Jenn Colella, Gavin Creel, Marilyn Maye & More to be Featured in Eugene O'Neill Theater Center 58th Summer Season

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has announced its 2022 summer season, which features the return of some beloved in-person public events put on pause during the virtual and hybrid seasons of 2020 and 2021.

The O'Neill's national programs have a history of supporting and empowering a wide variety of work and the talented artists who create it during the development process, providing valuable mentorship, community building, and space for creative risk-taking. This summer will be no different as artists and audiences reunite to celebrate artistry and exploration.

Between the O'Neill's four performance-producing conferences-the National Puppetry Conference, the National Playwrights Conference, the National Music Theater Conference, and the Cabaret & Performance Conference-there will be more than 30 public events for audiences to attend where they can discover new work and new voices. The O'Neill is also pleased to welcome arts journalists back to campus for the National Critics Institute and to continue the National Theater Institute Theatermakers Summer Intensive, which will once again feature performances devised by students and presented to the public for free each week.

"Summer at the O'Neill is a special time full of community and creativity, and our entire staff is excited to welcome this slate of talented artists to our campus to be a part of it," said Executive Director Tiffani Gavin. "I appreciate the vital work of our artistic directors in gathering this group of brilliant and innovative individuals. I am confident that audiences will be inspired by their work, and I am particularly pleased to be able to welcome those audiences back to celebrate these vibrant new works after so much time apart."

Member pre-sale for all summer 2022 ticketed performance events began May 19 at 8am, and tickets go on sale to the general public on June 1.

NATIONAL PUPPETRY CONFERENCE

Pam Arciero, Artistic Director

The National Puppetry Conference welcomes artists from around the globe to explore the
range and power of the puppet. During their time on campus, guest artists and
artists-in-residence will create an extraordinary mix of devised work. Audiences are invited
to attend two performances that conclude the conference.

Additionally, a selection of virtual masterclasses taught by skilled guest artists will continue
to be available to the public.

The conference events open to public attendance are as follows:

Andrew Kim Zoom Masterclass

Monday, June 6 at 1:30pm
Andrew Kim is a puppet maker and performer based in West Yorkshire, England. He is a
co-director of Thingumajig Theatre and the founder and former director of Handmade
Parade. Andrew started in puppetry with Minneapolis' In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and
Mask Theatre and worked with Bread & Puppet and the Fremont Summer Solstice (Seattle)
before moving to England. Andrew has developed a specialty in giant puppets, lantern giant
puppets, street theatre, and community participatory spectacles. He is a recipient of a
UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence, and his puppets have been seen in 18 countries, several
television programs, and a Disney film

Tom Lee Zoom Masterclass

Tuesday, June 7 at 1:30pm
Born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in Mililani, Hawai'i, Tom Lee is a director, designer, and
puppet artist based in New York & Chicago. Mr. Lee began his career at La MaMa
Experimental Theatre Club in New York with the encouragement of Ellen Stewart and, later,
the St. Ann's Warehouse Puppet Lab. His original puppet theater work includes Shank's Mare
(La MaMa, Japan Tour), Hoplite Diary (St. Ann's, La MaMa), Punch of the Dead (St. Ann's Puppet Lab), Odysseus and Ajax (La MaMa), and Ko'olau (La MaMa/Hawai'i tour). Mr. Lee has directed & designed puppetry for Giants Are Small with the New York Philharmonic, the Prototype Festival production of The Scarlet Ibis by Stefan Weisman and David Cote, and for the National Asian American Theatre Company, among others. Mr. Lee collaborated with
director Stephen Earnhart on a multimedia staging of Haruki Murakami's The Wind Up Bird
Chronicle, for which he designed the scenery, puppetry, and projected puppet miniatures.
This production was featured at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2011 and the
Singapore Arts Festival in 2012.

Mr. Lee has performed extensively with other companies in New York, including War Horse
at Lincoln Center Theater with puppetry by the Handspring Puppet Company of South
Africa. He is a principal puppeteer of Cio-Cio-san's child in the late Anthony Minghella's
production of Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera with puppetry by Blind Summit
Theatre. Tom directed the puppetry for the Giants Are Small production of Petrushka with
the New York Philharmonic on tour at London's Barbican Centre and was a puppeteer in Le
Grand Macabre with the NY Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall directed by Doug Fitch and
conducted by Alan Gilbert. He has performed in Dan Hurlin's Obie-award winning puppet
work, Hiroshima Maiden and Disfarmer, on tour and at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. Tom
recently performed in Lee Breuer's epic puppet opera La Divina Caricatura at La MaMa.

Tom's theater design work includes puppets, projections, and sets for Yoshiko Chuma, Bora
Yoon, Tom O'Horgan, Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre, Paper Canoe Company,
The Georgia Shakespeare Festival, Christopher Williams, The Swedish Marionette Cottage,
The Stonington Opera House, Lone Wolf Tribe, and Ellen Stewart, among others. In 2013, he
designed the Korean pop musical The Lost Garden directed by June-Young Soh and
premiered at the Shanghai Mercedes Benz Arena in China.

Les Sages Fous: South Miller and Jacob Brindamour Zoom Masterclass

Wednesday, June 8 at 1:30pm
Les Sages Fous propose a theater of paradoxes: grotesque and poetic, ritual and mundane,
domestic and marvelous. The company recreates a lost world where the mask, the puppet,
the object, and the human coexist. A theater where images and gestures speak more
strongly than words. Theater that is surprising and disturbing, wild and undisciplined.

They produce a non-verbal image-based theater using objects, masks, and puppets. Their shows are created for unconventional spaces and theaters. They have presented work in barns, warehouses, castles, back alleys, and streets, as well as in theaters. Their work is accessible to all, transcending the obstacles of language, age, culture, and economic class.

Founded in 1999 in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada, Les Sages Fous has been in the official selection of more than 200 international festivals and theater seasons in 28 countries on 4 continents.

Puppetry Performances

Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 at 7pm
Enjoy a selection of devised work created by the National Puppetry Conference guest artists
and artists-in-residence throughout the conference.

NATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS CONFERENCE

Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director
Since 1964, the National Playwrights Conference has developed more than 750 new plays,
including early works of award-winning writers such as Lee Blessing, Adam Bock, Kia
Corthron, Christopher Durang, John Guare, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Samuel D. Hunter, David
Henry Hwang, David Lindsay-Abaire, Martyna Majok, Dominique Morisseau, Lynn Nottage,
Robert O'Hara, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Wendy Wasserstein, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson,
and Jeremy O. Harris.

In 2022, the O'Neill's founding program will take six plays selected via its open submission pool through the organization's signature development process. The model is playwright-driven, allowing writers time to revise and experiment with their work while seeing it directed and performed by accomplished industry professionals culminating in two public readings that provide writers with the opportunity to receive an audience's response.

"I'm pleased to be able to support these storytellers as we come back to live, in-person programming and out of a difficult chapter for our artists in this country," said National Playwrights Conference Artistic Director Wendy C. Goldberg. "I am excited to invest in the future of our artform by supporting the next generation of playwrights, as we have for almost 60 years on our stunning and inspiring campus."

The six plays selected for this year's conference are as follows:

The Apiary

By Kate Douglas
Public Readings: Wednesday, June 22 and Thursday, June 23 at 8pm
It's 2044. Bees are extinct in the wild, kept alive inside synthetic apiaries where they live
year-round in perpetual spring. After a freak accident, lab assistants Zora and Pilar discover
that the bees have an unusually positive response to dead human flesh... And, as the bees
begin to thrive, Zora and Pilar must find a way to save the bees that satiates their new
appetites.

Kate Douglas is a writer, composer, and performer. Her work has been presented or developed at The Met Cloisters, The Civilians, New Victory Theater, and SPACE on Ryder Farm. Dramatists Guild Fellow (2019-20), Jane Chambers Award Finalist (2021), Page 73 Fellowship Semi-Finalist (2022). Upcoming projects include a horticulture certificate from NYBG.

Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

By Brittany Fisher
Public Readings: Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25 at 7pm
A family living in the Deep South struggles to come together-and the tension surrounding
their very different beliefs reaches a boiling point-in this bizarre and darkly funny
exploration of race, identity, and the deep-rooted trauma that continues to haunt the Black
race in America.

Brittany Fisher is an NYC-based playwright from Richmond, VA, currently in Juilliard's Lila
Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program. Her work has been featured at the
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, the Great Plains Theatre Commons
New Play Conference, Signature Theatre, and Cadence Theatre Company/Virginia
Repertory Theatre. She received her B.A. in Journalism from James Madison University.

Kate Suspended

By Neena Beber
Public Readings: Wednesday, June 29 and Thursday, June 30 at 8pm
Kate Suspended follows Kate Weissman-a journalist of a certain age whose career hangs by
a thread in a profession she no longer recognizes-as she embarks on a picaresque journey
to say goodbye to her father, her younger self, and the alternate paths she might have taken.
A comedy about grief, regret, and moving on.

Neena Beber's plays include A Foreign Body, Jump/Cut, The Dew Point, Hard Feelings,
Tomorrowland, A Common Vision, and The Brief but Exemplary Life of the Living Goddess (as
told by herself). Libretto: Ulysses, Home and Kassandra. Member of the BMI Lehman Engel
Musical Theatre Workshop; alumna of New Dramatists.

Big Black Sunhats

By Mallory Jane Weiss
Public Readings: Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2 at 7pm
It's been forty years since Penelope, Bobbi, and Evelyn last waved goodbye to their
husbands-Owen, Percy, and Hugo-as the men embarked on a perilous sea journey. But it
turns out, the men aren't dead after all. They're coming home bearing tales, talismans, and a
dangerous proposition: youth. (Oh, and they haven't aged a day since they left.) What would
Penelope, Bobbi, and Evelyn sacrifice for more time?

Mallory Jane Weiss is a member of Clubbed Thumb's Early Career Writers' Group and The
COOP's Clusterf**k vol. 2. Plays include Big Black Sunhats (Clubbed Thumb Biennial
Commission Finalist 2020), LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO (Clubbed Thumb), The Page
Turners (O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist 2021), Pony Up (Princess Grace
finalist 2019), and Howl From Up High (Gingold Theatrical Group).

House of India

By Deepak Kumar
Public Readings: Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9 at 7pm
In memory of her late husband, Ananya runs "House of India," the last remaining restaurant in
a once-flourishing Asian strip mall in Toledo, Ohio. Ananya faces immense pressure to
change the restaurant: from her finances, from her environment, and most annoyingly, from
Jacob, a Thai-American entrepreneur determined to convert the restaurant into a
nationwide fast-casual Indo-fusion franchise. A play about South Indian food, familial
expectations, and figuring out what really makes a "House" a home.

Deepak Kumar is a playwright, lyricist, composer, and researcher based out of the Internet. His plays prominently feature Asian-Americans grappling with the messiness of their identities as they relate to their unique American experiences. When he's not doing that, he likes to cook, sing in the shower, and daydream.

Nightwatch

By Max Yu
Public Readings: Wednesday, July 13 and Thursday, July 14 at 8pm
When 20-year-old Leo drops out of college and returns home to San Francisco's Chinatown,
he discovers a secret that's been kept from him: his father passed away weeks ago. To cope,
Leo throws himself into his family's untold past in the Chinese Communist Cultural
Revolution-which redefines everything and everyone he thought was in his bloodline.
Winner of the 2019 Relentless Award, Max Yu's thrilling Nightwatch reckons with unknown
histories and generations of hidden family stories.

Max Yu is a playwright who has lived in Shanghai and now lives in New York. He won the 2019 Relentless Award and is a member of Page 73's 2021-22 Interstate 73 Writers Group. His work has been developed at The Goodman Theatre. He is now under commission from Atlantic Theater Company.

NATIONAL MUSIC THEATER CONFERENCE

Alexander Gemignani, Artistic Director
Since its founding in 1978, the National Music Theater Conference has developed more than
130 new musicals, including works by writers and composers such as Lin-Manuel Miranda,
Tom Kitt, Michael R. Jackson, Kirsten Childs, Ari Afsar, Lauren Gunderson, Andrew Lippa,
Benjamin Velez, Robert Lopez, Florencia Iriondo, Anna K. Jacobs, Georgina Escobar, Duncan
Sheik, Hansol Jung, Brian Quijada, Adam Gwon, Steven Sater, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Kim
Jinhyoung, Marcus Perkins, Maury Yeston, Jacinta Clusellas, Tatiana Pandiani, Amy Jo
Jackson, Melis Aker, The Kilbanes, Masi Asare, and Jeanine Tesori.

The conference supports all music theater styles and takes pieces through the O'Neill's signature development process, encouraging a writer-led investigation and exploration into the work in a safe and artistically rich environment. Throughout their residency, each piece will receive three public readings.

"It brings us immense joy to welcome Erlina, Robi, Jay, and Gavin to the O'Neill," National Music Theater Conference Artistic Director Alexander Gemignani said. "These artists and their pieces embody the necessity and power of new musicals through their exquisite talent and bravery. We are humbled and grateful for the opportunity to work with them this summer and cannot wait to dive in."

For summer 2022, three music theater pieces have been selected from a national open submission process. They are as follows:

Siluetas

Book and Lyrics by Erlina Ortiz
Music and Lyrics by Robi Hager
Public Readings: Saturday, July 16 at 7pm, Wednesday, July 20 at 8pm, and Friday, July 22
at 7pm

Siluetas brings the stories of immigrants and refugees to the front. Conservative ex-house
wife Dinora and activist-artist Khalilah move in together amidst the charged 2016
presidential campaign, the loosening of the Cuban embargo, and the escalation of the
Syrian Civil War. Through their growing friendship-and a little guidance from the
Ancestors-they learn about the importance of community, friendship, and forgiveness. With
book and lyrics by Erlina Ortiz and music and lyrics by Robi Hager, this new musical captures
the pain of displacement, the need for choice, and the uncertainty we all face when borders
are more important than family.

Erlina Ortiz is a Dominican-American playwright, performer, and theatermaker from Reading, PA. Her heartfelt and humorous plays, ranging from topics of gentrification, women's rights, and cultural preservation, have been presented with Power Street Theatre in Philadelphia where she is proud to be Co-Artistic Director.

Robi Hager is a Mexican-American composer and performer who has appeared on Broadway in Spring Awakening, Bye Bye Birdie, How to Succeed..., and more. Last year, his musical Little Duende was developed at the O'Neill's National Music Theater Conference. Robi is currently a commissioned artist at the Arden Theatre Company.

The Jordan & Avery Show

Book, Lyrics, and Music by Jay Adana
Public Readings: Saturday, July 23 at 7pm, Wednesday, July 27 at 8pm, and Friday, July 29
at 7pm
Jordan and Avery post comedy songs on YouTube. Today, they found out they're getting
evicted. Naturally, they post a song about it...and it goes viral. The Last Five Years meets tick,
tick...BOOM! in this bittersweet comedy about friends stumbling their way through grief.
Together and apart.

Jay Adana is loud and shy. The Loophole (Public Theater Studio, music and lyrics), The Woodsman (New World Stages, lyrics), Fingerpaintings (Playwrights Horizons Downtown, music and lyrics), LeFay (Musical Theatre Factory, book and lyrics), The Last Tiger in Haiti (Berkeley Rep/La Jolla Playhouse, contributed music and lyrics). 2020 Richard Rodgers Award, 2021 Vivace Award, 2018 Jonathan Larson Award, 2019 Dramatist Guild Foundation Fellow.

Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice

Book, Lyrics, and Music by Gavin Creel
Public Readings: Saturday, July 30 at 7pm, Wednesday, August 3 at 8pm, and Friday,
August 5 at 7pm
Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice is a thrilling new theatrical concert written
by Tony and Olivier Award-winning actor and songwriter Gavin Creel. Inspired by the
countless hours he spent wandering through the world-renowned collections of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gavin has created a wildly original piece filled with songs and
stories that explore his journey through art, love, and life. Whether you're a museum lover or
someone who-like Gavin-has never felt quite at home in them, this show dares you to join
him and simply Walk on Through.

Gavin Creel Broadway: Hello, Dolly! (Tony Award), Hair (Tony Nomination), Thoroughly
Modern Millie (Tony Nomination), Waitress, The Book of Mormon, She Loves Me, La Cage Aux
Folles. West End: The Book of Mormon (Olivier Award), Hair, Waitress, Mary Poppins. Original
Recordings: GoodTimeNation, Quiet, Get Out. 2022 Hermitage Artist Fellow.

CABARET & PERFORMANCE CONFERENCE

John McDaniel, Artistic Director
The Cabaret & Performance Conference will present 10 public shows between August 10-14
and 16-20 in its return to the beautiful Dina Merrill Theater.
The lineup features some of the best talent in cabaret, including favorite Cabaret &
Performance Conference staff members, four incredible guest artists, and, of course, our
Cabaret Fellows and Cabaret Junior Fellows.

"I'm delighted to welcome a lively lineup of guest artists this summer as we head back indoors to our iconic Dina Merrill Theater!" said John McDaniel, the Emmy and Grammy award-winning Artistic Director of the Cabaret & Performance Conference.

The conference will feature the following group and solo performances over the 10 nights:

Opening Variety Show

Wednesday, August 10 at 8pm
Welcome to Cabaret 2022! We're kicking off the season with a celebratory concert featuring
our magnificent array of in-house talent. This performance is open to the public!

Brad Simmons in Troubadour

Thursday, August 11 at 8pm
Brad is back in the spotlight with an evening of original songs!

An Evening with the Marvelous Marilyn Maye!

Friday, August 12 at 8pm
The award-winning Ms. Maye appeared a record 76 times on The Tonight Show starring
Johnny Carson, who called her their "Super Singer." The Smithsonian selected one of her
recordings as one of the 110 Best American Compositions of the Twentieth Century. This is a
"don't miss" performance!

Matthew Scott in The Jesus Year

Saturday, August 13 at 8pm
A five-time Broadway veteran, Matthew performs this hilarious and moving autobiographical
piece reflecting on fatherhood and seeking guidance from a letter penned by his own
long-lost father. With music direction by the great Vadim Feichtner, the show includes songs
by Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, William Finn, and others!

Natalie Douglas in Back to the Garden: Songs of the '60s

Sunday, August 14 at 8pm
Natalie takes the stage once again this summer in a brand new show created just for the
O'Neill-with Mark Hartman at the piano!

Jenn Colella in Concert

Tuesday, August 16 at 8pm
A Tony Nominee for Come From Away and Grammy winner for Dear Evan Hanson, Jenn
Colella's voice and storytelling are unparalleled in this dazzling solo show. With our own
Artistic Director John McDaniel at the piano, this is a "don't miss" evening!

The Junior Fellows in Ladies of the '80s

Wednesday, August 17 at 7 and 9pm
Our Junior Cabaret Fellows are front and center celebrating the great women of '80s pop
radio under the dynamic direction of Brad Simmons! The 2022 Junior Fellows are Evan
Anderson, Alexis Grasdock, Grace Lilley, and Audrey Richards.

An Evening with the 2022 Fellows

Thursday, August 18 at 8pm
Join us as our 2022 Fellows take front and center on the mainstage! The 2022 Fellows are Liz
Gurland, Jordan Friend, Wendy Kurtzman, Janice McCune, Nakia Reynoso, and Nicole
Spano.

Ken Page in Concert

Friday, August 19 at 8pm
We are thrilled to welcome Ken Page to the O'Neill for an unforgettable evening. Starring on
Broadway in Ain't Misbehavin', Cats, Guys and Dolls, and The Wiz-and creating the iconic
"Oogie Boogie" in Tim Burton's classic cult film, The Nightmare Before Christmas-this
beloved star brings a wealth of songs and stories in his terrific new show.

Grand Finale Variety Show

Saturday, August 20 at 8pm
End the season on a high note and join us tonight to say goodbye to another incredible
summer. Featuring a special surprise guest!

NATIONAL THEATER INSTITUTE'S THEATERMAKERS SUMMER INTENSIVE

Rachel Jett, Artistic Director
Theatermakers Summer Intensive trains students in a credit-earning curriculum of acting,
directing, and playwriting. The six-week program focuses on cultivating constant creativity
practice, essential training techniques, high-quality mentorship, and collaborative
opportunities that yield original work. Our students join all the 2022 Summer Season artists
gathered at the O'Neill with a shared passion for creating new work for the stage.

The public is invited to join for free on Monday evenings from June 13 to July 18 to
experience the original work created by the students. Performances will rotate locations,
and details will be posted to the website.

NATIONAL CRITICS INSTITUTE

Chris Jones, Director
Naveen Kumar, Associate Director
America's only boot camp for arts writers, the National Critics Institute returns in person this
year from July 12-24. One of the O'Neill's oldest programs, the National Critics Institute is an
intensive professional workshop designed for arts writers and critics (in fields such as
theater, dance, film, music and food) looking to strengthen and diversify their skills in an
increasingly competitive and fast-paced industry.

BEECH PARTY-SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, August 6
The O'Neill will once again offer its summer gala event: Beech Party. Guests will be served
cocktails and a seated dinner while they enjoy live entertainment and the stunning view of
the Long Island Sound from the Sunken Garden. Entertainment details and ticketing
information will be released at a later date.

BLUE GENE'S PUB

Blue Gene's Pub, their full-service bar in an iconic log cabin, will be open Wednesday through
Saturday from 5 to 11pm and Sunday from 12 to 5pm during the season. Guests enjoy drinks,
small bites, and views of the Long Island Sound from the patio and lawn.

COVID POLICIES

The O'Neill strives to maintain a COVID responsible environment, and, out of an abundance
of caution and respect for the health and safety of our audiences and performers, will
require all campus guests to wear a mask when indoors or attending a performance
regardless of venue.
Proof of vaccination will be required for individuals who purchase a table during the
Cabaret & Performance Conference.
Capacity in Blue Gene's Pub will be limited to available seating, and we ask all guests to
wear a mask when ordering a drink at the bar.
These policies may be amended at a later date.