Lynn University Hosts Jan McArt's Theatre Arts Guild Florida's NEW PLAY WORKSHOP, Beginning in January

"Speaking as a playwright, I don't know of another program currently operating in the state of Florida that's anything like this!," says Tony Finstrom.

"The plan is terrific. What a great opportunity to develop a new work," says playwright Dan Clancy.

"I am thrilled and grateful to be a part of this wonderful new program," says Michael McKeever.

What are they talking about? Jan McArt's THEATRE ARTS GUILD FLORIDA 'NEW PLAY' WORKSHOP that begins in January at Boca Raton's Lynn University. McArt, Florida's First Lady of Theater, and head of theater development at Lynn, is elaborating on a reading series she's been running at the university for years.

"Usually, when you do the reading of a new play, the cast and director come in and read through it in the afternoon and present it to an audience that evening," says Finstrom, who will also serve as Associate Producer for this new workshop program.

"And often the cast is simply seated in a semi-circle, or perhaps they'll step up with their scripts to music stands when it's their character's turn to speak."

But this play reading series at Lynn is being expanded into a much more ambitious program, where actual workshops will be produced that give playwrights the chance to bring in a new play and work with a cast and a director for six days - rehearsing, re-writing, rehearsing, rewriting. Then, at the end of the six days, they will present their new, polished, reworked play to the public, in performance.

"And these will be staged readings in the true sense of the word," Finstrom adds. "With actors up on their feet, playing on a minimal set, wearing bits of costumes, using some props, lighting, etc. Like a real performance of a new play, except the actors will, of course, be carrying their scripts."

What's more, they get paid! Everybody gets a modest week's salary for their efforts.

"Having an opportunity like this to develop and workshop a new play is a gift to any playwright," says McKeever, a four-time Carbonell Award winning, three-time Curtain Up Award winning, two-time Silver Palm Award winning Florida playwright .

"This sort of process rarely happens anymore. Which is sad, as it greatly helps assure a better finished product."

McKeever, also a noted South Florida actor, will be a part of the first cast as well, when Finstrom's 'BACK STAGE STORY' is presented January 14th to kick off the workshop series. Others featured in that cast are Iris Acker, Jeffrey Bruce, Patti Gardner, Kevin Reilly and ... Jan McArt!

“If there’s one thing I love, it’s making things happen,” McArt says. “I’m working as hard as I ever did.”

She started the Royal Palm Dinner Theatre, the first professional theater in South Florida to run year-round, in 1977. That theater, and its spin-offs (Jan’s Rooftop Cabaret Theatre and the Little Palm Children’s Theatre), ran for nearly 25 years.

Now in charge of theater development at Lynn, she says “I love it because it’s creative and I’m making things happen.”

Her mission with this workshop program? To develop new commercially entertaining plays by Florida playwrights.

And, with that thought in mind, she will present four brand new, never before seen-or-heard works (still being written and rewritten at this time) over the program's upcoming first season, in the beautiful Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn (where the final Presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was recently held.)

The four new works are:

January 14th - 'BACK STAGE STORY' - a new comedy by Tony Finstrom, directed by Wayne Rudisill (Resident Director of this workshop series.)

February 11th - PROPOSITION 8 - a new drama by Dan Clancy, directed by Stuart Meltzer.

March 18th - CHAMPAGNE AND BOSOM BUDDIES: A TRIBUTE TO Jerry Herman - a new musical revue by Jay Stuart (presented with the blessing of Jerry Herman), directed by Wayne Rudisill.

April 22 - FINDING MONA LISA - a new play by Michael McKeever, directed by Michael Leeds.

"A number of years before 'A CHORUS LINE' I remember Joe Papp telling me how important the workshop process is, in that it allows the playwright to hear the language and receive feedback from a director, actors, and an audience," says Rudisill. "It's the first step in shifting the play from inside the playwright’s head to the stage."

Rudisill and McArt met Finstrom last year, when his radio play 'MURDER ON GIN LANE' was presented as part of the old reading series at Lynn. It starred McArt, and was directed by Rudisill.

"We had a great time working together on 'GIN LANE'," says Finstrom. "But now I'm really excited about 'BACK STAGE STORY' because it's a play I've wanted to write for years. And when Jan and Wayne and I put our heads together and came up with the idea for this workshop series, I sat right down this past summer and finally wrote that difficult first draft."

"It's autobiographical," he says. "About my youthful days as a company manager at a regional theatre, where I had to deal with a big star who simply could not learn her part. Jan will play the star and Wayne will direct, which I think is great, because the three of us will get to work together again, this time on the first of these workshops!"

Tickets to each of the four workshopped staged readings are now on sale for $13 each, and may be purchased at the Lynn University box office online at http://events.lynn.edu, or by phone at 561-237-9000.

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