Road Theatre Announces 2014 Playwrights Festival, Featuring D.L. Coburn and More, 7/27-8/3

The Road Theatre Company and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, remain committed to their meaningful mission to produce and develop New Work for the Stage. They are thrilled to announce in this, their 23rd season, the fifth annual SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL (SPF5).

This year's festival features all new works to Los Angeles and has attracted playwrights from around the country including, D.L. Coburn (Pulitzer Prize, The Gin Game), Leon Martell (Mooncalf, Kindling) Catherine Butterfield (Joined at the Head), Martyna Majork (Petty Harbour), Tira Palmquist (Ten Mile Lake, And Then They Fell) , Elizabeth Sampson (The Petoskey Stones, Bringing Home The Girl), Kate Robin (Anon, Six Feet Under, Parenthood), Lisa Loomer (The Waiting Room, Girl. Interrupted, Expecting Isabelle) Marisa Wegrzyn (Wasserstein Prize, Hickory Dickory, The Butcher of Baraboo) and others.

THE SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL (SPF5) will open on Sunday July 27 at 7pm and run throughSunday August 3 at the Historic Lankershim Arts Center, 5108 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, CA. Additional performances will be held Tuesday July 29 thru Sunday August 3 at The Road on Magnolia in the NoHo Senior Arts Colony located at 10747 Magnolia Blvd North Hollywood.

Road Company members are also highlighted with plays by: Elizabeth Sampson, Anna Carini, Kevin McCorkle, Albie Selznick, Patrick Hume, Joe Weiss, Lisa Kenner Grissom, Steve Apostolina, and Meagan Daine.

This year's festival features noted directors such as, Taylor Nichols (Barcelona), Mary Lou Belli (Emmy Award Winner), Marya Mazor (The Wingman, Time Stands Still, Mad Forest) Elina de Santos (Co-artistic director The Rogue Machine Theatre Company), Michael Peretzian (Dying City), Steve Robman(Stewart of Christendom, Above the Fold) Jeff Seymour (Jeff Ltd., Homeland, Being Erica, Speed the Plow), Michael Michetti (Co-Artistic Director, The Theatre @ Boston Court, The Twentieth Century Way), Bruce Gray (How I Met Your Mother, Sons of Anarchy) and many Road company members and members of the Los Angeles theater community.

This year's Collegiate Playwriting Competition winner is Kristin Idaszak (UC San Diego), and her play, The Liar Paradox. Also featured in SPF5, is Nobody's Home by Marc Mantell, the winner of a playwriting competition held by EngAge- The Art of Active Aging, which will be read at the NoHo Senior Arts Colony during festival week.

The renowned theater company Open Fist led by Martha Demson, will be our guest festival company and will be presenting The Poles of Inaccessibility by Craig Pospisil (The Dunes) . Most of the playwrights whose work is featured will be attending and will participate in a post-show discussion with the audience and cast.

Artistic Directors Taylor Gilbert and Sam Anderson on the importance of the festival to the theatre, "The Road's Summer Playwrights Festival offers a wonderfully compressed period of new works and voices from established and emerging playwrights brought to life by the Road ensemble and guest artists who interact in lively discussions with our audiences, different live bands each evening, great food and drink and a tremendous sense of community between artists and theatregoers. An unforgettable event."

One popular feature of the festival last summer was the live music that was featured during each reading reception in our gallery space. This year's festival will feature the bands and musicians Bianca Gisselle, Stage 11, Engine of Survival, End of Ever, Louahn Lowe, Theo's Dream, and Irish band sensation, Whiskey Sunday. The reception will be held in our backyard patio-Bettina's Cantina-and will feature wines from Paso Robles Wineries and delicious appetizers and desserts.

Located in the heart of the NoHo Arts district-the fastest growing arts district in Los Angeles County-the company has called the Historic Lankershim Arts Center home for the past 18 seasons. Now on the verge of their 24th season of bringing new works to Los Angeles, the company is coming off a very successful 23rd season featuring the hit play Sovereign Body (directed by Scott Alan Smith), and Flower Duet, which is currently running in The Road on Magnolia until July 26.

Fiercely committed to that most dangerous of theater missions-the dedication to new works-the Road Theatre Company led by founding artistic director Taylor Gilbert and artistic director Sam Anderson, is a multi-award winning theater that has been named one of the top ten intimate theater companies in Los Angeles (LA Weekly). It is home to over 100 theater artists devoted to the creation of the highest level of work. This festival is our way of sharing the process of play development with our community and allows participants playwrights the chance to hear their plays in a professional setting of talent and artistry. The festival is also a fundraising event for the theater to help us launch our 24th season, which begins with 2010 festival pickMelissa Arctic by Craig Wright. A suggested donation of $15 is requested of festival attendees and they are invited to give as little or as much as they want during each day's performance.

Performances are Monday-Friday at 8pm;Saturday at 2pm and 8pm; Sunday at 2pm and 8pm at the Road on Lankershim and Tuesday-Friday at 8pm at the Road on Magnolia. This year's special reading times at the Magnolia include: Saturday, August 2nd at 11am, and Sunday, August 3rd at 11am and 3pm.Ticket prices are suggested donation of $15; For more details and to view complete schedule, play descriptions and cast lists visit roadtheatre.org.

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