Six Scripts Selected For NATIONAL SHOWCASE OF NEW PLAYS 12/4-6

The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's alliance of non-profittheaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, will produce sixnew plays in staged reading format at its National Showcase of New Plays, hosted December 4-6 inAtlanta by member theaters Actor's Express and Horizon.

A committee of artistic, managing andliterary leaders from across the country selected plays by Kathleen Cahill, Sam Hunter, Pete McElligott,Dominic Orlando, Andrew Rosendorf, and Tammy Ryan for the seventh annual showcase.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SHOWCASE OF NEW PLAYS

Now in its seventh year, the National Showcase of New Plays (NSNP) is a rotating festival, or trade show,that showcases new plays, new playwrights and theaters from across the country in a staged readingformat. NSNP creates a unique and invaluable opportunity for dozens of production-ready new plays tobe viewed by NNPN artistic directors, literary managers, playwright agents, and invited industry guestsfrom around the country. To date, 80 plays have been showcased, of which more than 40 have beensubsequently produced professionally inside and outside NNPN. The artistic leaders of the vast majorityof our 26 member theaters attend the weekend event.The 2009 readings will be held at Horizon Theatre (December 4 and December 6) and Actor's ExpressTheatre (December 5) in Atlanta.

Tickets for NSNP readings are $5 for the General Public; please seebelow for specific schedule and box office procedures. These readings are not open for review.

ABOUT THE SELECTED PLAYS

Atlasing Sodom by Sam Hunter (submitted by Phoenix Theatre Company) Ten years have passed sinceBrent and Andy confessed their secrets to one another. Brent drifts from one small town to the next playing reinventions of Beethoven's Pathétique while Andy, his high school crush, secretly follows him.The time signature in this play shifts from past to present, revealing how the boys' relationship caused Andy's father to fulfill his own obsession to get to the bottom of his son's apparent suicide. Charm by Kathleen Cahill (submitted by Orlando Shakespeare Theatre) Margaret Fuller is a progressive,free-spirited writer, centuries ahead of her time. Unfortunately, she is not the most feminine orattractive woman of her day, either. As she challenges the powerful artists around her -Thoreau, Emerson, and Hawthorne-both intellectually and romantically, these literary giants become confused boys, unsure of their own prowess and feelings. This comedy of manners asks the age old question,'Who am I and why am I so confused?'

Danny Casolaro Died for You by Dominic Orlando (submitted by Kitchen Dog Theater) Danny Casolaro isa freelance political reporter. The story he uncovers goes deep into powerful government agencyconspiracy and the Justice Department might be directly involved. As Danny peels the layers from thisonion, he gets closer and closer to a center people in high places claim does not exist.

Based on a true story, Danny Casolaro pursues the truth to an end he may not have foreseen.Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods by Tammy Ryan (submitted by Playwrights Theatre of NJ) Christine andher 16-year old daughter, Alex, are on their own since Alex's father left. Her life has lost its meaninguntil she finds an unexpected friendship with Gabriel, a Sudanese "Lost Boy" and employee at her localWhole Foods. Their lives become entwined as Christine tries to help him recover pieces of his former life. When Gabriel gets involved with his friend Panther, an already complicated situation comes to a head.

So It Goes by Andrew Rosendorf (submitted by Florida Stage) Marshall is divorced, poor, and alone, andpaying alimony to an unsympathetic ex-wife, Carol. His son Eli returns home asking for tuition for collegeand his unstable daughter, Sarah, is demanding money she believes she is owed. They both reveal thingsto Marshall he does not want to hear. On top of it all, Marshall is dying. A portrait of a dysfunctional family caught on film, So it Goes captures each moment of the last memories of a man's life.With a Bang by Pete McElligott (submitted by Southern Rep) The end is coming. The book says so. Chaplin, who was writing the book, is now dead. His daughter Margaret is being tapped by an array of unwilling angels to take up the task and finish the book to save the world. As the end draws nigh in atorrent of blood and magic, the world comes closer to conclusion. But how will the book end?

SCHEDULE AND TICKETS

The readings play either at Horizon Theatre Company or Actor's Express Theatre in Atlanta as follows.

Tickets for all readings are $5.00, and can be either purchased at the door or via the appropriate box offices.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4 AT HORIZON THEATRE COMPANY 8:00 p.m.

Lost Boy Found at Whole Foods by Tammy Ryan, directed by Lisa Adler (Co-Artistic Director, Horizon Theatre Company of Atlanta)SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5 AT ACTOR'S EXPRESS10:00 a.m. Danny Casolaro Died For You by Dominic Orlando, directed by Dan Day (FoundingArtistic Director, Kitchen Dog Theater of Dallas)1:00 p.m.Atlasing Sodom by Sam Hunter, directed by Bryan Fonseca (Artistic Director, PhoenixTheatre of Indianapolis)4:00 p.m.So It Goes by Andrew Rosendorf, directed by Freddie Ashley (Artistic Director,Actor's Express of Atlanta)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 AT HORIZON THEATRE COMPANY

10:00 a.m. Charm by Kathleen Cahill, directed by Patrick Flick (Director of New Play Development, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre of Orlando, FL)2:00 p.m.With a Bang by Pete McElligott, directed by Aimee Hayes (Artistic Director of Southern Rep of New Orleans)

For tickets to Horizon Theatre Company (Lost Boy Found at Whole Foods, Charm, With a Bang): 404-584-7450, or online at www.horizontheatre.com.

Horizon Theatre Company is located at Euclid andAustin Avenues in Little Five Points; visit www.horizontheatre.com for more information and directions.For tickets to Actor's Express Theatre (Danny Casolaro..., Atlasing Sodom, So It Goes): 404-607-SHOW, or online at www.actors-express.com.

Actor's Express Theatre is located at the King Plow Arts Center inWest Midtown, 955 W Marietta Street NW; visit www.actors-express.com for more information anddirections.

ABOUT NNPN

The National New Play Network (NNPN) is the country's alliance of non-profit professional theaters thatchampions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has commissioned over a dozen playwrights, provided seven MFA graduates with paidresidencies, and supported nearly 50 productions nationwide through its innovative Continued Life ofNew Plays Fund, which creates "rolling world premieres" of new plays. Through these activities andothers, NNPN has granted nearly a half million dollars to theaters and artists in the past ten years.Hundreds of artists have gained employment through these efforts in the 24 regions of the countrywhere NNPN member theaters are located. NNPN receives substantial support from the Andrew W.Mellon Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

NNPN's 26 member theaters are: Actor's Express Theatre (Atlanta), Actor's Theatre of Charlotte(Charlotte, NC), Borderlands Theater (Tucson), Curious Theatre Company (Denver), Florida Stage(Manalapan), Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota), Fountain Theatre (LA), Horizon Theatre Company(Atlanta), InterAct Theatre Company (Philadelphia), Kitchen Dog Theater (Dallas), Magic Theatre (SanFrancisco), Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley, CA), Mixed Blood Theatre Company (Minneapolis), NewJersey Repertory Company (Long Branch), New Repertory Theatre (Watertown, MA), New Theatre (Coral Gables, FL), Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando), Performance Network Theatre (Ann Arbor, MI),Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis), Playwright's Theatre of New Jersey (Madison), Prop Thtr Group(Chicago), Salt Lake Acting Company (Salt Lake City), Southern Rep (New Orleans), Unicorn Theatre(Kansas City, MO), Victory Gardens (Chicago), and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company (Washington,DC)

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