Theatre NOVA Hosts Six Staged Readings by Michigan Playwrights and Reveals Inaugural New Play Development Residency

Theatre NOVA created the Michigan Playwrights Festival to nurture Michigan playwrights and to develop full-length plays for future seasons. The New Play Development Residency is the natural progression of the company's mission. 

2024 MICHIGAN PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL: 

The festival runs August 21-25, 2024. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $10 per reading or $30 for all six! For more information and to purchase tickets, visit theatrenova.org/current-show

The Crown Forum by Craig Ester

Wednesday, August 21 at 8:00 pm

Emergency Protocol Camouflage by Erin Osgood

Thursday, August 22 at 8:00 pm

Cora Lynn Beauty Can Change Your Life by Maureen Paraventi

Friday, August 23 at 8:00 pm

Shattered Pieces by Joël Doty

Saturday, August 24 at 2:00 pm

Eclipsed: The Sun, The Moon, and Galdys Atkinson Sweet by D. L. Patrick

Saturday, August 24 at 8:00 pm

Swamp Creatures by Michael Alan Herman

Sunday, August 25 at 2:00 pm

“Theatre Nova champions playwrights and produces new works. Being able to work locally with a very talented group of artists is very exciting. I look forward to the process and to utilize the resources of MPF to help make my play better.” -Playwright Erin Osgood

NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT RESIDENCY:

Theatre Nova is dedicated to championing new plays and playwrights. We empower playwrights through initiatives like the Michigan Playwrights Festival and by staging World Premieres. Establishing an in-house residency marks a natural progression and a fitting celebration of ten years fulfilling our mission.

A play’s journey begins with a playwright and a pencil, but bringing it to life requires collaboration. Our New Play Development Residency offers Michigan playwrights a comprehensive workshopping process without the pressure of a performance. Playwrights collaborate with a dramaturg, director, and actors to refine scripts in a supportive environment.

Our residency prioritizes script development, allowing playwrights to refine their work without the constraints of traditional production schedules. By nurturing Michigan playwrights, we aim to fill a gap in the theater community, providing a supportive space for new voices to flourish.

The 2024 Inaugural Residency will take place July-August 2024 and feature “Eclipsed: The Sun, The Moon, and Galdys Atkinson Sweet” by D. L. Patrick

On the night of September 9, 1925, Gladys Atkinson Sweet was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, along with her husband, Dr. Ossian Sweet, and nine other African Americans following the attack on her Detroit home by more than 700 white neighbors. Although much has been written about Dr. Sweet and the two Sweet trials, litigated by Clarence Darrow, this play imagines the perspective of Gladys Sweet and the women who populated her life. It is about what women do, and have always done, in the shadows.

Directed by Lynch Travis, dramaturgy by Olivia Kiefer. Cast: Princess Jones, Dirtiest Crowell-Buffington, Shanice Davis, Emily Wilson-Tobin, Deborah Carter and Darius Franklin.

Join in for a staged reading at the Michigan Playwrights Festival on August 24, 2024, and for the World Premiere at Theatre Nova in April 2025.

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