Playwrights Theatre's Stages Festival Events

Playwrights Theatre will present two programs during the New Jersey Theatre Alliance Stages Festival. The Stages Festival is a month-long, state-wide celebration of theatre and the performing arts – a project of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and its membership.


Event 1 ~ Katrina On Stage—Five Plays

Where: Madison Public Library, Chase Room, Madison Public Library, 39 Keep St., Madison, NJ 07940.

Cost: There is a suggested donation of $5.00, seating is first-come, first-served, no reservations will be taken.

When: Thursday, March 22, 2012, 7:00 pm There will be a post-show discussion following the reading.

A staged reading with professional actors of selections from plays from Katrina On Stage edited by Suzanne M. Trauth and Lisa S. Brenner.

Ms. Trauth is a professor of theatre at Montclair State University, where she coordinates the BFA Acting Program. She is co-author of Katrina: The K Word, one of the plays included in the book.

Ms. Brenner is an assistant professor of Theatre Arts at Drew University in Madison, and the co-author of Katrina: The K Word. In 2009, Drew University granted her the Faculty Leadership Civic Engagement Award for her work on Katrina: The K Word, among other projects.

Selections will be read from:

Rising Water by John Biguenet. Performed at Playwrights Theatre in 2008, the play traces the possible last hours of two New Orleans residents trapped in their attic as the waters are rising around them.

The Breach by Catherine Filloux, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Joe Sutton. Read at Playwrights theatre in 2008, the play weaves three stories of the flood into a compelling expressionistic rendering of the chaos that ensued during the days of the tragedy.

Because They Have No Words by Tim Maddock and Lotti Louise Pharriss. This moving play deals with the plight of pets that were abandoned during Katrina.

Trash Bag Tourist by Samuel Brett Williams. Read at Playwrights Theatre in 2008, the play looks at the experience of one of the “Trash Bag Tourists,” the refugees that escaped New Orleans with very little possessions, some just tossed into black plastic trash bags.

Katrina: The K Word by Lisa S Brenner and Suzanne M. Trauth. Also read at Playwrights Theatre in 2008, this Documentary Drama uses the actual words of residents to put together a poignant and memorable impression of the experiences of those affected by the storm and its aftermath.

Trauth and Brenner’s book Katrina On Stage Five Plays will be on sale at the reading. A portion of the proceeds benefit The Porch 7th Ward Cultural Organization in New Orleans, LA, which conducts diverse creative programming for all ages.

Event 2 ~ Readings from Playwrights Theatre Adult Playwriting Class

Where: Black River Playhouse, home of the Chester Theatre Group, 54 Grove Street, Chester, NJ 07930

When: Friday, March 30, 2012, 7:00 pm

Cost: $5.00 Suggested Donation

Playwrights Theatre runs an ongoing year-round playwriting workshop for adults where plays are shared in a nurturing and supportive environment. Run by Playwrights Theatre’s Artistic Director John Pietrowski (a recent recipient of a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Playwriting Fellowship), students range from beginners to highly experienced writers who have received NJSCA Playwriting Fellowships and who are writers and performers in their own right.

Professional actors will present ten-minute selections from ongoing works from the workshop and will include: Ed Shakespeare (prior NJSCA Fellow, from Lavalette, NJ), Jewel Seehaus-Fisher (prior NJSCA Fellow, from Highland Park, NJ), Claire Porter (nationally-recognized dancer and performance artist, from Teaneck, NJ), Gregory Cole (Bernardsville, NJ), Stephen Catron (Mendham, NJ), David Allan Crosset (Far Hills, NJ), Ruth Darcy (Chatham, NJ), Roberta Francis (Chatham, NJ), Paula Freed (Sea Bright, NJ), Elaine Lane (Irvington, NJ), Alan Silberberg (Valley Cottage, NY), and Devon Villacampa (Randolph, NJ)The Stages Festival takes place every March with discounted and/or free tickets to performances, workshops and events statewide, and with programming suitable for ALL age groups (not just the little ones). The event provides wonderful opportunities to experience the magic of live theatre with everyone in your family - and your extended family of friends. The Stages Festival is a cosponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.