abs wilson and Chris Gierymsky Win FUSION Theatre Company's THE SEVEN 2023

FUSION has announced that abs wilson, from New York, NY, is a winner of the 17th annual short works festival, The Seven-one of the nation's premiere short works festivals. This year's theme is "The Elephant in the Room." abs wilson was in the top seven from the jury scoring of scripts from forty states and nine countries. The play, Astronomer / Star-Weaver by abs wilson (music by Chris Gierymsky) will receive a full production which will be performed on June 8-11 at FUSION | 708 in Albuquerque, NM. Featuring seven plays, with seven directors, and a professional ensemble!

Congratulations abs wilson!

ABS WILSON hails from Minnesota and is now based in NYC. She is a playwright, lyricist, screenwriter, and poet. Graduating from NYU Tisch's Graduate Musical Theater Writing MFA program in 2023, she got her English/Theater BA at St. Olaf College and her passion for theater at the National Theater Institute's 2020 Summer Intensive theatermaking program. Some of her significant works including her short musical All We Know of Love & Fire performed at the Brick ?!: New Works festival (2023) and the Paper Kraine Theater (2023); and her play/descent-into-the-earthI CRAVE THE HEAT published in Some Scripts Literary Magazine (2022). A selection of songs from her and Veronica Mansour's pop-country musical, LIGHTHOUSE, were performed with the Illuminating New Voices initiative at Vanguard Theater-LIGHTHOUSE is also featured as a finalist for the New Music Theater Conference 2023. Other works include her autobiographical play she directed and produced, Pyre/Proximity (2020); her original song cycle As Long as the Light developed at NTI and St. Olaf College (2020); HE DID IT. performed at the Quade One Act Festival (2022); and Dutch Kassidy & the Skydance Guy performed at the Country Players (2022). Her play SPACE OVEN was a finalist for the David Einhorn prize and her original song cycle written with Veronica Mansour, DEAD ANY WAY, was a finalist for SheNYC. abs is a member of the Playwrights Center, Dramatists Guild, and ASCAP.

CHRIS GIERYMSKI is a composer, actor, writer, music director, and sound designer originally from Northwest Indiana. His recent musicals, Impact and Illumination, had selections featured at Joe's Pub in NYC. Additionally, he co-conceived, composed, and music directed A Very Bloody Christmas Carol, which premiered in 2019 at the Greenhouse Theater Center in Chicago, IL. He served as composer & sound designer for The Wood (2018), Caged: An Allegory (2019), and Footholds (2019), all premiered by The Impostors Theatre Co., of which he is an Associate Member. He received his MFA from NYU Tisch's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in May 2023.

ABOUT THE SEVEN
The Seven is one of the nation's premiere short works festivals. It features seven fully produced world premieres, utilizing seven different directors and a professional ensemble cast. The scripts are read by a jury of theatre professionals (blindly, without any identification of the playwright) and the seven highest scoring scripts will be produced. This year, the jury will select from scripts based on the theme: "The Elephant in the Room." The overall Jury Award-winner will be awarded the Bradford Gromelski Prize.

Tickets available at FUSIONnm.org, $20-40
Thursday, June 8: 7:00 p.m.
Friday, June 9: 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 10: 2 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 11: 3:00 p.m.
At FUSION 708 1st St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102.