New Works Virtual Festival Announces Final Plays And New Dates

The New Works Virtual Festival will stream 20 new non-musical scripts every day from December 4th - 24th of 2020 (19 plays, 1 teleplay) featuring the work of a diverse group of writers and all-star cast members. A 21st piece will be selected from holiday-themed submissions to be streamed on December 25th. The festival will be streamed on YouTube, Facebook and BroadwayWorld, donations encouraged, all of which will benefit the Actors Fund. The event received roughly 700 script submissions. The final 5 new works have been announced to round out NWVF's lineup (barring the Holiday piece which is still to be determined).

"Collegeburg USA" by Kerri Kochanski follows a middle-aged white woman who recieves an anonymous letter, espousing racism and xenophobia and how she tries to reject the idea that racism and white supremacy exist in her community by exposing the letter as a hoax. The reading will include 6-time Emmy nominee Bruce Vilanch, as well as Geoffrey Cantor, Megan Cavanagh, Leigh Ann Larkin, Tony nominee Beth Malone, Alexander Rios, Jason "Sweettooth" Williams, and Jim Auld. 

"Cud'n Helen Ain't Got No Color" by Sharon Warrick illuminates the issue of colorism through the eyes of the light-skinned African American title character Helen Laverne and her experience with privilege and ostracism by her darker-skinned family because of her different complexion. Tony nominee Brenda Braxton, Chaz Ebert, Jennifer Fouche, Aisha Jackson, Meecah, Kaylin Seckel, Mackenzie Williams, and Michael-Leon Wooley will star. 

Set in 1960's America, "Frontiers" by Andrew Apollo tells the story of Alan Shepard, the first American to make it into space and subsequently the moon, as well as Ed Dwight, tipped to be the first African American into space, but who was never able to surmount the even greater obstacles in his path. The cast will include Zane Carney, Travis Cloer, Deanna Reed-Foster, Darius de Haas, Jawan M. Jackson, Tony nominee Andy Karl, Dan Lauria, Glenn Morshower, Tony nominee Orfeh, Jonah Platt, Bart Shatto, Ray Shell, and James Wesley. 

Hope Villanueva's "The QOL Mandate" tells the story of a post COVID-19 America in which all young men are forced to undergo vasectomies for population control and one Mexican-American single mother who secretly defies the procedure for her teenage son. The play explores what it is to be Latinx in America and will star Rebecca Brooksher, Olivia Coronel, Nataschia Diaz, Eliazar Jiminez, Genny Lis-Padilla, Mateo Lizcano, Francis Mateo, Mavis Simpson-Ernst, and Michael Yeshion. 

"The Wickham Way" by Rachel Ladutke featuring music by Lisa Brigantino tells the story of Liza Cooper, an up-and-coming folk singer, making peace with her past as she visits her native town of Wickham, Vermont. Starring Eden Espinosa, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Jenna Leigh Green, Adam Jacobs, and Stuart Pankin. 

The festival's mission statement reads; "Our goal is to create a diverse team supporting diverse works from many perspectives, cultures, religions, and voices. We strive for inclusivity in all areas. We are committed to works that connect us as human beings and bring us closer to a better understanding of who we are." 

The festival will also feature theatrical talent such as Tony Award winners Anthony Crivello, Santino Fontana, Shuler Hensley, Tonya Pinkins, John Rubinstein, Tony nominees Kevin Chamberlin, Robert Cuccioli, Carmen Cusack, Andy Grotelueschen, Daniel Jenkins, Richard Kind, Liz Larsen, Eva Noblezada, and Robert Torti, three-time nominees Marc Kudisch and Mary Testa, four-time nominee Judy Kuhn, as well as internet and radio personality Seth Rudetsky. Stars of the screen such as Oscar Winner Marlee Matlin, Emmy winners Ted Louis Levy, Robert Wuhl, nominees Christy Carlson Romano, George Wendt, and three-time nominee Mia Moravis, Golden Globe winners Marsha Manson and Kathleen Turner, and nominee Joely Fisher. NWVF is produced by Kevin Pollack, Jim Auld, and Bart Shatto, and is executive produced by Chaz Ebert.

The 15 previously announced titles are the teleplay "Bloomer Girls" by Emily Brauer Rogers as well as plays "Family Game Night" by Peter Kennedy, "Four Horses" by Mary Beringer, "Happy Couples" by Connie Dinkler, "In the Gutter" by John Morogiello, "A Man with No Opinion" by Kevin Wiczer, "March 9, 1965" by Stanley Hathaway, "A Mighty Road To Heaven" by Andre Zucker, "Now You See It, Now You Don't" by Mike Gingerella, "Oscar & Walt" by Donald Steven Olson, "Otherwise Engayged" by Hal Katkov, "Secret Hour" by Jenny Stafford, "So When Are You Leaving?" by Sheila Rinear, "Til Jason Comes" by Dan Lauria, and "We the People" by Harrison Zeiberg. 

Also featured in the respective casts of the 20 readings will be Krystina Alabado, Amir Arison, Matthew Arkin, Jim Auld, Brittany Baratz, Christina Bianco, Taylor Blackman, Larry Joe Campbell, Miguel Cervantes, Kevin Chamberlin, Mary Chieffo, Bryan Terrell Clark, Carrie Compere, Eddie Cooper, Olivia Coronel, Lee Curreri, Carmen Cusack, Katherine Damisch, Samson Dube, Ali Ewoldt, Madeline Franklin, Ellis Gage, Alan H. Green, Tyce Green, Andy Grotelueschen, Tyler Hardwick, Elaine Hendrix, Philip Hernández, Rodney Hicks, Zach Infante, Daniel Jenkins, Rachel Elise Johnson, Oyoyo Joi, Patrick Oliver Jones, David Josefsburg, Luka Kain, Mykal Kilgore, Keith Byron Kirk, L Morgan Lee, Kate Loprest, Mehret Marsh, Marsha Mason, Samantha Massell, Jeff McCarthy, Joseph Melendez, Connor Mills, Joseph Morales, Myles Phillips, Kevin Pollack, Vincent Rodriguez III, Christy Carlson Romano, Jon Rua, John Rubinstein, Seth Rudetsky, Lindsay I. Ryan, Sharone Sayegh, Laura Schein, Thom Sesma, Adam B. Shapiro, Bart Shatto, Mavis Simpson-Ernst, Mary Stout, Tracie Thoms, Zo Tipp, Robert Torti, Michael Tourek, Kathleen Turner, Sam Underwood, Vishal Vaidya, Sal Viviano, Adrienne Walker, Nik Walker, Jon Patrick Walker, Richard White, Brynn Williams, Robert Wuhl, and more. 

The team is proud to be working with their official media sponsor, Broadway World, Robin Carus Casting, and raising money for the Actors Fund, the national human services organization dedicated to meeting the needs of the entertainment community, providing services like emergency financial assistance, affordable housing, health care and insurance counseling, senior care, secondary career development and more. Learn more about them at www.actorsfund.org.

Like and subscribe to the New Works Virtual Festival on Facebook and YouTube as well as @newworksvirtualfestival on Instagram and @NWVfestival on Twitter for announcements and information. Use the hashtags #NWVFest and #20playsin7days for all related content. 

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