Round House Theatre Commissions Works by James Ijames, Inda Craig-Galván & More

Round House Theatre has commissioned works by James Ijames, Inda Craig-Galván, and joint-commissioned Margot Bordelon and Jiehae Park. The acclaimed artists are commissioned through Round House's Equal Play program, as part of its ongoing commitment to gender parity and racial diversity. The recently commissioned playwrights join Lauren Gunderson, Naomi Iizuka, Mfoniso Udofia, and theatre collective The TEAM, who are already developing new plays for Round House, and Mary 2 Kathryn Nagle, whose play On the Far End¸ which opens later this month, will be the first Equal Play commission to be produced on Round House's mainstage.

Launched in 2017, Equal Play was created to commission and develop 30 new plays written exclusively by women playwrights and playwrights of color, including ten plays for Round House Theatre's Teen Performance Company, in an effort to combat the pervasive inequality in American theatre while supporting plays that speak to the world's most pressing issues.

"Our goal is to find playwrights who-regardless of their level of experience and recognition- push the boundaries of theatricality and tell stories that demand conversation. All we ask is that they challenge themselves, us, and our audience," says Artistic Director Ryan Rilette.

"We don't go into these commissioning conversations with preconceived notions about what we want them to write or even what a commission should look like," says Associate Artist for Literary and New Plays Naysan Mojgani. "Instead, it's a collaborative process to figure out how we can provide the support and structure the playwright needs to write the play that excites them."

Mary Kathryn Nagle's On the Far End is the first play to be produced on Round House's mainstage season and is part of the 2023 National Capital New Play Festival. Commissioned in 2019, the play received a developmental reading as part of the 2022 Festival. "My commission with Round House has been an incredible experience. I am so thankful for the artistic community and home the Theatre has provided for me as I developed my new play," says Nagle. "From workshops to readings, and from drafts to the stage, I have been surrounded by incredible theatre artists who have breathed life into the story I want to tell.

The program also includes ten commissions of works specifically created for Round House's Teen Performance Company. The TPC has premiered works by Diana Metzger (Beach Week, 2017), Megan McCafferty (Sloppy Firsts, 2018), Caleen Sinette Jennings (Hear Eye Stand, 2019), 3 Stefani Kuo (TikTok [a period piece], 2022), and Dani Stoller (Girlhood, 2023), with Agyweiwaa Asante commissioned for the TPC's 2024 production.

To learn more about Round House's Artistic Initiatives and Programs, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/About/Programming/Artistic-Initiatives.

Playwrights Under Commission

To date, the following playwrights have received commissions under the Equal Play program:

• Inda Craig Galván (The Great Jheri Curl Debate and Black Super Hero Magic Mama)
• Lauren Gunderson (The Catastrophist [2021 Round House production] and The Time
Traveler's Wife)
• James Ijames (Fat Ham and Good Bones)
• Mary Kathryn Nagle (On the Far End [2023 Round House National Capital New Play
Festival production] and Crossing Mnisose)
• Joint Commission: Jiehae Park (peerless and Hannah & The Dread Gazebo) & Margot
Bordelon (World Premiere directing credits include On the Far End [2023 Round House
National Capital New Play Festival production], peerless, and Do You Feel Anger?)
• The TEAM (Anything That Gives Off Light and RoosElvis)
• Mfoniso Udofia (Adia and Clora Snatch Joy [2022 Round House Festival workshop] and
In Old Age)
• Naomi Iizuka (Freak [2020 TPC play] and What Happens Next)
Teen Performance Company (TPC) playwright commissions include:
• Diana Metzger (Beach Week, 2017 TPC Play); other work includes screenwriting credits
on Faking It and Greek
• Megan McCafferty (Sloppy Firsts, 2018 TPC Play); other work includes the bestselling
Jessica Darling YA novel series
• Caleen Sinette Jennings (Hear Eye Stand, 2019 TPC Play); other plays include the Queens
Girl trilogy
4
• Stefani Kuo (TikTok [a period piece], 2022 TPC Play); other plays include Architecture of
Rain and Final Boarding Call)
• Dani Stoller (Girlhood, 2023 TPC Play; other plays include Easy Women Smoking Loose
Cigarettes and The Joy That Carries You)
• Agyweiwaa Asante (The Chosen One Academy [2024 TPC Play]; other plays include Swirl
and Promithes, Promithes)

On the Far End TICKETS:

Tickets for the world premiere productions of On the Far End are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 240.644.1100, ordering online at RoundHouseTheatre.org, or visiting the box office. Full festival information, including the event schedule and additional programming, may be found at RoundHouseTheatre.org/Festival.

WHERE: Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway in Bethesda (one block from Wisconsin Ave. and Metro's Bethesda station). For directions, parking, and public transportation info, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/Visit-Us/

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