Forum readings at Playwights Theatre

Misplaced the press release for this event so did not get it into the column in a timely manner. So let's play catch up with Playwrights Theatre with apologies. Fortunately, I can give you bloggers a complete report, while my column readers will have to pick up with weekend 2 of the new Forum series of staged readings.

Strange I haven't had the chance to blog all that much about Playwrights Theatre, but they were dark all summer and have replaced their usual fall production with this series of readings, which they used to do in December and May.

It's also frustrating because I would love to get to more readings, especially of new works, but my schedule just won't allow it. We generally only review shows that are still running, and I have to budget my limited time to attending events I can write about.

But that's my problem. Playwrights is a developmental theater, so emphasizing readings is true to their mission.

Anyway, here's the info. You guys can decide for yourself how to budget your time.

Playwrights Theatre is proud to announce it will open its 22nd season in October with a new event called FORUM. Staged readings of 7 new plays with intimate discussion with the artists following each performance will take place at 7:00pm each evening on October 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27 and November 2 & 3 at Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison, NJ. Patrons can attend one reading for $10 or purchase a FORUM PASS to the entire festival for $25. Playwrights Theatre’s season subscribers receive a FORUM PASS as a free added bonus. Reservations can be made online at www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787 X10.

Featuring the work of some of the nation’s best writers, including Tony and Pulitzer nominee Lee Blessing, off-Broadway regular Richard Dresser, and a commissioned premiere from New Orleans (Rising Water by John Biguenet) a play just nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, FORUM brings critical mass to Playwrights Theatre’s new play programs. Visit Playwrights Theatre’s website www.ptnj.org for additional pre-show and post-show information.

"We are very much looking forward to working on these new plays, and we are especially excited about the line-up. These are some of the best writers working in the theatre today," said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director. “John Biguenet’s play, Rising Water, has been nominated for a Pulitzer, so we’re holding our breath to see what will happen. Even though it’s received a production already in New Orleans, John has done some additional work for this reading."

Thursday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Sexsting by Doris Baizley
Directed by David Winitsky
John Doe, a middle aged married man with two teenage children, has become addicted to Internet Chat Rooms where he likes to engage in "virtual sex" with underage girls. But the girl he becomes closest to is an undercover male FBI agent who is also middle aged. Sexsting is a provocative new play about virtual pornography, entrapment, loss of identity, and the blurring of boundaries in today's cyber world. This play is for ages 18 and up and not recommended for children.

Friday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Lonesome Hollow by Lee Blessing.
Directed by John Pietrowski
Lonesome Hollow is a small town and high security penal colony for pedophiles and others that the government now considers “dangerous.” The open air space has trees and benches; it seems, well, kinda nice. But there sure are a lot of gunshots in the distance--and prisoners frequently get R & R in ways that leave no marks. From the Pulitzer and Tony nominated author of Whores, A Walk in the Woods, and The Winning Streak, is a brand new play that explores where America’s post 9/11 obsessions with self-protection may be heading. Recommended for 18 and up.

Saturday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m.
There or Here by Jennifer Maisel
Directed by John Pietrowski
Robyn and Ajay are desperate to have a baby so they “outsource” the pregnancy by going to a third world country to rent a womb. From the author of The Last Seder, Mallbaby, … And The Two Romeos comes a complex new play about those who yearn to connect within a world where technology let’s everyone remain distant. Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m.
The Pursuit of Happiness by Richard Dresser
Directed by John Pietrowski
Annie and Neil are mighty concerned when Jodi, their prized daughter who went to all the right private schools, refuses to go to college. People must go to college; it’s the next step! From the author of Augusta and Rounding Third, comes a funny play about middle-aged baby boomers, obsessed with getting ahead, who build their lives inside a house of sand. Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Friday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Love Song by John Kolvenbach
Directed by James Glossman
Beanne lives alone in his bare apartment. Lately the walls have been closing in, rather slowly, just like his life. When Molly magically appears out of nowhere, she rattles not only Beanne's insular world, but affects the lives of his annoying sister and her rational husband. Recently commissioned by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, this play is for recommended for ages 15 and up.

Saturday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m.
The Day of the Picnic by Russell Davis
Directed by John Pietrowski
Denise Fullbright is a widow. She now resides inside a nursing home. Lately, she and others are hearing the faint call of "yoo-hoo." It's everywhere. But where does this "yoo-hoo" really come from and where it will finally lead? From the author of The Song of Gwendelyn, Sally’s Porch and Mahida’s Extra Key to Heaven, this menacing yet humorous new play evokes elements of the mystical, explores a prophecy of Isaiah, and wonders whether or not we ever see what's truly coming at us during our lives. Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Rising Water by John Biguenet
Directed by John Pietrowski
In post Katrina New Orleans, an old married couple are stuck in their attic. Water is seeping up slowly; the whole neighborhood is flooded. Unsure of what just happened or where they are going, these refugees examine what is left of their long and difficult marriage. This play is for ages 13 and up.

**Programs are subject to change. Please visit the website www.ptnj.org for up-to-the-minutes details.

Season subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now (discounts available for students, seniors and groups). Registrations are being accepted for the Creative Arts Academy Fall classes for children, teens and adults. The New Jersey Writers Project is accepting applications for 2007-2008 residencies. For more information about any of the programs, please visit www.ptnj.org or call (937) 514-1787.

About Playwrights Theatre:
Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional (Actors’ Equity) theatre. A community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators, Playwrights provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production. Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers throughout the state reaching over 15,000 students annually. We place an equal emphasis on New Play Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.

We are honored that for the years 2007-2010 the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) designated Playwrights Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Playwrights Theatre to be “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey” (along with Paper Mill Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and the McCarter Theatre Center).

Funding for Playwrights Theatre is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., The Prudential Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, Bank of America, Campbell Soup Company, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, The Turrell Fund, Atlantic Mutual Companies, Novartis, Pearsall Family Foundation, Pfizer, PSE&G, St. Paul Travers, Wyeth and many other corporations, foundations and individual contributors. FORUM is supported by grants from the Puffin Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and The Dramatist Guild Fund.

Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, American Alliance for Theatre & Education, Theatre Communications Group and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.