Keen Playwrights Lab and Keen Teens Playwrights Unveiled

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company today announced the writers for this year's Keen Playwrights Lab and Keen Teens programs.

Brooke Berman, Kate Moira Ryan and Kenny Finkle will develop new work in the Keen Playwrights Lab. Readings of these new plays will be announced. This season's Keen Teens will offer Old Folks by Max Posner; The Astonishing and Dangerous History of Mazefield the Frog by Jen Silverman; and The Lost Girl, or First Chair by Lauren Yee. Keen Teens performances will be April 25th to 27th at The Lion Theatre at Theatre Row. Auditions will be held Tuesday January 13th to Thursday January 15th. For more information or to schedule an audition, please email keenteens@keencompany.org.

"New work is an important part of Keen Company's mission and playwrights are essential to the Keen community. This season, I'm thrilled to bring six dynamic, diverse voices into our community through both Keen Teens and the Keen Playwrights Lab," said Mark Armstrong, Keen's Director of New Work.

Keen Teens is a unique educational theatre program which seeks to improve the quality of plays written for high school students by commissioning scripts from highly regarded professional writers. Playwrights write plays 30 minutes in length that involve a large cast and also reflect Keen Company's mission of producing plays that provoke identification, reflection and emotional connection. The plays are performed by high school students from across the metropolitan area, as part of a free program which allows students an immersive experience in new play production. The productions are all designed and directed by theatre professionals, allowing the students a unique opportunity to work alongside some of the most talented emerging artists working in New York today. Keen's program partner, Samuel French, Inc., then publishes the plays and make them available for future productions around the globe. In its first eight seasons, Keen Teens produced plays by Courtney Baron, Barton Bishop, Bekah Brunstetter, Jonathan Caren, Kristoffer Diaz, Bathsheba Doran, Anton Dudley, Halley Feiffer, Kenny Finkle, Liz Flahive, Marcus Gardley, Madeleine George, Jason Grote, Naomi Iizuka and Ryan Pavelchik, Greg Kotis, Mike Lew, Cheri Magid, Winter Miller, Michael Mitnick, Anna Moench, Janine Nabers, Qui Nguyen, Jenny Schwartz, and Kathryn Walat. Keen Teens was originally developed by Keen Company and Playscripts, Inc.

"Since 2007, Keen Teens has been an incredible event for both playwrights and young actors. Over nine seasons Keen Teens has featured some of the most dynamic new playwrights in the country. Max, Jen and Lauren are wildly theatrical writers whose work will resonate in the imaginations of our teen actors." Armstrong added.

In the Keen Playwrights Lab, under the leadership of Armstrong, each playwright will develop a new full-length play inspired by Keen Company's mission - enduring stories that provoke identification, reflection and emotional connection. The collaborative and supportive environment brings together three acclaimed American playwrights in mid-career to develop new work and facilitate that work's exposure to a greater audience. Launched in October of 2013, previous Playwrights Lab writers were Jessica Dickey, Gabe McKinley and Qui Nguyen.

Armstrong added "The challenge is clear: mid-career playwrights need more support. And Keen Company has stepped up. In the second year of our Keen Playwrights Lab for mid-career playwrights, we're featuring the work of Brooke Berman, Kenny Finkle and Kate Moira Ryan, all important artists whose work I've been eager to bring to Keen."

"I am so pleased to welcome six unique voices into the Keen family. Keen Teens is a unique program for professionals and students and I am thrilled to have these three exceptional talents work with our talented teens this season. Last year's inaugural Keen Playwrights Lab was a tremendous success and I am excited to see what kind of Keen new work Brooke, Kate and Kenny dream up for the second year of the Lab.," said Keen Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein.

Next month, Keen will present a rare Off-Broadway revival of John & Jen starring Kate Baldwin at The Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street) beginning performances February 10th, with Opening Night set for February 26th.

For more information, go to www.keencompany.org.