DUTF 2015 Finalists Announced!

Downtown Urban Theater Festival (DUTF) has chosen 28 diverse finalists for its 13th Annual season to run on the Mainstage at HERE in SoHo from May 13-30, 2015. This year, DUTF attracted some of the best new and emerging playwrights who hail from all over the country. After several weeks of review by the DUTF team and Artistic Director Reg E. Gaines, Tony-nominated for Bring in da Noise Bring in da Funk, the finalists are:

FULL
Anna Something by Anna Fox
Black Sheep by Darian Dauchan
Changing Tables by Kacie Devaney
Distortive Ascent by Nikolai Mishler
Hairitage by Ella Turenne
Hypocrites & Strippers by Kim Yaged
Our Towns by Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin
Run. Hide. Be Quiet by Susan Spangenberg
Shadows Dark and Deep by Sara Ilyse Jacobson
Shenanigans by Helena D. Lewis
Supermen by Adam Esquenazi Douglas
Tower 5 by Michael Reyes
Walk the Bronx by Juan Ramirez

SHORT
A-List by Lonnie McGuire
Apostrophe Now by Gabrielle Sinclair
Bed Bugs and Hot Pockets by Shonali Bhowmik
Between a Hotdog and a Hard Place by Mel Nieves
Blackout03 by Kate Bell
For The Flies by Camilo Almonacid
La Bestia: Sweet Mother by Tom Block
Norf by Jeremy O. Harris
Outside The Box by Irene Hernandez
Park Slope by Michael Reyes
Remember Me by Brandi Hoofnagle
Say Something by Dominique Miller
Spades by J. E. Robinson
Stigma by Keelay Gipson
Tongue by Les Thomas

In 2001, DUTF was founded with the purpose to build a repertoire of new American theatre that echoes the true spirit of urban life and speaks to a whole new generation whose lives defy categorizing along conventional lines. That purpose has been realized many times over, as more than 100 writers have created and refined their work for the stage and thousands of inspired audience members have applauded their performances. DUTF inaugurated the festival in 2002 at HERE in SoHo to help revitalize the NYC downtown arts scene, which, at the time, was experiencing a severe downturn due to the WTC disaster. It has been recognized as "one of the world's best festivals for new works" and described as "not only prestigious, but a slice of heaven for playwrights who want the chance to freely express themselves." (Lisa Mulcahy, Theater Festivals, Allworth Press, 2005)

For more information about DUTF visit dutfnyc.com and facebook.com/pages/Downtown-Urban-Theater-Festival/152194641470752.