The Baltimore Playwrights Festival XXVIII (2009) honored several local playwrights and producers with annual prizes on Monday, September 21 at its Awards Ceremony, held at the Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park.
The top script award, a large, engraved crystal trophy, went to local playwright veteran RoseMary Frisino Toohey whose play G-man was produced by Uncommon Voices at Fells Point Corner Theatre. It was the story of a garbage man whose life unravels after finding something more than refuse amidst the trash he collects.
Second place script honors went to JM Dinson for his play The Ape on the Church Steps, which was produced by the Theatrical Mining Company and performed at the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore. Third place script kudos went to Daniel Baum for his play Bloodlines which was produced by Fells Point Corner Theatre. The top three script awards carried cash prizes for the playwrights as well.
On the production side, first place went to The Ape on the Church Steps, directed by Barry Feinstein. Second place for production went to G-Man, directed by Miriam Bazensky. Third place prize went to Leap Day (written by Lee Saperstein) and directed by Lynn Morton at The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre.
Volunteer judges for the summer-long event included: Graham Yearley, former director of Theatre Hopkins; Dr. Gene Farrington, coordinator of theatre at the College of Notre Dame; Dr. Pat Montley, a playwright and former Chair of the Drama Department at Chatham University; Deborah Bonds, an actress and English teacher with an MFA in Directing from Catholic University; Dr. Barbara Migeon, a dramaturg and Geneticist at Johns Hopkins University; Tom Colonna, Coordinator of Theatre at the Community College of Baltimore in Dundalk; Graham Yearley, former director of Theatre Hopkins and Grace Anastasiadis, Associate Artistic Director of the Student Arts Collective at Howard Community College in Columbia.
The Baltimore Playwrights Festival, while celebrating its 28th birthday is already reviewing plays submitted by Maryland playwrights for the 2010 (29th) summer season. Deadline for play submission is September 30.
For submissions, visit http://www.baltimoreplaywrightsfestival.org/submit.htm.
To volunteer as a script reader for the 29th season, visit http://www.baltimoreplaywrightsfestival.org/readers.htm
or email mbbbpf@verizon.net.
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