Work by Danai Gurira, Jeanine Tesori & More to be Highlighted at Ojai Playwrights Conference 25th Season Gala

On June 4, 2022, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles, the Ojai Playwrights Conference will celebrate its 25th Anniversary Season with a Benefit Gala to be directed and produced by OPC Artistic Director/Producer Robert Egan.

Scenes from some of the best-known playwrights and plays supported through the OPC development process, along with newer work by more recent OPC playwrights, will be featured in the 25th Anniversary Show, titled "Caring and Daring Together," as well as special guests and favorite performers. Artists whose work will be highlighted include Luis Alfaro, Jon Robin Baitz, Kimberly Belflower, Bill Cain, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Danai Gurira, Zora Howard, Lisa Kron, Jiehae Park, Nikkole Salter, Jeanine Tesori, Charlayne Woodard and more (their work developed at OPC is listed below).

This will be the first event OPC has produced in the Los Angeles area. "So many of our artists and audience members are from Los Angeles, we wanted to bring the party to them," states Egan. "Funds from this benefit will support OPC programs, including our New Works Festival, slated for August 7-14 in Ojai this year."

The Gala celebrates the rich history of OPC's work, as well as the legacy of Egan's leadership for the past 21 years. Egan has announced that he will pass the baton to a new artistic leader at the end of 2022.

The evening will begin with a 'welcome' cocktail hour at 6 p.m. and continue with the anniversary show at 7 p.m. and a post-show party with guest artists from the show. Tickets start at $250. Donor Packages start at $1,250 and include an exclusive pre-show VIP Reception. To purchase tickets go to: https://www.ojaiplays.org/benefit2022 or call the box office at 805-633-1170.

PLAYS DEVELOPED AT OPC BY THE FEATURED ARTISTS

Luis Alfaro: "No Holds Barrio" (2002); "Holy Road" (2005); "St. Jude" (2012); "St. Jude - Part Two" (2013); "My Father's House" (2020).
Jon Robin Baitz: "The Paris Letter" (2002); "Chinese Friends" (2003); "Other Desert Cities" (2010); "Vicuña" (2016); "Vicuña: The Epilogue" (2017); "Faraway Friends" (2018); "I'll Be Seein' Ya" (2020).
Kimberly Belflower: "John Proctor is the Villain" (2019).
Bill Cain: "The Laying On of Hands" (2005); "Equivocation" (2007); "Nine Circles" (2008); "How to Write a New Book for the Bible" (2009); "30.3 thirty three" (2013); "Hasty Pudding" (2014); "The Last White Man" (2017); "The Patriots" (2020).
Stephen Adly Guirgis: "The Little Flower of East Orange" (2005); "Motherf**ker with the Hat" (2009); "Between Riverside and Crazy" (2012).
Danai Gurira: "In the Continuum" (2004); "Eclipsed" (2008).
Zora Howard: "Bust" (2020); "Hang Time" (2021).
Jiehae Park: "Hannah and the Dread Gazebo" (2013); "peerless" (2015).
Nikkole Salter: "In the Continuum" (2004); "Of Great Merit" (2012).
Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron: "Fun Home" (2009).
Charlayne Woodard: "Flight" ((2003); "The Night Watcher (2007); "The Garden" (2018).

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY FOR THE OPC GALA:

The Ojai Playwrights Conference will adhere to health and safety policies in place at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Currently, guests are required to wear a mask and provide proof of full vaccination. Booster shots are strongly recommended. Unvaccinated guests must provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken no more than 48 hours prior to attendance, or a negative rapid antigen test taken no more than 24 hours prior. All tests must be administered by a professional. Policies are subject to change.

ABOUT OJAI PLAYWRIGHTS CONFERENCE

Since 1998, theatre professionals and enthusiastic audiences have converged in Ojai to participate in the development of new plays for the American theatre. Plays developed at OPC have gone on to have numerous productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at regional theatres across the country. Some have been nominated for and won prestigious awards. Both "Fun Home" by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, and Jon Robin Baitz's "Other Desert Cities" were Pulitzer Finalists; "Fun Home" won the Tony Award for Best Musical; and Danai Gurira's "Eclipsed" and Stephen Adly Guirgis' "The Motherf**ker with the Hat" were each nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. In 2019, OPC received the LADCC Gordon Davidson Award for distinguished contribution to the Los Angeles theatrical community.

Photo credit: Walter Kurtz