Inaugural NEW WORKS FESTIVAL Begins This May

Garry Marshall Theatre presents the Inaugural New Works Festival featuring readings of eight new plays over four days, May 22, 23, 29 and 30, with readings at 4pm and 8pm.

The Inaugural New Works Festival includes Interviewese by Ian August; Basic Crustaceans by Cody Behan, directed by Chelsea Sutton; The Captives by Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich, directed by Michael A. Shepperd; Pang Spa by David Johann Kim, directed by Fran De Leon; Switching Tracks by Matthew Salazar-Thompson; Aristaeus by Elizabeth Savage, directed by Mary Jo DuPrey; Among the Furies by David Scala, directed by Michael Serna; and The Puppeteer by Desireé York, directed by Heather Chesley.

"These new plays are passionate, resonant, and have a strong point of view," says Artistic Director Dimitri Toscas. "We're excited to offer a forum to discuss and develop these unique progressive voices."

The Inaugural New Works Festival runs runs May 22 through May 30, with performances on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 4 pm and 8pm. Admission is free. The Garry Marshall Theatre is located at 4252 W Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA 91505.

Ian August (Interviewese) is an award-winning, internationally produced playwright. Full-length plays include: Interviewese, The Excavation of Mary Anning (DVRF Reading), The Goldilocks Zone, (Passage Theatre Company), Donna Orbits the Moon (NJ Rep, Utah Contemporary Theatre), Missing Celia Rose (NYC Summer Play Festival; Orlando Shakespeare Theater's "Playfest 2009?), Submitted by C. Randall McCloskey (2011 NY Fringe Festival), Natural History (2009 NY Fringe Festival),The Aisling (2009 Heiress Productions New Play Series Award), The Moor's Son, Brisé, and Cobbler. Mr. August's works have been published by Sam French Inc., The Pitkin Review, Smith and Kraus Publishing, and the One-Act Play Depot.

Cody Behan (Basic Crustaceans) is an LA-based writer. He began studying playwriting at Denver's Curious Theatre Company in 2009. Since then he created two original web series - Higher Education (YouTube) and Young & Frisky (Funny or Die) - and was a finalist in both 2015 and 2016 Final Draft Big Break Competitions for his original and spec comedy pilot scripts. He hails from Evergreen, Colorado where he was born in a bathtub on the side of a mountain. He studied writing and robots at Stanford University.

Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich (The Captives) has had plays produced at the NY International Fringe Festival, off-Broadway Theatre Row, Northern

Light (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), Forward Flux (Seattle), Overtime (San Antonio), Trustus (Columbia, S.C.), Trinity Rep (Providence), and more. Work developed in NYC at Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage, and Rattlestick; and regionally at The Kennedy Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Victory Gardens, Rogue Machine. Winner: Beverly Hills Theatre Guild Julie Harris Playwriting Award, the Israel Baran Award, and a runner up at the Sundance Playwriting Lab, O'Neill Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, the Heideman Award and Princess Grace Fellowship. Other honors: nominated for Edmonton's Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and honorable mention, The Kilroy list.

David Johann Kim (Pang Spa) has appeared as an actor in new plays at The Public Theatre, NY Theatre Workshop, The Lark, Mabou Mines, Repertorio Espanol, La Mama ETC, Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, Asian American Theatre & El Teatro Campesino. As a co-creator: A Drop in the Ocean (Mabou Mines), B-Flight (Watts Village Theatre), Fairy Tale of My Life (Kennedy Center & Horizon Children's Theatre). As a filmmaker: Lossed (distributed by OUAT Media). David holds an MFA from UC San Diego. Pang Spa has been developed at Ensemble Studio Theatre LA, Playwrights Arena, Chalk Rep, and East West Players.

Matthew Salazar-Thompson (Switching Tracks) has been commissioned by The San Diego Repertory Theatre (Star Crossed), North Coast Repertory Theatre (Ted Williams: A Tip of the Cap, Mistletoe, Music & Mayhem!), Compass Theatre (9066, The 146 Point Flame), New Fortune Theatre (Cellar Door), Coronado Playhouse (If the Shoe Fits, A Roman Holiday), The Road Theatre (Who's on Alpha?), and Point Loma Playhouse (The Complete History of Theatre (abridged), A Christmas Carol: The Classic Radio Drama). Switching Tracks was a Finalist for the Detroit New Play Festival 2017. His play, Who's Afraid of Me, Myself and Edward Albee? was conceived of and mentored by Edward Albee himself. In 2016 Mr. Thompson collaborated with La Mama Experimental Theatre Group with resident master playwright Mac Wellman in the development of his comedy The Complete History of Theatre (abridged) and the revision of The 146 Point Flame. His plays have been published through Dramatic Publishing and Heuer Publishing.

Elizabeth Savage's (Aristaeus) plays include Code Alpha, Launch Party, The Konverts, and Aristaeus. Her work has been produced by the O.N.E. Rittenhouse in Philadelphia and Brick Theatre in New York City. Her essays have appeared in Tablet Magazine, the Forward and the New York Times.

David Scala (Among the Furies) is a writer and director for the stage and screen. He has written and directed four short films, which have screened and won top prizes at over 50 film festivals nationally and abroad. His feature screenplays have been finalists for the Sundance Screenwriter's Lab, Hamptons Film Festival, and the NYU/Sloan Film Award. Among the Furies, based off his own unproduced screenplay of the same name, most recently won Best Play at the 2017 New York Theatre Festival. Mr. Scala is currently developing multiple film, television, and theater projects. BFA: NYU Tisch.

Desireé York (The Puppeteer) is a playwright/director who writes for women and underrepresented voices. She is a Kennedy Center Rosa Parks Playwriting Award winner for The Puppeteer which was showcased at Futurefest New Play Festival and named one of the top ten standout local shows of 2017 in Dayton, OH. Her plays have been finalists for the Ashland New Plays Festival, Futurefest New Play Festival, Henley Rose Playwright Competition and semi-finalists for the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, CTG/Humanitas Playwriting Prize and Trustus Playwrights Festival. Her work has been developed by Rogue Machine Theatre, Theatricum Botanicum, The Athena Cats and Ophelia's Jump. www.desireeyork.com

Garry Marshall Theatre is a nonprofit organization providing innovative performances, educational opportunities, and storytelling activities for all ages, year-round. Located in the heart of Burbank and Toluca Lake's entertainment industry, the critically acclaimed and Ovation Award-winning 130-seat theatre was founded in 1997 as the Falcon Theatre by Hollywood legend Garry Marshall. Reestablished as the Garry Marshall Theatre in 2017, the theatre continues to cultivate new artists and experiences that spark ideas and build community.

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