Denver Center Theatre Company Announces Playwrights For The 19th Annual Colorado New Play Summit

The Denver Center Theatre Company has announced the playwrights, dates, and details for the 2025 Colorado New Play Summit (CNPS). The 19th annual festival will take place over one weekend on March 1-2, and feature readings of new plays by jose sebastian alberdi, David Myers, Carey Perloff, and Bianca Sams. The festival will also feature the World Premiere productions of the 2023 CNPS plays, The Reservoir by Denver's own Jake Brasch and The Suffragette's Murder by Sandy Rustin. 

“The Colorado New Play Summit is the highlight of every season. I look forward to welcoming artists from across the nation into our spaces and allowing audiences to peel back the curtain and get a front row seat into the development process,” said Chris Coleman, Artistic Director of the Denver Center Theatre Company.

“This year's Summit readings feature an archeological dig, a heated rivalry between the most famous painters of the Italian Renaissance, a white-knuckle thriller, and one of the great marketing triumphs of the 20th century.” 

Hailed as a “must-see stop for new-play development” by American Theatre, the Colorado New Play Summit is the DCPA's signature festival dedicated to supporting playwrights and developing new work. Participating playwrights are given rehearsal time with professional directors, actors, and dramaturgs to workshop the new plays. Industry professionals and the public are invited to meet the artists, experience staged readings, and provide feedback on the work as it is being developed. 

Since its founding, the Summit has introduced 70 new plays, over half of which returned to the stage as full Theatre Company productions. Among the Summit world premieres are Samuel D. Hunter's The Whale, Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride, Lauren Gunderson's The Book of Will, Lauren Yee's The Great Leap, José Cruz González's  American Mariachi, Neyla Pekarek and Karen Hartman's Rattlesnake Kate, Tanya Saracho's FADE, Theresa Rebeck's The Nest, Karen Zacarías' Just Like Us, and Dick Scanlan's reimagined version of The Unsinkable Molly Brown. 

THE NEW PLAYS AND PLAYWRIGHTS 

bogfriends by jose sebastian alberdi | Reading 

Tanner and Archie work at a museum. Finn and Cillian are Americans in Ireland. Osgar and Irial died a long (long) time ago. Six people coupled—and uncoupled—across place, time, and culture by an Irish bog that has been around for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. bogfriends is a theatrical exploration of power-dynamics, love, and preserving dead things (or trying to).   

How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt by David Myers | Reading  

Arlene Hoffman is a pro at controlling the narrative. As an ambitious research assistant in 1975, she created the ad campaign that transformed yogurt from a weird foreign laxative into a lucrative American phenomenon. It would be a success story for the ages—it would—if only her dead dad could stay on script. Can Arlene wrangle this victory lap back on course, or will her father unravel the story she's written for herself? How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt wrestles with culture, family, and appropriation in a heartfelt, dairy-filled take on the American Dream.   

If God Were Blue by Carey Perloff | Reading 

In the gorgeous and cutthroat world of Renaissance Rome, the Church stokes the flames of artistic rivalry by offering two artists a shot at a single commission. Desperate to win, Sebastiano enlists the help of Michelangelo to best their mutual rival, Raphael. But it's Sebastiano's wife, a poet named Beatrice, who is determined to shape the competition. Money, faith, power, gender, and censorship collide in If God Were Blue, unveiling the endlessly messy and mysterious process by which art gets made. 

Rust on Bone by Bianca Sams | Reading 

Trapped by a stranger in her office, psychologist Dr. Devra Mendoza must use all her professional training to maneuver her way to safety. But with lives at risk, including her own, Devra's pushed to her limit and forced to reckon with truths she took for granted—about the world, her work, and herself. An intense new thriller, Rust on Bone traverses the minefield of unaddressed trauma and lays bare the personal cost of war.   

The Reservoir by Jake Brasch 

Directed by Shelley Butler 
In Partnership with Alliance Theatre and Geffen Playhouse   
World Premiere | Reading at the 2023 Colorado New Play Summit 

Josh's life is a mess. He's come home to Denver from NYU to get his life together but can't manage to stay sober. Struggling with fogginess, memory loss, shame, and regret, he finds unlikely allies in his four loveable grandparents. 

Desperate for camaraderie, Josh resolves to bring his grandparents along with him on the road to recovery. He pressures them into playing memory games. He drags them to Jazzercise class at the JCC. He forces them to eat spinach by the handful. Eventually, he slams up against the limits of his quest. When he can no longer help his grandparents, they begin to help him. 

The Reservoir, by Denver's own Jake Brasch, left audiences buzzing at the 2023 Colorado New Play Summit. Join us for the World Premiere production of this hilarious and heartbreaking story at the DCPA next season! 
 

The Suffragette's Murder by Sandy Rustin 

Directed by Margot Bordelon 
World Premiere | Reading at the 2023 Colorado New Play Summit 

On the morning of July 5, 1857, an eclectic group of tenants bustle about their Manhattan boarding house, arranging the final details of a clever scheme they hope to pull off in the name of the budding women's suffrage movement. As they prepare to host an important secret gathering, they receive an unexpected visit from a constable. One of the tenants has been murdered. 

The odd bunch must then band together in an elaborate ruse to throw the constable off their scent. His investigation, however, reveals much more than murder motives and rabble-rousing. It becomes an examination of early American suffrage movements, the struggle to define “a woman's place,” and the political systems that have historically sought to snuff out feminist voices. 

The Suffragette's Murder, a farcical who-done-it by Sandy Rustin (Clue, Broadway's The Cottage) and a runaway audience favorite at the 2023 Colorado New Play Summit, makes its highly anticipated world premiere at the Denver Center next winter! 

The 19th Annual Colorado New Play Summit  March 1-2, 2025 

All-inclusive weekend packages, including 4 play readings, 2 world premieres, plus meals, and special events, are now on sale! A La Carte tickets will go on sale in January 2025. 
Details and packages available at: http://www.denvercenter.org/events/colorado-new-play-summit 

DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS  

The non-profit Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is the Rocky Mountain region's premier performing arts organization — and we're on a mission to engage and inspire one million people per year through the transformative power of live theatre. Founded in 1972 in downtown Denver's Arts Complex, the DCPA consists of six programming lines that place our guests at the center of everything we do. We bring Broadway's hottest touring shows to the Mile High City and our Tony Award-winning Theatre Company produces handcrafted classics, world premieres, and modern hits with help from local artisans. We are an incubator for new play development, honing works that have been produced in regional theatres, on Broadway, and on the big screen. DCPA Off-Center is an industry leader in immersive theatrical experiences, constantly pushing the limits of our artform. Our theatrically trained Event Services staff collaborates with clients to host unforgettable events in dramatic spaces. At the DCPA, we go way beyond the stage, nurturing a lifelong love for theatre in students of all ages through DCPA Education classes and plays. Together, we're engaging with people from every corner of our community to build a more inclusive home for all artistic voices. Visit denvercenter.org to learn more.

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