The Black Ensemble Theater Presents 8th Annual Black Playwright's Festival, 4/15-21

Black Ensemble Theater (BE) announces its 8th annual Black Playwright's Festival, April 15 - 21, 2013, as part of the company's Black Playwright's Initiative (BPI). The Festival, at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street, brings new scripts to the BE stage for performance readings after being developed through the BPI in workshops and rehearsals.

The 2013 BPI Black Playwright's Festival opens with a Grand Opening Night honoring playwright Paul Oakley Stovall, the writer of Immediate Family which had a critically-acclaimed run at the Goodman Theatre in 2012. The Festival will feature a performance reading of five new works written by members of the Black Ensemble Theater's BPI, including Jill Ross, Jarrin Davis, Loy Webb, Leonard M. Ferris and Katrina Miller. The week-long event will culminate with an evening of "Shorties"-five 10-minute works by Jasmine Coles, Chelly Phillips, Olivia Dawson, Loy Webb and Jarrin Davis-as well as dancing, food and fun.

"Black Ensemble Theater is committed to identifying and developing new playwrights. Since the BPI started eight years ago, eleven members have had their plays professionally produced-five at Black Ensemble Theater, four at other local theaters and two nationally," says Jackie Taylor. "We invite the community to experience these very special performance readings by our playwrights in a series of entertaining evenings."

The Black Playwrights Initiative (BPI) was created in 2005 by Black Ensemble Theater's Founder and Executive Director Jackie Taylor. The purpose of the BPI is to help develop and strengthen the playwriting skills of novice and experienced playwrights who are interested in writing plays for the theater while providing them with resources and a supportive community. It is the purpose of the BPI to expose the playwrights to local and national theater companies who may be interested in their work. It is also the purpose of the BPI to serve as a nucleus in identifying and developing potential writers for the Black Ensemble Theater.

Black Ensemble produces the Black Playwrights Festival as well as the Annual Sex in the Summer Play Series to promote the work of these talented writers.