HotCity Theatre Announces Workshop and Premiere of THE SINKER by Jami Brandli in Spring 2010

 

HotCity Theatre announces workshop and premiere of The Sinker by Jami Brandli in spring 2010

From an international sumission pool of over 250 scripts, five were read at the 4th AnnuAl GreenHouse New play Festival on June 26th - 28th.

At the Sunday night rooftop reception, HotCity staff announced The Sinker as the script that will go through a development workshop and be given a full production in 2010. Author Jami Brandli was in attendance over the course of the Festival, and will be present for the workshop with dates to be determined.

The New Play Festival was directed by Chuck Harper and Annamaria Pileggi. "The Sinker" reading was directed by Sarah Armstrong, and featured a cast of Rusty Gunther, Julie Layton, and Lindsey Trout. Assisting in the direction was Rachel Hanks. The director and cast of the Mainstage production will be announced with the casting and selection of the remainder of HotCity's 2010 programming.

Lia Romeo's script, Green Whales, was removed from consideration, as the script was recently selected to be work-shopped and produced at another theatre.

The GreenHouse New Play Festival attracted over 275 patrons to the Centene Center for Arts and Education rooftop and ballroom, a significant increase over 2008, and welcomed four of the five playwrights to the performances thanks to lodging provided by The Water Tower Inn at SLU.

The Sinker will premiere on the HotCity mainstage Friday, May 7^th at 8pm in the Kranzberg Arts Center in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Building as part of our 2010 season.

The Sinker - by Jami Brandli

Josh is an attractive and charming fledgling novelist who's just signed a deal to publish his first novel.  George, his childhood friend, and Liz, his literary agent and old college "friends with benefits" both love Josh.  Love him. George and Liz are tested when Candi, Josh's sexy and ambitious writing student, and a mysterious gun are discovered in George's apartment.  When Liz finds a fully edited copy of Josh's manuscript in Candi's possession, both she and George hold Candi hostage throughout the morning. Dark truths are revealed, worlds are turned upside down, and eventually the trigger is pulled.

Jami Brandli has had plays produced in New York City , Los Angeles , Chicago , Boston , Detroit , and Washington DC and was a contributing writer for both stage and screen for the Elliot Norton awarding winning production of PS: Page Me Later. She received a literature fellowship from SAC/Massachusetts Cultural Council and was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Center (2007). In addition, her plays have been published in the Smith & Kraus The Best Ten-Minute Plays Anthologies, 2007and 2008. Most recently, she was a finalist for Disney ABC's 2008 TV Writing Fellowship. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband where she's at work on scripts for both stage and screen and a novel. Jami does the bi-coastal thing by teaching dramatic writing at UCLA Extension and Lesley University 's low-residency MFA program.

This event was underwritten by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, with support by the Whitaker Foundation, the Arts and Education Council, and the Water Tower Inn at SLU.

The GreenHouse Series info:

A New Play Festival: Four to six "plays in progress" are chosen from over 250 submitted by playwrights all over the world and presented free of charge as "staged readings" to the public. These scripts are read by professional actors and adjudicated by an esteemed panel of local theatre artists and HotCity artistic staff. Each reading is followed by a talkback session where patrons can offer their thoughts on the piece and ask questions of the playwright. This festival occurs in the magnificent Centene Center over the course of one summer weekend and is free and open to the public -- ending with a moonlit rooftop reception where the selection of the "Jury Prize" is announced.

A Developmental Workshop: The playwright of the festival's "Jury Prize Winner" is provided a week-long workshop that includes a professional director on staff at HotCity, a professional dramaturge (a literary drama scholar) and professional local actors. This workshop provides a springboard for re-writes and culminates in another "staged reading" of the script (with re-writes incorporated from the workshop), open and free to the public who provide further feedback. This workshop is held 4-6 months after the festival (in October/November). This program also allows for invaluable educational outreach opportunities, enabling local theatre artists and students to participate in the development of new works.

World Premiere of New Play: After the Workshop, the playwright has three to four months to continue developing/re-writing his/her script to be professionally produced (as a world premiere) on HotCity's Mainstage the following April/May. This achievement provides invaluable national attention for the playwright, the new work, and HotCity.

HotCity Theatre produces contemporary, issue-oriented works of theatre that challenge and inspire St. Louis-area audiences. HotCity also develops new theatrical works, encourages diversity, and through educational outreach nurtures a life-long passion for theatre. HotCity Theatre operates under a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors Equity, the union of professional actors and Stage Managers in the United States, and receives funding from the Regional Arts Commission, The Missouri Arts Council, The Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation and the William A. Kerr Foundation, The Greater St. Louis Community Foundation, as well as generous individuals in the community.

For more information about HotCity Theatre, contact John Armstrong, Managing Director, at 314-289-4061 or email at jarmstrong@hotcitytheatre.org.

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