Baltimore Playwrights Showcased in AMERICAN THEATRE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Theatre artists and playwrights from across the country joined together, collaborating with short theatrical pieces for an anthology of drama. Seasoned Baltimore playwrights include Alexander Scally, Barbara Bryan, and Dylan Kinnett. Collaborating alongside this group are playwrights from Chicago and elsewhere, including Emma S. Rund, John Joseph Enright, Andre Thespies, Melanie Coffey, and others. Plays for this anthology were carefully selected by a review committee of theatre professionals from around the United States. A video teaser snippet released today features one of the plays in this anthology, and it reveals the startling reality of gentrification in Baltimore. This video was created by Baltimore filmmaker, Julia Golonka.

See below:

The following excerpt of American Theatre in the Twenty-First Century is from a short poetic piece called Chalked, written by Alexander Scally:

LEONARD: Why don't you move here, you and the boys?

DENISE: Where would they go to school, Central Booking Elementary? No, thank you...

LEONARD: (cutting her off) You watch your mouth, young lady! If it wasn't for your Mama and Daddy busting their butts to buy this house, you wouldn't have nothing to keep your lights on now. You need to take pride in that, pride in where you came from.

After reading this play, reviewer Dereck Stafford Mangus (Artblog) writes, "What appears to be a simple vignette about urban life in Baltimore, surreptitiously expands to encompass socio-economic commentary..."

Theatre and short plays represent society's struggles to redefine and reflect upon itself. Future Publishing House assembled this anthology for their new series with the help of talented theatre professionals and writers from around the country. For this first volume, a collection of short plays and scenes were curated, compiled, and edited by Shaun Vain. In addition to creating an easily digestible format for this anthology, Vain put together a survey of interviews from theatre professionals for the book's introduction, and he created a thorough index of topics, genre, and so forth to make it easier to find the perfect play. Designs for the paperback, hardcover, and eBook of this anthology were created by graphic designer and Baltimore-resident Kiirstn Pagan.

Theatre professionals grow tired of producing the same work, so this anthology offers a delightful array of new ideas, insights, and styles of the twenty-first century from the perspectives of living playwrights. Many of the contributors are prepared to talk about their plays contained within American Theatre in the Twenty-First Century, and this short video of Chalked offers an opportunity to connect with one of the pieces. Here's another vignette: Melanie Coffey's To You & Me & the Ocean. (This video is also from filmmaker Julia Golonka, who plans to create two more similar vignettes in the next month.) Readers should prepare to dissect themes, genres, and concepts that are crucial to the evolution of theatre in the American culture.

For more information, visit or contact the publisher. Contact Future Publishing House by email: futurepublisher@gmail.com, or visit www.futurepublishinghouse.com/#anthology for information and how to order. You may also visit FPH on Facebook.

Theatre enthusiasts from all walks of life will be enchanted by this collection of short plays and scenes. Get ready to hear more about this title, and reserve your copy today.