NNPN Announces 81st Rolling World Premiere NOMAD MOTEL By Carla Ching

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, celebrates the opening of its 81st Rolling World Premiere (RWP): Nomad Motel by Carla Ching. The Roll kicks off at Member Theaters City Theatre Company (May 18-June 3 in Pittsburgh), followed by Horizon Theatre Company (September 28-October 21 in Atlanta), and Unicorn Theatre (January 23-February 27, 2019 in Kansas City, MO). Nomad Motel was presented at NNPN's 2016 National Showcase of New Plays, hosted by the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin.

In an NNPN Rolling World Premiere, the Network provides production support to the playwright and the partnering theaters, including assistance with the creation and the contracting of the premiere agreement, collaborative interactions between the theaters, and travel and housing funds for the playwright to further develop the play in each city.

Alix lives in a tiny motel room with her mother and two brothers, scrabbling to make weekly rent. Mason lives comfortably in a grand, empty house while his father runs jobs for the Hong Kong Triad. Until the day his father disappears and Mason has to figure out how to come up with grocery money and dodge Child Services and the INS. Mason and Alex develop an unlikely friendship, struggling to survive, and trying to outrun the mistakes of their parents. Will they make it out or fall through the cracks? A play about Motel Kids and Parachute Kids raising themselves and living at the poverty line in a land of plenty.

Nomad Motel, originally commissioned and developed by South Coast Repertory with support from the Time Warner Foundation, was developed during a residency at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference in 2015. Preston Whiteway, Executive Director; Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director.

An LA native, Carla stumbled upon pan-Asian performance collective Peeling at the Asian American Writers Workshop and wrote and performed with them for three years, which she still considers her first theater training. Her plays include Nomad Motel (Forthcoming Rolling World Premiere also at Unicorn Theatre and Horizon Theatre; O'Neill Playwrights Conference, National New Play Network Showcase of New Plays), Fast Company (South Coast Rep, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Lyric Stage and Pork Filled Productions; winner of the Edgerton New American Play Award), The Two Kids That Blow Shit Up (Artists at Play and Mu Performing Arts), TBA (2g) and The Sugar House at the Edge of the Wilderness (Ma-Yi Theater Company). She's an alumna of The Women's Project Lab, the Lark Play Development Center's Writers Workshop and Meeting of the Minds, the CTG Writers' Workshop and the Ma-Yi Writers Lab. Former Artistic Director of Asian American Theater Company, 2g. TBA is published in Out of Time and Place. Fast Company is published by Samuel French. She'll be working on her Toulmin Commission for The Atlantic Theater Company at Berkeley Rep's Ground Floor this summer. BA, Vassar College. MFA, New School for Drama. Proud member of New Dramatists and The Kilroys. On television, Carla has written on Fear the Walking Dead, I Love Dick, the forthcoming Hulu drama The First from Beau Willimon and AMC's Preacher. carlaching.com | @carlaching For Bart, this cast, Jennifer and Angela who first gave inspiration. And Chris, who's always my first reader.

Described by The New York Times as "Pittsburgh's most innovative theater company," City Theatre specializes in new play development. We are the largest theatre in Pittsburgh dedicated to a full season of all new work, commissioning and producing plays by writers at the forefront of the industry, including Daniel Beaty, Jessica Dickey, Christopher Durang, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tarell McCraney, and Theresa Rebeck. Take a seat at City this season for cutting-edge, new theatre, bold by design. citytheatrecompany.org

Horizon Theatre Company has been a leader in the production and development of professional contemporary theatre in Atlanta since 1983. Our mission is to connect people, inspire hope, and promote positive change through the stories of our times. We strive to empower and unite audiences with works that celebrate who we are, build bridges between our diverse audiences and offer new perspectives on our ever-changing world - stories that are entertaining, thought-provoking, relevant, accessible, and fresh to Atlantans. Under the leadership of founding Producing Artistic Director Lisa Adler, we seek out today's playwrights and new plays that have received critical acclaim across the country and abroad, while also nurturing talented regional and early career writers whose work matches our mission, particularly women, African-Americans, Southerners and those who bring the diversity of our country to the stage. In our New South Play Festival program, we annually commission, develop and produce new plays connected to our region and/or by writers who align with our mission. This year-round program features mainstage productions, commissions, and readings/workshops of new plays (New South PlayWorks), and the New South Young Playwrights Festival. Horizon serves over 40,000+ people with over 250 performances annually in our intimate 172-seat theatre and other venues in Atlanta and creates partnerships for positive change in our community. horizontheatre.com

Founded in 1974, Unicorn Theatre enhances the Kansas City community by developing and producing high-quality, thought-provoking plays that have never been seen in the region. We illuminate social issues by shining a light on diversity and inclusive stories which include race, religion and gender identity. Unicorn creates opportunities for the advancement of emerging and established actors, directors, playwrights, designers, technicians and administrative staff. Unicorn Theatre is under the artistic and executive leadership of Producing Artistic Director Cynthia Levin, who joined the company in 1979. From a newly expanded home in the Midtown neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri, the Unicorn houses two stages-The Levin Stage (formerly The Main Stage) and The Jerome Stage (added in 2008). After a year-long capital campaign Unicorn Theatre was able to purchase the building outright in 2014. In addition to our 7 show season, 4-6 new plays are read through Unicorn Theatre's In-Progress New Play Reading Series. The Unicorn is a founding member of the National New Play Network and also a member of Theatre Communications Group. To date Unicorn Theatre has produced over 300 plays with 66 world premieres. unicorntheatre.org

National New Play Network (NNPN) is the country's alliance of non-profit professional theaters dedicated to the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has supported more than 250 productions nationwide through its innovative National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere program, which provides playwright and production support for new works at its Member theaters.

Additional programs - its annual National Conference, National Showcase of New Plays, and MFA Playwrights Workshop; the NNPN Annual and Smith Prize commissions; its residencies for playwrights, producers and directors; and the organization's member accessed Collaboration, Festival, and Travel banks and online information sessions - have helped cement the Network's position as a vital force in the new play landscape. NNPN also strives to pioneer, implement, and disseminate ideas and programs that revolutionize the way theaters collaborate to support new plays and playwrights. Its most recent project, the New Play Exchange, is changing the way playwrights share their work and others discover it by providing immediate access to information on more than 18,250 new plays by living writers. NNPN's 30 Core and 81 Associate Members - along with the more than 250 affiliated artists who are its alumni, the thousands of artists and artisans employed annually by its member theaters, and the hundreds of thousands of audience members who see its supported works each year - are creating the new American theater.

Photo Credit: Elisabeth Caren

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