Firehouse Theatre Project Joins SPARC For Summer Event 7/3-16

The Firehouse Theatre Project is pleased to announce the fusion of Richmond's premier play festivals under one roof! Firehouse Theatre's 9th Annual Festival of New American Plays and SPARC's New Voices for the Theater, will present their respective events together, July 3-16, 2011 at the Firehouse Theatre!

SPARC's young playwrights will work with this year's New Voices Playwright-in-Residence, Barbara Lindsay, and other theater professionals and writers. During the residency program, students will participate in workshops, revise their winning scripts, and attend Firehouse Theatre's Festival of New American Plays on July 8- 11, 2011. The students' plays will be premiered as staged readings at the Festival of New Works, held July 15 & 16, 2011 at the Firehouse Theatre.

The partnering of these established events will strengthen the educational and entertainment value of both festivals and will highlight and celebrate the future stars of American playwrighting. Both organizations are known for their quality productions and educational programs, and both are dedicated to the development and production of new theatre works. Thus, this event is an important and exciting new collaboration within Richmond's arts and cultural sphere, and for the community as a whole.

About the New Plays Festival and Playwriting Contest:
In keeping with the Firehouse Theatre's mission of promoting new work by American artists, the Festival of New American Plays began in 2002 as a way to encourage and incubate new plays by established and emerging playwrights in the USA. It has become a grass-roots event with substantial involvement from the community, as hundreds of scripts submitted from all over the country are read by volunteer readers from the Greater-Richmond area.

Each script is read twice (more if it needs a tiebreaker), and scripts with "two thumbs up" are passed on for further evaluation to an expert panel of judges, who then pick two finalists for a two-night Festival "showdown". Members of the festival audience who have seen staged readings of both finalists' works cast a vote for their favorite play, and the winner of the festival is chosen by the public. Festival winners receive cash prizes.

Kristen LePine and Chisa Hutchinson, are the finalists for the 9th Annual Festival of New American Plays! A staged reading of Foolish Fire by Kristen LePine will be presented at the Firehouse on July 8th & 10th at 7:30pm and Somebody's Daughter by Chisa Hutchinson will enjoy readings on July 9 & 11th!

About SPARC's New Voices for the Theater:
New Voices for the Theater celebrates and cultivates the talents of young playwrights from across Virginia. The nationally acclaimed statewide high school playwrighting program, now in its 22nd year, celebrates and cultivates young writing talent from across Virginia.

The New Voices for the Theater playwrighting competition provides an exciting opportunity for Virginia students to work closely with professional theater artists during a two-week residency. Students come to Richmond July 3 - July 16 and work to bring their original one-act plays to life on the stage. Over 100 plays from around the state were submitted this year and eight resident finalists will be announced April 15.

New Voices for the Theater boasts a writing alumni currently working nationally. Major support for
New Voices is made possible by a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.
New Voices for the Theater is a program of SPARC - School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community, the largest community-based theater training program in Virginia. Since 1981, the non-profit school has trained thousands of young artists, many of whom are currently working nationally.

WHERE
Firehouse Theatre Project
1609 W. Broad Street
Richmond, Va. 23220
804-355-2001
www.firehousetheatre.org
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WHEN
July 8 -11 Firehouse's "Festival of New American Plays"
July 15 - 16 SPARC's New Voices "Festival of New Works"
TICKETS
Firehouse's Festival of New American Plays: Suggested donation of $5,
subscribers & students are free!
SPARC's "Festival of New Works": Free to the public
CAST AND CREW
More TBA
Laine Satterfield, Program Director, New Voices for the Theater
Carol Piersol, Artistic Director

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