Philadelphia Theatre Workshop Announces The Third Annual Playshop Festival Line-Up

Philadelphia Theatre Workshop set out this season to reshape its mission and become a theatre that nurtures and produces works by playwrights from the region. The Third Annual PlayShop Festival will continue that mission. This festival, which opens March 6, will present five works in progress by playwrights from the Delaware Valley in repertory over several weekend performances. After performance, the playwrights, directors, and cast have opportunities to talk to audiences and work to develop the pieces during the following week of rehearsals. This festival ends March 21 and will be held at the Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge Street. Tickets are available online at www.philadelphiatheatreworkshop.org and cost $10.

Philadelphia Theatre Workshop has hired 47 actors, directors, and stage designers to present the five new plays. After each performance, audiences can offer feedback to the playwright and director. Following the performance, the director, playwright, and company head back into a week of rehearsals to work on any changes and perform it again the following week. This year the festival is please to introduce, Kathy Anderson's Front Row Seat; Our Lady of Balenciaga by Michael Whistler; The Sex Tape Play, by Quinn Eli; The Sleep Detective by Alex Dremann; and What Would You Do? by Aaron Jacobs, a student at Strath Haven.

Anderson's piece will be directed by David Stradley. Michael Gray is directing Whistler's piece. Mark Cofta will be directing Eli's latest work and Jane Stojak is directing Dremann's latest piece. Bill Felty, PTW's Artistic Director, is directing Jacobs's piece.

"As we continue this journey as the home for Philadelphia-area playwrights, our Third Annual Playshop Festival really indicates that," said PTW Artistic Director Bill Felty. This Festival is unique not only to this area, but perhaps the country. To have a full company of paid theatre professionals in place for 5 weeks to shepherd the early development of a new work is unheard of. It's a wonderful gift for these local playwrights. We want to become a hub for nurturing these writers; to encourage them to stay in Philadelphia and continue playwriting. Additionally, we are pleased to have over 45 local theatre professionals working on this year's festival. We're creating a lot of employment opportunities."

All sets will be designed by Kate Coots and Matt Rohner. Veronica DeWitt and Amanda Kroll are creating costumes. Steve Heitz is designing the lighting.

About The Plays

FRONT ROW SEAT

by Kathy Anderson

directed by David Stradley

March 6 @ 2pm; March 14 @ 7pm; March 21 @ 2pm

Anderson, whose play The Meatpackers Book Club was world premiered by PTW last season, puts audiences on the road in1963 with the Flannery family. The clan is making a rare venture out of their little home town. Without a lot of travel miles under their belt, the family suffers multiple mishaps and calamities. Frannie wrestles with a killer girdle. Inez crashes into a wayward cow. Billy fends off a knife-wielding Christian. Despite their setbacks, they are determined to be right up front for their once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the President and First Lady in person. This production stars: Meg Arbo, Sara Group, Nick Suders, Ian Sullivan and Janine White.

OUR LADY OF BALENCIAGA

by Michael Whistler

directed by Nicholas Gray

March 6 @ 7pm; March 13 @ 2pm; March 21 @ 7pm

Whistler, whose work Little Lamb premiered at InterAct last season, introduces theatre goers to Erik, who has been living at home 33 years too long. Now everything is spinning out of control. A mysterious man leaves Erik his phone number. Kat sees the Virgin Mary. Teddy can't get his lodger to speak with him. Lena has a problem at home she can't talk about. Everyone is following Theresa Chen, human interest reporter. And Erik's mother, Sandy, has been blinded in a random act of violence in a bodega. In a rosary of events, all these lives are connected and changed, and no random act goes unnoticed. Starring Jamal Douglas, Courtney Ell, Kim Fairbanks, Noah Herman, Mark Knight, Tanya Lazar, Kevin Meehan, and Jan Michener.

THE SEX TAPE PLAY

by Quinn D. Eli

directed by Mark Cofta

March 7 @ 2pm; March 13 @ 7pm; March 20 @ 2pm

Local author and playwright Eli is presenting a play with a different type of custody battle -- after the breakup, who gets custody of the sex tape? When Walter notifies his ex-girlfriend Dana that he has held onto a video of the two of them making love, Dana's husband Frank is appalled, and shows up at Walter's door to demand that the tape be destroyed. But Walter, an African-American man with a grim sense of humor, takes exception to Frank, Dana's white husband. Citing "historical reasons"--little things like slavery, apartheid, etc.--Walter decides to take a stand by refusing to give up the tape to an increasingly agitated Frank. By the time Dana arrives to keep the two men from killing each other, she may already be too late. Starring Aime' Kelly, Delante Keys, and Nick Martorelli.

THE SLEEP DETECTIVE

by Alex Dremann

directed by Jane Stojak

March 7 @ 7pm; March 14 @ 2pm; March 20 @ 7pm

Following the PTW's World Premiere of The :v:s:ble Play this season, Dremann introduces audiences to a man who wakes up in a sleep lab with amnesia. He doesn't know who he is or how he got there, but he does remember the vividly-detailed dream of a murder. He's not sure if it was a dream or a memory, but he knows he must go back to sleep to figure out if he is the killer. Throughout the night, he jumps back and forth between present night and his dream-memories, piecing together the events leading up to the murder. Along the way he meets the suspects Linda, Jane and Ethan--who may or may not be who they say they are--and a sleep therapist named Noreen who's got the sleeping pill that everyone wants. This play stars Gabrielle Corsaro, Felicia Leicht, Ann Gundersheimer, Steve Hyams, and Mark Knight.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

by Aaron Jacobs, from the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Program

directed by Bill Felty

March 15 @ 7pm and 8:30pm

One of the entries into this year's Philadelphia Young Playwrights contest, What Would You Do? is an amazing game show where anything can happen. How far would the average game show contestant go to win the ultimate prize? How much does audience approval matter? Or money? Or true love? All you need to win this game are some intelligence, street smarts, a competitive edge, and a little violent streak. This new work stars Howie Brown, Dylan Clements, Beth Cooney, Dallas Drummond, Brendan Lash, and Lindsay Mauck. Tickets for "What Would You Do" simply require a donation amount of your choice at the door.

Performance Schedule At the Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge Street
Sat. 3/6/2010

2 p.m.

Front Row Seat by Kathy Anderson

7 p.m.
Our Lady of Balenciaga by Michael Whistler

Sun. 3/7/2010

2 p.m.

The Sex Tape Play by Quinn D. Eli

7 p.m.

The Sleep Detective by Alex Dremann

Sat. 3/13/2010

2 p.m.

Our Lady of Balenciaga by Michael Whistler

7 p.m.

The Sex Tape Play by Quinn D. Eli

Sun. 3/14/2010

2 p.m.

The Sleep Detective by Alex Dremann

7 p.m.

Front Row Seat by Kathy Anderson

Mon. 3/15/2010

7:00pm

What Would You Do? by Aaron Jacobs

8:30pm

What Would You Do? by Aaron Jacobs

Sat. 3/20/2010

2 p.m.

The Sex Tape Play by Quinn D. Eli

7 p.m.

The Sleep Detective by Alex Dremann

Sun. 3/21/2010

2 p.m.

Front Row Seat by Kathy Anderson

7 p.m.

Our Lady of Balenciaga by Michael Whistler

About Philadelphia Theatre Workshop

Philadelphia Theatre Workshop strives to nurture bright and emerging artists at various stages of their careers. They will ignite Philadelphia by spotlighting communities of varying orientations, ethnicities, and age often underrepresented in the broader theatrical world. The company is dedicated to reflecting diverse audiences through original, evocative programming. Our focus is world premiere plays by Philadelphia-area playwrights. Philadelphia Theatre Workshop educates, invigorates, and entertains!

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