BWW Previews: Innovative New Works Company Ignition Arts Preps for 2020 Season

Now in its 19th season, Ignition Arts focuses on bringing new and developing works to communities. After previous residencies in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Guatemala, Ignition Arts is presenting its third season in Oklahoma City. The 2020 season will bring new works, live readings, and workshops in and around OKC, with performances in three major arts areas- The Paseo District, The Plaza District, and Automobile Alley. Ignition Arts' first presentation of the season is a book reading of Elevated Thoughts by Kate Brennan and Corinne Prudente. Touted as a live, immersive experience, elevated thoughts: LIVE will be presented at The Paseo Plunge on April 16th, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. Another reading will occur on May 7th, this time of Gregory DeCandia's graphic novel play Animals. The reading will take place at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park's Paseo District theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Playwright David Lee White joins the lineup to present the Young Adult (YA) musical Illuminate: A Musical in the Dark. This workshop is the final installment of The Infinity Trilogy and will be presented at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma's Thelma Gaylord Academy on Saturday, May 16, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.

Their biggest collaboration of the year also occurs in May with the 4 Seasons Residency. Guest Artist Jessica Huang will workshop her new play at Oklahoma Contemporary on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 7:30PM. The 4 Seasons Residency is a collaborative effort between The National Winter Playwrights Retreat, Ignition Arts, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, Tofte Lake Center, and the National New Play Network. The goal of the collaboration is for these four nationally renowned organizations to collaborate in support of a single artist over the course of one calendar year.

Comprised of four intensive, periodic retreats, the 4 Seasons Residency takes a holistic, artist-centered, and long-term approach to new play development. The Residency program employs an innovative model of deep collaboration between institutions to promote the professional and creative growth of an individual artist. The organizations involved with the 4 Seasons Residency are committed to not just the development of new works, but growing and developing new artists, and cultivating opportunities for women in the arts.

Says playwright Huang, "It's an honor to be the inaugural 4 Seasons Resident and I look forward to creating new work about climate change, women's rights, and Asian American history with the support and collaboration of HBMG, Ignition Arts, Seven Devils, and Tofte Lake Center. Over the years, I have been lucky to receive several opportunities to work on my plays with the support of retreat centers; these periods of stillness and deep creative focus have been instrumental in focusing, re-energizing, and inspiring complexity and deep honesty in my work. I am overwhelmed by the abundance of the 4 Seasons Residency - four distinct and beautiful suspended moments to think, explore, and encourage new work to arise from the quiet."

In addition to all their exciting upcoming productions, Ignition Arts also has two podcasts: Fair Play and Thank You 10. Fair Play highlights plays that offer more roles for women. Thank You 10 features interviews with the creators of Oklahoma City's latest arts offerings. Both are available on SoundCloud.

Ignition Arts offers these new and developing musicals, plays, and readings to the Oklahoma City public free of charge.

For more information on their upcoming season, visit ignitionarts.org.

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