Road Theatre Company Presents Encore Stream Of Its Entire Summer Playwrights Festival

In an effort to stay committed to their mission as the nation's theatres remain closed, THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY turns to online streaming for their 11th Annual Summer Playwrights Festival. Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, continue to spotlight New Work for the Stage. Over 200 writers, directors, actors and technicians have volunteered their time to present 25 plays over the past three weeks and now due to popular demand The Road will present encore streams of every play exclusively for one week on the Road's website.

During the past ten years, the largest festival of its kind in the country took place in two theatrical venues over eight summer days, presenting 35-40 staged readings of new plays with talkbacks, food, drinks, community and live music every night. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Road's Artistic Board rallied the diverse 150 person company to see past the challenges and uncertainty to do what artists do best; reinvent, recreate, and embrace change, all while accomplishing that in the safest way possible: online.

"The online platform allows us not only to honor the incredible New Work emerging for the Stage, but to bring that work to an even wider national audience." said Artistic Director Sam Anderson, "Join us at roadtheatre.org for an encore celebration of the work of writers, directors, actors and technicians doing what theatre artists long to do the most: share stories. Meet us on The Road."

Every play reading of this season's festival will be available for viewing online August, 16 at 8:00pm PT through Sunday, August 23 at 8:00pm PT only at https://roadtheatre.org/event/summer-playwrights-festival-11/

Full List Of Encore Play Streams:

"AND HERE YOU ARE, LIVING, DESPITE IT ALL" by Harrison David Rivers

Directed by Amy Harmon

In a suburban kitchen somewhere in middle America five women gather to comfort a grieving mother.

"REYKJAVÍK" by Steve Yockey

Directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky

Reykjavík is a collage of darkly comedic, intimate, and sometimes magical stories set against the backdrop of the Northern Lights.

"BALLS" by Austin Cauldwell

Directed by Tim Van Patten

When 20 year old Paul is diagnosed with testicular cancer, he and his girlfriend are suddenly forced to look further into their future than any young couple should, and confront their own ideas about what it means to be to be in a relationship, to be a man, and even to be woman.

"PICTURES FROM HOME" by Sharr White

Directed by Judith Moreland

In 1981 Photographer Larry Sultan set out to create a portrait of his parents, Jean and Irv. A decade later... he was almost finished. Sharr White's adaptation of Sultan's extraordinary photo memoir depicts a volatile yet loving exploration of twentieth-century American optimism - deceptively banal, deeply personal, ultimately human.

"AGATHE" by Angela J. Davis

Directed by Saundra McClain

Inspired by the woman who served as Rwanda's president for just fourteen hours, on the first night of the Rwandan genocide, AGATHE is a true story of heroism, hope, and human connection during a time of unspeakable tragedy. A recipient of a 2020 New American Voices Award and 2020 Eugene O'Neill semi-finalist.

"AND ONE MORE THING..." by Lonnie McGuire

Directed by Cate Caplin

Outside a retirement community, two residents meet for a friendly chat. One thing leads to another, and another and "One More Thing...".

"CATCHING UP" by Emily Jerez

Directed by Nancy Fassett

Set in present time, two siblings in LA catch up via Zoom with their mother in New York revealing a complex dynamic of passive aggression that runs as rampant as COVID-19.

"THE BORDER TROLL" by Steven San Luis

Directed by Jacob Smith

After a dragon destroys their village, Theo sails across a sea, treks through a jungle, climbs over mountains, and crosses a desert, but there's one more obstacle to face before they can reach safety: Three riddles from the Border Troll.

"OFF THE INTERSTATE WITH MAIZIE AND WILLOW" by John Yarbrough

Directed by Carlyle King

Maizie and Willow, a promise, a pillow, one very bleak day.

Featuring: Tiffany Wolff and Alaska Jackson

"IT'S HOT IN THE KITCHEN" by Patti Veconi

Directed by Susan Diol

A short play about how we confront and handle change and choice in both ourselves and those we love.

"DINNER" by Lisa B. Thompson

Directed by Jayongela Wilder

Welcome to the first meeting between the parents of Joanna, and her fiancé Jonathan. As Joanna struggles to prepare an elaborate meal to impress her future in-laws, and educate her parents, she finds herself at the center of a battle between the Nigerian upper class and the Black middle class. No need to "Guess Who's Coming to dinner." Instead discover what's on the cultural and political menu when the African diaspora gathers to dine.

"ALL THE GOOD IN THE WORLD" by Cory Hinkle

Directed by Cameron Watson

In Williston, North Dakota, a pastor opens his church to the many unemployed men who have come north looking for work during the fracking oil boom. But when he invites a convicted felon to live in his guest bedroom it threatens to destroy his family. A play about faith and how hard it is to know if you are doing the right thing.

"THE WIDE YAWNING INFINITY" by Cheri Magid

Directed by Emily Chase

When a dinner party amongst old friends suddenly self-destructs and seems to signal the end of those friendships, one woman sets out to discover why--and finds herself plunged into an alternate universe where household objects go missing and experts--who may not know anything at all--lead her on a journey that could either be a wild goose chase or the point of existential truth.

"EVEN FLOWERS BLOOM IN HELL, SOMETIMES" by Franky D. Gonzalez

Directed by Michael John Garcés

An exploration of one's place in society, purpose, and love from the perspective of the incarcerated and their families.

"MARIANAS TRENCH" by Scott C. Sickles

Directed by Gregg T. Daniel

After the "red states" and "blue states" become separate nations, two lonely 11-year-old boys seek connection through a government-monitored pen pal correspondence across the new border. Part coming of age drama, part political thriller, Marianas Trench is a love story.

"TURBULENCE" a collection of short plays by William Mastrosimone

Directed by Christina Carlisi, Kari Hayter, Mary Lou Belli

Imagine sitting on a park bench watching the passers-by. Each character stops to speak with you. They unfold their hearts to you and move on. It's not so much a play as it is an encounter with characters reeling from the turbulence in their lives.

"CAM BABY" by Jessica Moss

Directed by Michelle Bossy

Touching on issues of privacy, consent, identity, lookism, and the value of women, Cam Baby is a fast-paced ensemble comedy about the selves we create and the stories we watch.

"THE MACHINE" by Matthew Libby

Directed by Michael Michetti

An acclaimed-poet-turned-professor with a severe case of writer's block has a crisis of conscience when she's approached by a charismatic tech CEO with a strange offer.

"VISITING HOURS" by Jami Brandli

Directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky

A reclaiming of the Persephone myth, now set in a psychiatric hospital, Visiting Hours follows the arduous journey of Stephie Green, a middle-aged music teacher who must break free from her complicated past in order to be reunited with her family.

"RINGXIETY" by Scooter Pietsch

Directed by Andre Barron

Now that technology allows us to communicate 24/7 with voice, text and video, could over-communication be just as bad as no communication?

"WARREN AND THE POLAR BEAR" by Jim Geoghan

Directed by Kate Huffman

Warren believes the Polar Bear at the Central Park Zoo is not happy and takes it upon himself to return it back to Alaska.

"WICKED CHILD" by Jonathan W. Stokes

Directed by Chuck McCollum

The fateful meeting of two hitmen, each assigned to kill the other. When they meet, sparks fly.

"DUSK AT NINE JOY STREET" by Ellen Davis Sullivan

Directed by Suzanne Hunt

Mattie and Herm blame their daughter Jenny's drug death on her friend Curt, but when he shows up at their home each evening at dusk, the couple struggles to open themselves to a new way of dealing with their grief.

"INEVITABLE" by Bethany Dickens

Directed by Ruman Kazi

Inevitable maps out the twists and turns in a relationship as a statistician tries to figure out if a new relationship has even the slightest, statistically-significant chance of working out.

"GO!" by Brooks Berry-Armstrong

Transcribed and Directed by Stephen Tobolowsky

A short play about five actors and their stage manager at half hour preparing for a performance of a play titled "GO!" The fact that no one knows what "GO!" is about is only a minor problem.

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