Br!NK! NEW PLAY FESTIVAL Returns for Its Tenth Year In May

Renaissance Theaterworks presents the tenth annual Br!NK! New Play Festival on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, 2024, at the Baumgartner Center for Dance at 128 N Jackson St.

This is a change from previous festivals, which were held in the fall at RTW's current performance space.  General admission seating is free to the public. A donation of $20/person is suggested. Reservations can be made at r-t-w.com/brink.

Since 2013, RTW has invited Midwestern women playwrights to submit their work for consideration in the Br!NK! New Play Festival. Two playwrights are selected to receive the Br!NK! Residency Award — the opportunity to develop and advance their scripts during a week-long workshop with a director, cast, and dramaturg. Following the workshop week, the full-length plays are presented as featured staged readings for a public audience.  A post-performance, moderated talk-back encourages audience feedback, which the playwright often incorporates into subsequent versions of their work.  The Br!NK! New Play Festival weekend also includes performances of Br!NK! Br!EFS! — a collection of fully-staged ten-minute plays. 

Past Br!NK! Playwrights include: Philana Omorontionmwan, whose play Before Evening Comes (Br!NK! 2016) was a semifinalist for the Relentless Award and selected for the 2019 Kilroy list. Reina Hardy's play, Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven (Br!NK! 2017) was a Rolling World Premiere for RTW in 2019. 

Artistic Director, Suzan Fete commented, “I'm thrilled to celebrate Br!NK!'s 10-year anniversary!  Through Br!NK! RTW has produced 25 staged-readings of new works and 25 Br!NK! Br!EFS; all World-Premieres and all written by women right here in the Midwest!”

Featured staged readings

 

Black Bear Island

by Karissa Murrell Myers

Saturday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. 

After the mysterious death of her childhood sweetheart, Amitra returns home to Black Bear Island determined to find out what happened to him. This tense thriller explores the nature of regret and the unreliability of memory.

Karissa Murrell Myers (she/her) is a Chicago-based Filipino American theatre-maker. Her work has been developed and/or produced at Goodman Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, A Red Orchid Theatre, American Blues Theatre, The Gift Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Boise Contemporary Theatre, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, City Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, and Bramble Theatre Company, where she serves as Artistic Director. "Outstanding New Work" Jeff Awards nomination for her play ON THE GREENBELT. MFA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, graduate of The School at Steppenwolf. Member of SAG-AFTRA and The Dramatist Guild. www.kmurrellmyers.com

Tragedy Sound

by Karen Saari

Sunday, May 19, at 7:00 p.m.

Tragedy Sound is a remote town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, named for the body of water connecting to Lake Superior. On a dare, three young women take a canoe out into the dangerous waters of Lake Superior.

Karen Saari's plays have received multiple honors. Her work has been produced by Flint Repertory Theatre, Music Theatre of Madison, Magnetic Theatre Company, Stray Dog Theatre, Otherworld Theatre and more. Her plays have been developed with The Bechdel Group (NYC), Broad Horizons Theatre (NYC), Renaissance Theaterworks, Forward Theater Company, Vintage Theatre and others. Her titles include IN A CLEARING, ‘RAIN ON FIRE (2019 Br!NK! winner), BAD IN BED (A FAIRY TALE), JOYLAND and TEN DAYS IN A MADHOUSE (book and co-lyrics). She holds an MFA in playwriting from Augsburg University and teaches theater at Madison College. 

Br!NK! Br!EFS

May 18th and 19th at 2:00pm

• The Air B&B Of Broken Relationships
  by Maria Burnham

• Roberta's Skin
  by Deanna Strasse

• Sister Of Experience
  by Colleen O'Doherty

• Dry Humor
  by Maeve Elliot

• Bouquet Toss
  by Maria Pretzl

Submissions for the 2025 Br!NK! New Play Festival will be accepted from May 1st until June 30th at 11:59PM. Eligibility and submission guidelines are available at rtwmke.org/brink.

About Renaissance Theaterworks

Renaissance Theaterworks is Milwaukee's professional theater company founded and run by women. Since 1993, it has been dedicated to promoting the work of women, onstage and off, becoming a leader in the global movement toward gender equity in the arts. Renaissance Theaterworks creates provocative, courageous theater, connecting audiences with their shared sense of being human, making them feel more, think harder, and laugh louder.

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