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Author: Dramatists Guild Foundation

Meet the Fellows: Sam Salmond

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

This is the latest in our Meet the Fellows series, where the Dramatists Guild Foundation will introduce you to the current class of DGF Fellows. Each of these writers and writing teams have proven themselves to be leaders of the craft whose work we expect to be enjoying for years to come.

Since its inception in 2000, the DGF Fellows program has provided a home for more than 160 writers. Over the course of this year-long intensive, composers, lyricists, playwrights and bookwriters work with professional mentors, honing their individual processes while developing a full-length piece. Beneficiaries of this rigorous and highly selective fellowship receive stipends, development opportunities, and a foothold in the industry. Alumni include Anna Ziegler (Actually), Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Academy Award winner, Frozen) among dozens of other vital contemporary theater makers.

Helmed by Michael Korie (Grey Gardens), Laurence O’Keefe (Heathers, Legally Blonde), Sheri Wilner (Kingdom City) and Diana Son (Stop Kiss), the DGF Fellows program is singular in that it pairs playwrights and musical theater writers, creating a space for diverse and interdisciplinary creators.

Applications for the 2018-2019 program will be accepted until noon on May 2nd, and can be found on the DGF website.

It is our pleasure to help spread their unique and promising voices. Now, get to know Sam Salmond.

What was your first experience with theater?

Honestly, my first vivid memory wasn’t even my own experience of a show. I grew up in England and I remember my mother occasionally would go into London to see those big West End musicals. When she came back, she’d sit me down and tell me everything she just saw and I would listen in wonder. A helicopter landed on the stage?! Half naked prostitutes?! A crazed silent movie star?! The chandelier did WHAT?! These musicals sounded like pure magic. I believe it was fifth grade when I finally got to see my first live show. It was Phantom of the Opera, and, of course, I was hooked. Afterwards, I spent every night in my room, pretending I was Christine and singing along to the soundtrack, hitting every single one of those notes like the good little prepubescent fanboy I was.

Later, In Junior High and High School I found my friends by doing the school musicals. I was only ever in the chorus, in old man makeup or something, but it was a total dream. It was the first time I really fit in somewhere. I finally got to share my love of storytelling and make-believe with other weirdos, and the theater became a real home for me.

When did you decide to become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or piece of writing that was particularly influential on your path?

I’ve been writing songs for as long as I can remember. When I was five, I improvised love songs about my favorite British Gladiator (I love you, Jet!). Later, as a moody Mormon teenager, I recorded emo rock songs with veiled metaphors, probably about whichever stupid church member had most recently told me off. Either way, making songs was a constant outlet in my life.

By the time I went off to college, I wanted to write all sorts of music: classical, choral, film scores, and maybe a musical some day. Then my college did a production of William Finn’s Falsettos Trilogy (not just Falsettos, but all. Three. Parts!) Until then, I had no idea musicals could be about characters like that. I’d never seen something so wild and heartbreaking, but also silly and bold. I was just starting to question my own sexuality and that was the first time I ever saw queer characters in the theater. Witnessing my own, very personal struggles reflected on stage, watching complex gay characters fall in love, changed my life forever. Once I realized THAT’S how powerful musicals could be, I knew I never wanted to do anything else.

Later I went to NYU’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program, specifically because William Finn taught there. He became an eccentric-but-dear mentor to me and even offered me my first professional production. Almost every job or opportunity I’ve had since can be traced back to that very first job Bill gave me. He changed my life multiple times, in multiple ways and I will forever be grateful to him.

How do you describe your work overall? What sets your work apart?

I write about outsiders and queer people. I want to tell stories about folks who feel alone, oppressed, or forgotten. I hope I give those people a chance to express their individuality, their sense of humor, their weaknesses, and their brilliance. Sadly, I think a lot of the time, queer characters are still presented as two-dimensional stereotypes. They aren’t given enough chances to be at the center of the story and exist as complex, fully- realized humans. It’s my dream that people in my audience, see themselves reflected on stage, realize they have value, and know they aren’t alone in this world… If there’s a strong pop melody while they realize that? Even better!

Can you tell us a little bit about the show you’ve been developing as a Fellow?

I’ve been working with bookwriter, Jeremy J. King, on an adaptation called Eighty-Sixed. It’s a funny, but emotional pop-rock musical set in New York City at the crux of the AIDS epidemic. When the outbreak hits, our main character’s reaction is to shut down and isolate himself from the world, in an act of self-preservation. However, when an ex-lover becomes ill, he is forced to confront the reality he has tried so desperately to ignore. Our musical is about learning your responsibility to your community in a time of crisis.

As gay men in our 30s, Jeremy and I aren’t the people that lived through the AIDS crisis, but we’re the generation that was born from it. We feel a deep responsibility to and admiration of the LGBTQIA people who came before us. This musical is our attempt, as the next generation, to honor that community and carry the torch forward. Working on this show has been such a profound experience and I hope we get to share it with the world soon.

What do you find most rewarding about your work as a writer?

I love spending time examining people’s thought processes and discovering their emotional maps. It’s such a thrill to sit with my lyric book and try to imagine how a stranger views the world. What makes the character individual? What makes them the same as me? It can be a challenge. For instance, last week I was working on a song for a show I’m writing with Jenny Stafford called The Homefront. It’s a rock musical about a disenfranchised group of women, who were fired from the factories at the end of WWII, trying to find their place in post war America. I had to write a song where one woman convinces the other women that the best thing they can do right now is focus on being housewives while the soldiers return to work. It’s an idea I obviously don’t totally agree with and I struggled to write it without judgement. Then as soon I realized the character was arguing for this because she just wanted to protect her loved ones, I was able to relate to her. I wrote a hopefully convincing number that doesn’t pass judgement on her. Trying to put myself in a character’s mindset can often be a really emotional experience. I sit in my room alone at the piano and try to go on the character’s journey with them. I feel their suffering, their joy, their hopes, and their heartbreaks. When the writing is at its best, I come out on the other end understanding something new about humanity. I connect with people in a way that I otherwise could not. Those rare moments of understanding are the most rewarding feeling in the world.

This interview originally appeared in Breaking Character.

Meet the Fellows: Riti Sachdeva

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

This is the latest in our Meet the Fellows series, where we introduce you to the current class of DGF Fellows. Each of these writers and writing teams have proven themselves to be leaders of the craft whose work we expect to be enjoying for years to come.

Since its inception in 2000, the DGF Fellows program has provided a home for more than 160 writers. Over the course of this year-long intensive, composers, lyricists, playwrights and bookwriters work with professional mentors, honing their individual processes while developing a full-length piece. Beneficiaries of this rigorous and highly selective fellowship receive stipends, development opportunities, and a foothold in the industry. Alumni include Anna Ziegler (Actually), Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Academy Award winner, Frozen) among dozens of other vital contemporary theater makers.

Helmed by Michael Korie (Grey Gardens), Laurence O’Keefe (Heathers, Legally Blonde), Sheri Wilner (Kingdom City) and Diana Son (Stop Kiss), the DGF Fellows program is singular in that it pairs playwrights and musical theater writers, creating a space for diverse and interdisciplinary creators.

Applications for the 2018-2019 program will be accepted until noon on May 2nd, and can be found at dgf.org/fellows-application. It is our pleasure to help spread their unique and promising voices. Now, meet Riti Sachdeva!

What was your first experience with theater?
Playing Charlie’s Angels on the grounds of the Rindge Towers in North Cambridge, MA. On our skateboards, we’d chase down UFO’s who were abducting children. If you count ritual as theater, I remember being little in India and utterly riveted by the intersex/transgender troupes who would perform rituals of song and dance at households where weddings and childbirths were going to take place. I didn’t actually see theatre in a theatre space til I was at least twenty years old – Guillermo Gomez-Pena and Karen Finley.

When did you decide to become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or piece of writing that was particularly influential on your path?
I’ve been writing since I learned to write – whether it was short stories, poetry, journalistic articles, essays, letters, plays, etc. “Becoming a writer” is an identity that is required to be taken seriously from the theatre industry. My actual commitment to the discipline of writing precludes deciding to become a writer; the artistic practice and the career path are two different things. Many writers, shows, and pieces of writing have influenced my path, including and not limited to: the performance art of Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Suzan Lori-Parks, This Bridge Called My Back…

How do you describe your work overall? What sets your work apart?
My work layers the personal, political, and mystical; exploring themes of desire, duty, justice, revenge, loyalty, madness; betrayal; through a lens of race, class, gender, and sexuality.

Can you tell us a little bit about the show you’ve been developing as a Fellow?
I’ve been working on two plays that are conversation with each other. I’ve started calling them the Model Minority Plays.

Welcome to the Taj Palace (motel) looks at a couple of down and out types – a stoner motel clerk in his 20’s living/working at the Taj Palace, aspiring to become a lawyer and a part-time sex worker passing through on her way to New Mexico. They both have business with the conservative candidate running for State’s Attorney. Did I mention Bhagath Singh Thind, the first South Asian to apply for U.S. citizenship in 1929, is hanging out at the motel?

Thank You, Doctor is about a wealthy family that unravels after the father, a doctor, is convicted of overprescribing opioids and attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison. The play explores the family’s wealth and hyper-assimilation, what they do to preserve it, and asks questions about secrets, denial, and loyalty. Did I mention Martha Stewart is a kind of guardian angel in the play?

What do you find most rewarding about your work as a writer?
Great Faith. Great Doubt. Great Perseverance.” is one of my favorite proverbs. Through my writing, every single time, I re-live this process and lesson. I start out with an idea that excites me; inevitably end up with a draft or three that are shitty; and am driven to make the idea manifest into a form that is true. This process is both harrowing and rewarding. Pain and pleasure go hand in hand, yes?

Meet the Fellows: Janine McGuire & Arri Lawton Simon

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

This is the latest in our Meet the Fellows series, where we introduce you to the current class of DGF Fellows. Each of these writers and writing teams have proven themselves to be leaders of the craft whose work we expect to be enjoying for years to come.

Since its inception in 2000, the DGF Fellows program has provided a home for more than 160 writers. Over the course of this year-long intensive, composers, lyricists, playwrights and bookwriters work with professional mentors, honing their individual processes while developing a full-length piece. Beneficiaries of this rigorous and highly selective fellowship receive stipends, development opportunities, and a foothold in the industry. Alumni include Anna Ziegler (Actually), Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Academy Award winner, Frozen) among dozens of other vital contemporary theater makers.

Helmed by Michael Korie (Grey Gardens), Laurence O’Keefe (Heathers, Legally Blonde), Sheri Wilner (Kingdom City) and Diana Son (Stop Kiss), the DGF Fellows program is singular in that it pairs playwrights and musical theater writers, creating a space for diverse and interdisciplinary creators.

Applications for the 2018-2019 program will be accepted until noon on May 2nd, and can be found at dgf.org/fellows-application. It is our pleasure to help spread their unique and promising voices. Now, get to know Janine McGuire and Arri Lawton Simon.

What was your first experience with theater?
Janine: Growing up in New Jersey, I was fortunate to be near Broadway and make frequent trips to the city with my parents to see shows. The first Broadway musical they took me to was Tommy (yes, to some an unusual choice for a 10-year-old). My dad had played me the concept album and explained the story ahead of time, and I was absolutely transfixed by the experience. Because of that, rock music always struck me as a natural fit for the stage.

Arri: My parents both work professionally in music and theatre, so the arts have been a part of my life since before I can remember. The moment that changed everything, though, was discovering the film of West Side Story on television at six years old. I was hooked.

When did you decide to become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or piece of writing that was particularly influential on your path?
Janine: I knew I wanted to be involved in theatre in some way, but I didn’t love performing. Around age 12 I started writing songs (and later musicals) alone in my bedroom, only showing them to my younger sister and a few friends from summer camp. I had the idea to become a musical theatre writer after I fell in love with The Phantom of the Opera and learned who Andrew Lloyd Webber was. I idolized both him and his early collaborator Tim Rice, whom I thought always chose adventurous subject matter and did things their way. Throughout my teens I wrote almost daily, turning every school assignment I could into a musical as well as using songwriting as a personal outlet.

Arri: I grew up with both a recording studio and a puppet theatre in my basement. It was the era when video camcorders became ubiquitous, and my best friend and I would spend hours creating and recording elaborate plays and songs for our own enjoyment. After 17 years of wanting to be an airline pilot, I decided during my senior year of high school to study composition instead, with the intention of becoming the next John Williams. Eventually my love of theatre won out, and I ended up in New York, writing for the stage.

We both found our way to the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, where we realized we didn’t just want to write, but that we wanted to write together. We found common ground in our shared love of properties such as West Side Story, Ragtime, and Evita but also found ourselves inspired by the vastly different ways in which we experience the world.

How do you describe your work overall? What sets your work apart?
Our work is a reflection of us: fun, emotional, sincere (and hopefully smart!). We care deeply about the craft and tradition of musical theatre, and at the same time are always looking for new ways to move the form forward. We try to choose subject matter and tell stories that feel like they need to be told right now. People often tell us that we have a “fresh” sound, which we think is a product of our close collaboration; we write book, music, and lyrics jointly, and preferably in the same room. Because of this, our different perspectives and personalities combine to produce something neither of us could have written alone.

Can you tell us a little bit about the show you’ve been developing as a Fellow?
Our show Borders, based on the 2006 film The Bubble, by Eytan Fox and Gal Uchovsky, tells the story of an Israeli man and a Palestinian man who fall in love amidst the conflict surrounding the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. The score is a blend of contemporary musical theatre and Middle Eastern music with a pop/rock sensibility. We’ve been getting invaluable feedback on all aspects of the show within the Fellowship and are excited to be getting closer to a complete draft.

What do you find most rewarding about your work as a writer?
Writing theatre is sort of anthropological: in writing human stories, we get to explore the world and know our fellow humans better. A lot of the time the process leads us to discover new personal truths, and to find answers to questions we didn’t know we had. When we get to share that with an audience and see how they respond, it’s just the best.

DGF Announces the Inaugural Recipients of the Writers Alliance Grants

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

The Dramatists Guild Foundation is thrilled to announce 10 writers and writing teams and 10 nonprofit theaters as the inaugural recipients of the DGF Writers Alliance Grants.

These Grants provide $5,000 to a writer and another $5,000 towards a theater’s production of that writer’s new work.

Each writer is one whose work pushes boundaries and shows tremendous promise. Each of the producing theaters demonstrated superlative ethical standards in supporting the livelihoods and careers of writers.

Writers Alliance Grants are an innovation on DGF’s previous theater program, which has supported theaters for 50 years. Writers Alliance Grants are awarded in celebration of working relationships that align deeply with DGF core values. These grants reflect DGF’s commitment to ensuring writers’ contributions to theater are respected and to changing the national conversation about how writers are treated by the institutions that produce their work.

Applicants were selected via committee on the strength of their contracts, the artistic merit of the project for which they are requesting funding, and the organization’s commitment to the production of new works and voices.

“After 55 years of giving to nonprofit theaters, our Board has restructured our former Theater Grant program into the Writers Alliance Grants. These awards honor our commitment to nonprofit theaters and give direct funds to the writers enriching their communities across the country. We believe that by honoring theaters with outstanding commitment to both the writers’ work and livelihood, we are doing our part to highlight the writers’ essential role in the creation of theater.” – Rachel Routh, Executive Director of DGF

The full list of recipients is as follows:

Writer: Meridith Friedman writer of Your Best One Theater: Curious Theatre Company in Denver, Colorado Production Dates: May 5 – June 16, 2018 www.curioustheatre.org

Writers: Gordon Leary and Julia Meinwald, writers of The Loneliest Girl in the World Theater: Diversionary Theatre in San Diego, CA Production Dates: May 24-July 1, 2018 / Official Premiere June 2 www.diversionary.org

Writers: Cameron Cobb, Michael Federico and Max Hartman, writers of Pompeii!! Theater: Kitchen Dog Theater Company in Dallas, Texas Production Dates: April 19-May 6, 2018 www.kitchendogtheater.org

Writer: Jenifer Nii, writer of The Weird Play Theater: Plan-B Theatre Company in Salt Lake City, UT Production Dates: March 1-11, 2018 www.planbtheatre.org

Writer: Kristiana Rae Colon, writer of Tilikum Theater: Sideshow Theatre Company in Chicago, IL Production Dates: June 22 – July 29, 2018 www.sideshowtheatre.org

Writer: Bekah Brunstetter, who is writing an original commission for the theater Theater: Theater Breaking Through Barriers in New York, NY Production Dates: TBA www.tbtb.org

Writer: Jennifer Barclay, writer of Ripe Frenzy Theater: Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta, GA Production Dates: April 3 – 22, 2018 www.synchrotheatre.com

Writer: Eleanor Burgess, writer of The Niceties Theater: Portland Stage in Portland, ME Production Dates: April 3 – 22, 2018 www.portlandstage.org

Writer: Harrison David Rivers, writer of The Bitter Earth Theater: Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, MN Production Dates: April 24 – May 20 2018 penumbratheatre.org

Writer: Tom Horan, writer of The Pill Theater: Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis, IN Production Dates: TBA www.phoenixtheatre.org

Congratulations to each of these artists and theaters. We look forward to their continued success.

DGF Named one of Playbill’s 21 Theater-Related Charities to Donate to on #GivingTuesday

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

DGF was recently listed among a group of 21 nonprofits to support on #GivingTuesday by Playbill.  (full link below):

http://bit.ly/2BlGbKN

This year for #GivingTuesday DGF is giving out 2 tickets to Frozen on Broadway to one lucky person who donates $55 or more in the next 24 hours!

To enter, visit dgf.org/donate or text “DGF” to 41444.

DGF helps keep American theater alive by supporting the writers who create it. Our programs support over 16,000 writers annually including DGF Fellows Alumna and the writer of Frozen herself: Kristen Anderson-Lopez! Hear why she believes it is so crucial to support DGF today:

https://youtu.be/pDwJ551fHlI

*Winner chosen at random. Offer only valid on November 28,2017-November 29, 2017*

Meet The Fellows Khiyon Hursey

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

Khiyon Hursey is a songwriter and musical theater composer based in New York City. A 2014 graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Songwriting, he served as music assistant on the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Hamilton, the American Repertory Theater production of Witness Uganda and its off-Broadway, retitled update Invisible Thread at Second Stage Theater.

Learn More

DGF Elects New Vice President Kevin Hager

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

The Dramatists Guild Foundation Board of Directors is proud to announce it has just elected Kevin Hager to be its new Vice President. Mr. Hager succeeds former Vice President, award-winning composer, lyricist, and playwright Carol Hall (Best Little Whorehouse in Texas). “First, Kevin Hager said ‘Yes!’ to DGF and now he’s saying ‘Yes!’ to accepting the duties of Vice President of the Board.  I can think of no greater member of our organization to work with, side by side, as DGF heads into its most exciting phase yet.” – Andrew Lippa, President

Serving on the Board of Directors since 2010, Mr. Hager serves as the Chair of the Board Development and Succession Committee.“We are so fortunate to have Kevin join our Board’s leadership cabinet. He brings years of experience in strategy and results in nonprofit management and a deep passion for the theater. We know he will help take DGF to the next level in achieving our ambitious goals.” – Rachel Routh, Executive Director

Kevin Hager is currently the Managing Director of Understood.org and Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD). In these roles he oversees all fundraising, communications, and online strategy and engagement. He led successful efforts to significantly increase total fundraising for the organization while simultaneously diversifying funding streams and increasing unrestricted revenue. Working with several of the top website, social media, PR, and strategic planning experts in the country, he led the process of creating a comprehensive, forward-thinking plan to scale the organization’s brand and more effectively engage key audiences. This resulted in the creation of a new, fully-funded, online strategy and engagement department overseen by Mr. Hager.

Prior to his work at NCLD, he managed the creation of the Center for Service Learning at the University of Kansas. Mr. Hager then moved into political campaigns, serving as the press secretary for a DCCC “Top 10 Race” and ultimately as campaign manager for a large municipal campaign before moving to New York to serve as the development director of DoSomething.org.

DGF Special Event: Dear Evan Hansen

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

SOLD OUT! 

Join us on May 31st to see Tony nominated, Golden Globe and Academy Award winning musical theater duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul‘s hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen! After the performance, you and your guests will get an exclusive backstage tour with a cast member!

Wednesday, May 31st, 2017
8:00 PM Music Box Theatre
239 West 45th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues
Tickets: $300 
All proceeds go to support writers at all stages of their careers through emergency aid, educational programs, and free rehearsal space.

2017-18 Fellows Applications Extended

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

Applications now accepted for 2017-18 DGF Fellows

The Dramatists Guild Foundation and Program Chairs Michael Korie, Laurence O’Keefe, and Diana Son announce applications for the 2017-18 DGF Fellows Program are now open and encourage playwrights, composers, lyricists, and bookwriters to apply.

The Fellows program is a nine-month intensive designed to augment the training of American writers early in their careers and enhance the sense of community among playwrights and musical theater writers. Theater writers selected for the program meet with Program Chairs, guest artists, and industry professionals twice a month for feedback on their works in progress. Fellows also have regular sessions with experienced dramatists for one-on-one mentoring and, when possible, are offered continued development opportunities through partnering organizations.

To apply, visit http://fellows.dgfund.org/. Applications must be received no later than 5:30PM EST on April 14, 2017. Those selected for the program will begin in Fall 2017.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants are eligible for the Fellows program if they meet at least one of the following qualifications: 1. Participation in a graduate program in theatrical writing within the last five years; or 2. Participation in an organized theatrical workshop within the last ten years; or 3. Comparable experience, such as one or more professional productions, and a recommendation by a theater professional or theater educator; or 4. Pertinent, documented practical experience.

All applicants must be residents of New York or the surrounding metropolitan area for the time of their fellowship. Applicants must also be prepared to meet on alternate Monday evenings of every month, and to make themselves available, if possible, to participate in observerships, assistantships, etc. when those opportunities arise.

 

For further submission guidelines and to apply, visit: http://fellows.dgfund.org/. Applications must be received no later than 5:30 PM EST on April 14, 2017.

 

About The Fellows program

The Fellows program is supported and administered by the Dramatists Guild Foundation. Each year, a select group of new theater writers are accepted into the nine-month program, which provides continued support and training through group sessions with theater professionals, one-on-one mentoring, and resources to establish lasting careers.

Former Fellows include: Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Academy Award winner, Frozen), Rajiv Joseph (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (Golden Globe for Best Original Song, LA LA Land), Deborah Zoe Laufer (ATCA Steinberg Award, End Days), and Adam Gwon (Fred Ebb and Richard Rodgers Award winner).

 

“When we moved to New York City in 2007 we got into the Fellows Program and were able to study with Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who were two of our theater gods at the time, and develop the skill set we needed to write for musical theater.”  – Benj Pasek & Justin Paul

Traveling Master Caridad Svich Comes to Virginia

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Dramatists Guild Foundation

Dramatists Guild Foundation’s Traveling Masters program to feature playwright Caridad Svich

At Mary Baldwin University on February 18 & the University of Virginia on February 19

Caridad Svich (12 Ophelias, Magnificent Waste) leads a post-show Q&A of Blood Wedding at Mary Baldwin University (301 Deming Drive, Bottom Floor, Deming Fine Arts Center, Staunton, VA) on February 18 at 9:30 PM as part of the Dramatists Guild Foundation’s Traveling Masters program.

Post-show Q&A of Blood Wedding

Saturday, February 18th at 9:30 PM

Fletcher Collins Theatre

301 Deming Drive, Bottom Floor, Deming Fine Arts Center, Staunton, VA

The post-show Q&A with Caridad Svich is free to the public. No RSVP required.

 

Caridad Svich will also lead workshops with students at Mary Baldwin University on February 18 & University of Virginia on February 19 as part of the Traveling Masters program.

The Traveling Masters program is a national outreach program that brings prominent writers into communities across the country to lead master classes, workshops, talkbacks and other public events. Caridad joins over 30 other writers who have participated in the program nationwide. Traveling Masters have included Jason Robert Brown, Paula Vogel, Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, Philip Kan Gotanda, Annie Baker, Daniel Beaty, Lisa Kron, Andrew Lippa, among others.

Videos from DGF’s Traveling Masters program with Paula Vogel (https://youtu.be/pElvzplm2H0) and DGF President Andrew Lippa (https://youtu.be/Hdav-julzZc).

About Blood Wedding

By Frederico Garcia Lorca, Translated by Caridad Svich, and Directed by Doreen Bechtol. Based on a true story of a young woman who abandons her husband on their wedding day, Lorca’s 20th-century classic captures the elemental forces of buried passions, betrayal, and revenge. Blood Wedding lyrically portrays young lovers who ultimately resist a life prescribed by family, community, and culture.

In performances February 15-19. Tickets available at www.marybaldwin.edu/arts/theatre/.

Caridad Svich received a 2012 OBIE Award for Lifetime Achievement in the theatre, a 2012 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and NNPN rolling world premiere for Guapa, and the 2011 American Theatre Critics Association Primus Prize for her play The House of the Spirits, based Isabel Allende’s novel. She has won the National Latino Playwriting Award (sponsored by Arizona Theatre Company) twice, including in the year 2013 for her play Spark. She has been short-listed for the PEN Award in Drama four times, including in the year 2012 for her play Magnificent Waste.

Key works in her repertoire include 12 Ophelias, Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Was Once Her Heart, and JARMAN (all this maddening beauty). She has also adapted for the stage novels by Mario Vargas Llosa, Julia Alvarez and Jose Leon Sanchez, and reconfigured works from Wedekind, Euripides, Sophocles, and Shakespeare. In 2017, Corazon Eterno premieres at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis and Rep Theatre of St. Louis, and De Troya premieres at Cara Mia Theatre in Dallas, Texas.

Her works are published by TCG, Smith & Kraus, Playscripts, Intellect UK, Broadway Play Publishing and more. She has edited several books on theatre including Audience Revolution: Dispatches from the Field (TCG, 2016) She is currently editing a book on playwriting for Methuen UK.

She is associate editor of Contemporary Theatre Review for Routledge, UK. She is alumna playwright of New Dramatists. She holds an MFA in Theatre-Playwriting from UCSD. She teaches creative writing and playwriting at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Primary Stages’ Einhorn School of Performing Arts. She has taught playwriting at Bard, Barnard, Bennington, Denison, Ohio State, ScriptWorks, and Yale School of Drama. Website: http://www.caridadsvich.com

 

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