Samuel French Short Play Fest Starts July 15th

A selection of 40 short plays, chosen from over 450 submissions by playwriting workshops, university theatre programs, and professional companies nationwide will be presented at the 33rd Annual Samuel French Inc. Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival on July 15th at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (416 West 42nd Street). The week-long festival (through July 20th) features a full program of the selected plays performed for audiences and a panel of judges comprised of  the following playwrights: Thomas Bradshaw (Strom Thurmond Is Not A Racist; Purity), Kathleen Clark (Southern Comforts; Secrets Of A Soccer Mom) , Israel Horovitz  (Barking Shark; My Old Lady) , Shirley Lauro (A Piece Of My Heart; Open Admissions), Eduardo Machado (The Cook; Kissing Fidel) and Jane Milmore (Love, Sex and the IRS; Confessions Of A Dirty Blonde). In addition, theatrical agents representing the following agencies: Beacon Artists Agency, The Gersh Agency, Bret Adams, Ltd., William Morris Agency, Abrams Artists Agency and International Creative Management as well as and Samuel French editorial staff will also serve on the judging committee.  (All judges are subject to change.)  Six finalists will be chosen to have their plays licensed and published by Samuel French, Inc.

The 40 plays being presented this year are: (W)hole by Lane Bernes; 40 Stat. 76 by Arlene Hutton; A Chicken Goes to Broadway by Kate Louise Sugarcane Marks; A Dark Wood by Rob Cardazone; A New Shade of Red by Jessica Hinds; Ayravana Flies or A Pretty Dish by Sheila Callaghan; Balls by George Cameron  Grant; Blind Date by Don Creedon; Checkpoint by Jason Platt; DNA by Christina Gorman; Evenstar Ellesar by Forrest Stone; Falutin by C.S. Hanson; Friendly Fire by T.E. Abrams; F**king Art by Bekah Brunstetter; Good Enough by Kitt Lavoie; Harborside by Tom Matthew Wolfe; Juniper; Jubilee by Janine Nabers; Kiss and Tell by Steven Yockey; Kissing Will by Virginia Reynolds; Marginalia by Kendall Rileigh; Marked by Cassandra Lewis; Molly Finn RIP we love you by Cary Gitter; Muffin by Jennifer Brown; Pi Yao and the Farmers' Daughters by Maurice Martin; Seal Song by Jennifer Fell Hayes; Sex and Money and Money and Sex by Jack Karp; The Adventures of…by Kathleen Warnock; The Art Lady; by Justin Deabler; The Cherry Sisters  by Sean O'Donnell; The Club by James Christy; The Dying Breed byThomas Higgins; The Grave by Gabe McKinley; The Queen is Dead by Casey Wimpee; The Thread Men by Thomas Dunn; The Visit by Delorah Whitney; Twilight's Child by Mark Borkowski; Underneath it All by Tom Rushen; When Rodney Met the Vikings by Pamela Robbins; Wild Follows the Queen by Matthew Paul Olmos; and Yog Sothoth by Lia Romeo.

The Off-Off Broadway Festival started in 1975 and is Manhattan's oldest continuous short play festival. Over 390 theatre companies and schools have participated in the Festival's first thirty years, including companies from coast to coast as well as abroad from Canada and England. This festival has served as a doorway to future success for many aspiring writers. Over the years, 175 submitted plays have been published, and many of the participants have become established, award-winning playwrights. For more information about the festival, plays, playwrights and participating companies, please visit the official festival website at www.samuelfrench.com/oobfestival. By requiring authors to collaborate with a producing organization and present their work in performance, Samuel French seeks to encourage the collaborative and creative process of playwriting.

Samuel French Inc. was founded in 1830 with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London, and retail bookstores in Hollywood and Studio City making it the oldest and largest publisher and licensor of plays in the world.

The forty producing organizations are as follows:  (W)hole -3 am Productions; 40 Stat. 76- The Journey Company; A Chicken Goes to Broadway - The Poluck; A Dark Wood - The Two Cups and a String; A New Shade of Red- The New School for Drama; Ayravana Flies or A Pretty Dish - Vital Theatre Company; Balls - ETC, A Division of Love Creek Productions; Blind Date - Pamela Scott; Checkpoint -Columbia University; DNA-Women's Project; Evenstar Ellesar - Square One Theatre Company; Falutin - 3 Graces Theater Co.; Friendly Fire –Playformers; F**king Art - Working Man's Clothes; Good Enough - The CRY HAVOC Company;  Harborside -Blue Roses Productions; Juniper; Jubilee - The New School for Drama; Kiss and Tell -Vital Theatre Company; Kissing Will -Karen's After Dark; Marginalia -Phare Play Productions; Marked -Cassandra Lewis; Molly Finn RIP we love you- NYU Tisch School of the Arts; Muffin - The Poluck; Pi Yao and the Farmers' Daughters –Playground; Seal Song -Algonguin Theater Productions;  Sex and Money and Money and Sex - Ignited States; The Adventures of…-Emerging Artists Theatre;  The Art Lady -Lynx Ensemble Theatre; The Cherry Sisters -Turnip Theatre Co.; The Club- Access Theater; The Dying Breed -Columbia University; The Grave - Shoot First Theatre; The Queen is Dead -Working Man's Clothes; The Thread Men -The Dream Theatre; The Visit -Working Man's Clothes; Twilight's Child -The Dream Theatre; Underneath it All -Square One Theatre Company; When Rodney Met the Vikings - St. Jean's Players; Wild Follows the Queen -Wokin' Glacier Theatre Company; and Yog Sothoth -3 Graces Theater Co.

Plays in the festival will be presented in daily multi-sessions as per the following schedule: Tuesday July 15th  (7:30 PM) A Dark Wood, Twilight's Child,Balls – (9PM) The Dying Breed, (W)hole, The Cherry Sisters, Harborside; Wednesday July 16th (7:30PM)  Seal Song, F**king Art, Falutin – (9PM)  Marginalia, Juniper Jubilee, Checkpoint; Thursday July 17th (7:30 PM) A New Shade of Red, Wild Follows the Queen, Underneath it All – (9PM) Good Enough,  When Rodney Met the Vikings, Kiss and Tell; Friday July 18th  (7:30PM) Evenstar Ellesar, The Thread Men, The Adventures of…, Blind Date – (9PM)  Kissing Will, The Visit, Sex and Money and Money and Sex; Saturday July 19th (3PM)  Pi Yao and the Farmers' Daughters, Marked, Ayravana Files – (4:30 PM)  A Chicken Goes to Broadway, DNA, The Club, The Queen is Dead – (7:30PM) Molly Finn R.I.P. we love you, The Art Lady, Yog Sothoth – (9PM) 40 Stat 76, Friendly Fire, Muffin, The Grave; and on  Sunday, July 20th festival finals will be scheduled at 1PM, 2:30PM, 4PM and 5:30PM. (Schedule subject to change.)

All tickets are $18.  For more information and ticket purchase call Ticket Central (212) 279 -4200 or log onto www.ticketcentral.com. The 33rd Annual Off-Off Broadway Original Short Play Festival will run July 15th – July 20th at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (416 West 42nd Street).

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