a writer and independent producer. He has a BA in English from John Carroll University, an MA in English from Ohio University, and an MFA in dramatic writing from New York University. He is the founder of Disgraced Productions. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

MARVELOUS SHRINE by Leslie Bramm
17-year-old Marvelous isn’t sure if he’s gay, but he knows he wants to play music. His parents battle over his destiny, and nobody wins in this moving drama. LESLIE BRAMM is a playwright born in Philadelphia. He is a literary director and published poet. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

IN OUR NAME by Elena Hartwell
A triptych of short, breathtaking one-acts about the ways that the War in Iraq has hit home, especially among American women. ELENA HARTWELL is a writer and theatre artist born in Bogota, Colombia and raised in San Diego, CA. She holds a BA from the University of San Diego, MEd from the University of Washington, and a PhD from the University of Georgia. She co-founded Iron Pig, a Pacific Northwest theatre company and resides in Seattle. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

UNIVERSAL ROBOTS by Mac Rogers
A riveting sci-fi cautionary tale inspired by the lives and works of Czech writer/activists Karel & Josef Capek, especially the play R.U.R. which gave us the word “robot.” MAC ROGERS is a playwright, actor, and director. Born in Milwaukee, WI, he produces theatre in New York with two partners as Gideon Productions. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

FALL FORWARD by Daniel Reitz
A play about choices and figuring out what really matters, originally performed in a Methodist Church two blocks from the World Trade Center. DANIEL REITZ is a playwright, screenwriter, and director. He was born and raised in upstate New York and is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a member of Rising Phoenix Repertory. (Read an interview) (Listen to a podcast)

APPENDIX: New American Plays in New York
A directory of about 700 new American plays produced in New York City which will provide a detailed view of the vitality and diversity of American dramatic literature. An invaluable resource to all those interested in current drama; indispensable to academics, producing organizations, theatre goers, and historians.