Bruce Ward Joins SPARC as Playwright in Residence; Students Set for 2015 'New Voices' Program

Working closely with New York City based professional playwright Bruce Ward, eight high school student playwrights from across the Commonwealth will bring their original one-act plays to life on the stage at the 26th Annual New Voices for the Theater Festival of New Works, held July 10 & 11, 2015 at Shafer St. Playhouse at Virginia Commonwealth University (221 N. Shafer St). 150 plays were submitted to SPARC - School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community this year and eight resident winners and four honorable mentions were chosen.

"Every year, I continue to be amazed at how the Richmond community rallies around New Voices for the Theater in such an enthusiastic way." says Laine Satterfield, program manager of New Voices for the Theater. "Professional directors, actors and technicians love to give their time and talent to support these budding playwrights, fellow students love to stage manage and act, community members host dinners at their homes and in some of RVA's top restaurants, and the sold-out Festival of New Works beckons the community at large to be a part of this artistic celebration. I truly feel that the RVA community at large is helping to launch a new generation of theatre enthusiasts."

New Voices for the Theater is an outreach program produced by SPARC, the largest non-profit performing arts education program in Virginia. Major support for New Voices for the Theater is made possible by generous individuals, Dominion Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

2015 Student Playwrights:

Adam Lekang, Chantilly High School, Chantilly, VA

Aurora Wilkins, York County School of the Arts, Williamsburg, VA

Elaina Riddell, Center for the Arts at Henrico High School, Henrico, VA

Isabella Pineo, Park View High School, Sterling, VA

Julianna Guilfoy, Hickory High School, Chesapeake, VA

Mark Roskosky, Osbourne Park High School, Woodbridge, VA

Melina Furches, York County School of Arts, Yorktown, VA

Morgan Smalley, Osbourne Park High School, Woodbridge, VA

2015 Honorable Mentions:

Bryce Jessee, Virginia High School, Bristol, VA

Danielle Nicholson, York County School of Arts, Yorktown, VA

Savannah Miller, Nansemond River High School, Suffolk, VA

Olivia Garcia, York County School of Arts, Yorktown, VA

About the 2015 Playwright-in-Residence, Bruce Ward:

Bruce Ward is an actor, playwright, director and teacher, residing in New York City. Bruce has performed his solo play, Fabulous Ride Into the Unknown at the NYC International Fringe Festival, HERE performance art café, the Provincetown Theater, the Chattaqua Institute, San Francisco Civic Auditorium, Boston Center for the Arts, Oak Street Theatre (Portland, Maine), U.Mass/Amherst, the National AIDS Hotline Conference in Washington, D.C., and in residence at Dartmouth College with the NY Theatre Workshop. As a teacher and director, Bruce has taught acting and solo performance for several programs, including Boston University's Playwrights' Theatre and Camp Amerikids. Bruce holds a B.A. in Theater from Northwestern University, an M.A. in Creative Writing/Playwriting from Boston University and is a member of Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Dramatists Guild. Website: brucewardnyc.com.

About SPARC:

In its 34 years, the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC) has engaged more than 12,000 children, ages three to 18, in a variety of arts programs designed for children of all abilities, including children with special needs. Course offerings encompass music, dance, acting and theatre production for beginners to advanced students, both during out-of-school time in fall and spring, as well as a variety of summer camps. Outreach programs include in-school arts education, after-school enrichment programs, an inclusive arts-education program for children with special needs, and an acclaimed statewide high school playwriting program.

SPARC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1981, is one of the nation's most comprehensive, community-based performing arts education organizations. SPARC's mission is to inspire young people to reach their full potential through quality training in the performing arts.

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