Redhouse Arts Center Announces 2020/21 New Works Festival

Redhouse Arts Center has announced details of it's 2020/21 New Works Festival. After the rousing success of last season's entries, Bisland and Bly and Trophy Room, Redhouse is looking for its next great show.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to have your play or musical receive a 2 week developmental workshop at the acclaimed Red House Arts Center in downtown Syracuse; one of the premier theatre facilities in Central New York.

"The success of our first New Works Festival made the decision to continue and do it again an easy one", stated Foster. "When I started at Redhouse, I really wanted to create a Festival like this, because I want this theatre to be an artistic home for new plays and musicals; and we are thrilled that there was so much enthusiasm for it. We had so many great submissions from all around New York, it made our job to pick just two really hard. My favorite part of the last year's Festival was the interactions between audiences and the playwrights. This feedback is vital in the development of New Works."

Redhouse will once again be choosing 2 new works; one musical and one play.

The chosen new works will be announced November 1, 2020 and the playwrights will be notified. The Festival will include take place for 2 weeks, February 2-14, 2021, with the play performing the final Thursday/Saturday and the musical performing Friday/Sunday. Playwrights will have access to the Redhouse facilities all day to work on their material and then Redhouse will provide top level local actors for the reading Out of town playwrights' travel and living accommodations are also included. The new works will be presented as an informal reading (at music stands or minimal staging with a playwright and cast talkback will follow the performances

In January of 2020, Redhouse held its first ever New Works Festival. After a nation-wide search, one play and one musical were chosen, receiving a 2-week workshop that each concluded with 2 performances open to the public. The play, Trophy Room by Mike DiSalvo and directed by Temar Underwood, dealt with issues of race, violence and the complicated relationship between the police and African-American communities.

Bisland and Bly is a folk musical that followed the real life story of 2 female writers, Elizabeth Bisland and Nellie Bly, who circled the globe towards the end of the 20th century to beat Phileas Fogg's fictitious journey of 80 days from Jules Vern's novel, Around the World in 80 Days. Bisland and Bly featured lyrics by Marialena DiFabbio & Susannah Jones, music by Marialena DiFabbio, book & additional music by Susannah Jones.

As with this year's festival, each performance was followed by a talk-back between audience, cast and creative teams and provided lively discussions and feedback which are crucial to the development of new shows. At the conclusion of the two weeks, both creative team's lamented that this was a "once in a lifetime opportunity."

Redhouse will continue to look for New Works that are challenging, diverse and that reflect our community. For more information and details on how to submit an application, submission deadlines and other required information, please visit the Redhouse website at www.theredhouse.org or email questions to newworks@theredhouse.org

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