TimeLine Theatre Welcomes 2017-18 Playwrights Collective

TimeLine Theatre Company has announced the playwrights who will be in residence during 2017 and 2018 with its Playwrights Collective, the company's new-play incubator.

Four playwrights have been named to the Playwrights Collective: Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Maureen Gallagher and CalamiTy West. For more details, visit timelinetheatre.com/people/playwrights.

Over its first 20 seasons, TimeLine produced nine world premieres and more than 30 Chicago premieres, making an ongoing commitment to developing, supporting and featuring new work. The TimeLine Playwrights Collective continues that effort, offering a supportive environment for playwrights who share an affinity for TimeLine's mission of presenting stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues.

A diverse group of emerging and established writers are selected by TimeLine's Company Members to participate in the Playwrights Collective, under the leadership of Literary Manager Ben Thiem. The group meets regularly, and playwrights choose their own projects that fit TimeLine's mission to work on throughout the two-year residency. Together the group reads and hears scenes from work under development, asks questions, discusses challenges and shares progress with peers. TimeLine provides support throughout the process, including readings, and any works developed with the Playwrights Collective may be considered for future development and production at TimeLine Theatre.

"We greatly admire these four artists and I couldn't be more excited to work with them as they each develop a new play that fits our unique mission," said Thiem. "Being a playwright is often very solitary work without regular opportunities for structured feedback and support. By providing these writers with an artistic home for the next two years, they'll have the time, space and resources to explore and write exciting and challenging new stories that will engage audiences in conversations about history."

"Each of these dynamic writers possesses a unique voice and a keen interest in examining history," said TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers. "As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, TimeLine's commitment to nurturing new plays continues to deepen, and the Playwrights Collective, under Ben's leadership, provides an opportunity to support these Chicago-based writers as they create new scripts that explore how the past connects with social and political issues of today."

These four playwrights are the second group to be in residence as part of TimeLine's Playwrights Collective. The inaugural Playwrights Collective, which included Alice Austin, John Conroy, Emily Dendinger, Frances Limoncelli, Susan McLaughlin Karp and Brett Neveu, convened 2013 to 2016.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS:

Tyla Abercrumbie is a TimeLine Associate Artist who has appeared as an actor in IN DARFUR and served as assistant director of A RAISIN IN THE SUN. Her plays include WHO'S AFRAID OF DEEPAK CHOPRA, ASYLUM (AKA LIFE), PSYCHOLOGICAL TERRORISM, NAKED AND RAW, THE STRAW, AFFAIR OF AMBIGUITY, and NORMALITY.Abercrumbie's work has been produced by Pittsburgh Playwright's Theatre, MPAACT Theatre and Chicago Cultural Center, and THE STRAW received a professional Staged Reading with Chicago Dramatists. As an actor she has performed in numerous regional theatres around the country, and on television. Her book Red Wine and the Bles'sed Monkey, a collection of prose and poetry, established her as a respected poet invited to showcase her work at venues, events and media outlets around the country, and as an opener for keynote speakers like the Reverend Jesse Jackson. She is a graduate of Columbia College with a BA degree in Theatre, and a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.

Will Allan is a TimeLine Associate Artist who has appeared as an actor in THE HISTORY BOYS and served as assistant director of IN DARFUR. His acting credits around Chicago include a solo performance in CIRCUMFERENCE OF A SQUIRREL (Greenhouse Theater Center); THE FLICK, GOOD PEOPLE, THE MARCH, ANIMAL FARM, and A SEPARATE PEACE (Steppenwolf); THE SEAGULL and DARTMOOR PRISON (Goodman); THE WHALE (Victory Gardens); THE GOAT OR, WHO IS SYLVIA? (Remy Bumppo); SPEECH AND DEBATE and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (ATC); ROMEO AND JULIET and MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (First Folio); and more. Regional credits include THE MOUSETRAP (Milwaukee Rep) and RED (Human Race Theatre Co.). He hails from Frankfort, Kentucky and Dayton, Ohio. He attended North Central College in Naperville, Illinois as well as the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia. He's a member of AEA and is represented by Paonessa Talent.

Maureen Gallagher is an actor and playwright in Chicago theatre. Her play MARTIN FUREY'S SHOT, about photojournalists in South Africa during the violence preceding the election of Nelson Mandela, was produced at TimeLine Theatre in 2005. COMRADES MINE, about Emma Edmonds, who fought in the Civil War disguised as a man, was produced at City Lit Theater in 2013 and received a Non-Equity Jeff Award nomination for New Work. Recently it was adapted and mounted as a live radio play at Audio Air Force in Lansing, Michigan. She received an Illinois Arts Council Artist grant to develop her play about Eudora Welty and her relationship with detective novelist Ross MacDonald, MORE RUTHLESS AND MORE TENDER. It was nominated in 2014 for the Kilroys List of excellent new plays by female and trans playwrights.

CalamiTy West is a Chicago-based, award-winning playwright. She is currently developing new plays for The Goodman, Steep Theatre Company, and Jackalope Theatre Company. Her Kilroys List-cited (2015) play, GIVE IT ALL BACK, received its world premiere production at Sideshow Theatre Company in November 2016. Other full-length plays by CalamiTy West include Tony Kushner CONSIDERS WRITING A GAY FANTASIA BASED ON NATIONAL THEMES (2016), ROLLING (2016, Jeff Award nomination for New Work); IBSEN IS DEAD (2014); THE PEACOCK (2013, Kilroys List honorable mention); THE GACY PLAY (2012); and COMMON HATRED (2012). West is a company member of Jackalope Theatre Company and an artistic associate of Sideshow Theatre Company. She is represented by The Gersh Agency.

TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. To date over 20 seasons, TimeLine has presented 70 productions, including nine world premieres and 30 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, now in its 10th year of bringing the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 53 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.

TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President John M. Sirek. Company members are Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson and Benjamin Thiem.

TimeLine is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, Theatre Communications Group, Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce and Chicago's Belmont Theater District.

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