NEW WORKS WEEKEND In Somers Point to Premiere Nine Short Plays

SPQR Stage Company will host its seventh “New Works Weekend,” a two-day festival of nine new, original short plays that will make their world premieres at Studio;Space in Somers Point, Feb. 15 and 16, with the option to livestream on Feb. 15. Hosted by SPQR Artistic Director and award-winning playwright Bill Sterritt, the festival provides both novice and professional playwrights the opportunity to have their works shown to live audiences for the first time.  

“The need to display your work in front of a live audience is paramount to the playwrighting process,” said Sterritt of Somers Point. “Feedback like this is a great learning opportunity for playwrights. It helps them to better shape and mold their storyline in real time. It's essential to developing a story. I enjoy giving this opportunity to playwrights as much as they enjoy getting an immediate response from a live audience.”

The plays, performed as staged readings, are approximately 10 minutes each and broken up into two categories, “Here” and “There,” reflecting the regions from which the playwrights hail. Writers from across the country submitted works for consideration in the festival. Those chosen from “There” are from places such as Portland, Oregon, Long Boat Key, Florida, Pittsburgh, and, locally, or “Here,” Ventnor, Ocean City, and Cape May.  

The nine plays and playwrights included in New Works Weekend are: 

• “Brave Blood” by Rich Rubin: On bloodwork and valor. 

• “Bootsie” by F.J. Hartland: A stage hound has the acting bug. 

• “Winnie's War” by Stephanie Buckley: The story of carrier pigeons in World War II.  

• “The Conference” by Philip Hall: The School Board vs. a 6-year-old. 

• “Travis and Theresa” by Chris Minichino: The revolt of the marionettes. 

• “Get a Job” by James O'Hara: Employment, from one generation to the next. 

• “The Raincoat” by Tom Chin, Ocean City: Imperméable d'amour (Raincoat of Love). 

• “In a Hotel Bar in Pittsburgh” by Heidi Mae, Ventnor: “Lounge Lizard” philosophy.

• “The Gallows Humor of the Chemo Queen” by Susan Tischler, Cape May: Ruminations on the modern miracles of science.

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