Playwrights Theatre’s Staff Members To Speak on New York University Young Audience Panel

The “Which Way TYA? New Directions for Theater for Young Audiences” conference will be held at New York University on April 27-29, 2012. For a schedule of events and to register, visit http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/conference/tya.

Playwrights Theatre’s Director of Education (and New York University Ph.D. candidate in Educational Theatre), Jim DeVivo, will be presenting “The New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival: Cultivating Young Artists in the Garden State”. He will be joined by former New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival winners Summer Dawn Hortillosa, Constantine Lignos and Justine DeSilva.

John Pietrowski, Playwrights Theatre’s Artistic Director and a 2012 recipient of the New Jersey New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship in Playwriting, will be part of a plenary keynote panel entitles “The Writer, The Future.” He will be joined by Theatre for Young Audiences playwright and author, Sandra Fenichel Asher and playwright/director Brendan Murray from the United Kingdom.

The program will also include Theatre for Young Audiences directors, writers and artists from across the world: Dr. Gerd Taube (Frankfurt, Germany), Dr. Manon van de Water (U of Wisconsin), Martin Drury (Irish Arts Council), Mary Rose Lloyd (New Victory, New York), Kim Peter Kovac (Kennedy Center, Washington DC), Peter C Brosius (CTC, Minneapolis), Roxanne Schroeder-Arce (U of Texas) and David Wood (London, England).

The Forum, convened by NYU guest professor and former Unicorn Artistic Director Tony Graham, is designed for TYA practitioners, researchers in TYA and applied theatre, educators, and students of educational theatre. The weekend-long event will offer panel discussions, workshops, and narratives, as well as opportunities to see current theatre for young audiences in New York City at special ticket prices. Mr. Graham notes: “I think that all our work, whether in the classroom or in the theater, asks the same question: how much of our work is ‘ought’, and how much is driven by art?” The Forum will examine key issues in the future of TYA, including cultural translation, self-censorship and morality, the role of the playwright and dramaturg in new works, new trends and innovations in TYA including Theatre for the Very Young (TVY), and issues of participation and youth in TYA.

Mr. Graham added: “At the Forum, we’re going to be blasted with a whole lot of fresh thinking, and we’ll see more clearly where we want to be heading!”

Jim DeVivo is a teaching artist who specializes in creating theatre with, for, and by young people. He is a PhD candidate in the Program in Educational Theatre at the Steinhardt School of Education at NYU and an adjunct at NYU and Middlesex County College. For Playwrights Theatre, Jim coordinates the New Jersey Writers Project residencies, the Creative Arts Academy classes, and the statewide and local Young Playwrights Festivals. At NYU, Jim is the Artistic Associate for the New Plays for Young Audiences Series at the Provincetown Playhouse. Jim has presented at national conferences for the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE) and the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) regarding his work in playwriting and new play development for young people. Jim's work with teachers includes workshops in drama-in-education practices at the NJEA Convention and at secondary schools across New York and New Jersey. He is a frequent reader/adjudicator for local and nationwide writing and recitation contests and consulted on the theatre exit exams for the NJ Department of Education. As an actor, Jim performed with the New Plays for Young Audiences Series and with the Artpark Repertory Theatre in Lewiston, NY. As a dramaturg, he has worked with undergraduate playwriting students at Niagara University and NYU. Jim is the recipient of the Lowell S. and Nancy Swortzell Graduate Scholarship (2008-2009), a member of the Liverpool (NY) Central School District Fine Arts Hall of Fame, a member of the advisory board for the Union County Academy of Performing Arts, and a recipient of a NJ Governor's Award in Arts Education (2009).

John Pietrowski is currently the Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey (PTNJ), where he has overseen the nationwide New Play Development Program, the New Jersey Writers Project (in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts), PTNJ Creative Arts Academy, Poetry Out Loud, New Jersey Emerging Women Playwrights Program, and the Literary Artists Fellowship (both in partnership with NJSCA) for the past twenty-six years. He has directed numerous world premier productions at Playwright Theatre, as well as NJRep, Oldcastle Theatre, Premiere Stages, Shadowland Theatre, The Growing Stage (a TYA Theatre), and What Exit? Theatre, to name a few. His direction of the TYA play A Midnight Cry at The Growing Stage (TGS) was chosen by Bank of America as their representative NJ production for Black History Month in 2008, and he recently directed a production of Mother Hicks with a deaf and mute actor in the role of Tuck at TGS. As an actor, he played the role of Andrew Schrag in David Wiltse’s Sedition at both Playwrights Theatre and Shadowland, and Zeblyan in Two Jews Walk into a War, at PTNJ, NJRep, Shadowland, and InterAct Theatres. He designed the original curriculum for PTNJ’s Juvenile Justice program, was the Program Director for the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Theatre Program for Teachers and Playwrights, and currently teaches at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Kean University. His plays have been performed at Foundation Theatre, Loaves and Fish Theatre Company and Playwrights Theatre, and his most recent play, Dura Mater, was the basis of his being awarded a Playwriting Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He holds a BS in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, an MPA from Seton Hall University in nonprofit management, and is currently working towards a Master Certificate in Creative Placemaking in the first ever offering of this program at Rutgers University. He is married to stage manager and properties designer Danielle Constance Pietrowski.

Thoughts from the Artistic Director

As I type this, in the next room rehearsals on going on for the Madison Young Playwrights Festival which will be held this Saturday, March 17, 2012 from 1-4 pm. Reservations can be made by calling 973-514-1787 X34 and more information can be found at our website.

As promised, here are the program notes from John Pietrowski, Artistic Director.

If we have learned nothing else from these difficult times, I think we have remembered the need for, and value of, collaboration, compassion, listening, and creativity. So much of what we thought was true, so many of our assumptions about how the “world works,” have been altered, perhaps even torn apart. It has not been easy for many, and has sent many of us back to examine some basic values to see what we can find there.

For those who do ongoing work in the creative arts, or in any creative field for that matter, humbly questioning assumptions, lovingly tearing things apart, and lovingly putting them back together is an almost daily task that moves towards an unspoken goal of a connection with a spiritual self, a “better angel of our being” (to crib from Abraham Lincoln) that is almost always in a state of transcendence or renewal. What is happening in the world right now reflects what we are constantly doing with ourselves every time we create, unfortunately in the world there seems to be, in certain very loud and visible quarters, a lot less humility and a lot less love.

None of this process is mystical in the stereotypical sense of the word, and when you are working with the arts, there is that tangible product that must be made that grounds you. But it also tests you, and changes you, and ultimately becomes a reflection of who you are, who you were, and who you will be. It is life writ small and large all at once, and that magical moment on the stage, which Martin Esslin called the “Eternal Present,” wraps up all of the contradictions of being human into a package that we can study and admire. It is what we imagine existence to be, and if our imaginations are truly healthy, our daily lives, which are manifestations of our beliefs and imagined thoughts, will reflect that, and follow suit.

The theatre requires us to build a community of people who strive to really listen to each other, to compassionately collaborate to make a new world every time we set a piece of action into motion in a space. It is what we need right now. And this is why we need to honor these young writers who have taken a run at this and set yet one more positive and irreversible action into motion.

Adult Playwriting Workshop

Playwriting Workshop with John Pietrowski

Oct 18 - Dec 20, 2010
Mondays, 7-10pm
$275 ($250 for returning students)

This will be a basic workshop class where students share work in a supportive environment. Enrollment is open to students of all levels of experience, classes will provide exercises to beginners working on their first play as well as experienced writers who are further down the road.

To register, call the Education Department at 973.514.1787 X21.

Are you wanting to know more about the ABC's of playwriting? Not sure where to start? Looking for the basics? If you are interested in taking a one-day, basic playwriting class, let us know. Drop us an email or contact our Education Department at 973.514.1787 X21.

Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods A Must See

Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods
by Tammy Ryan

a co-production between Playwrights Theatre and Premiere Stages, in partnership with Kean University Human Rights Institute

directed by John Pietrowski

September 2 - 19, 2010

"See. This. Play." Sherri Rase, [Q]onStage

"If you like excellent drama...you must see new, powerful, timely play Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods."Rick Busciglio, Examiner.com

"Almost everything comes together extraordinarily well in director John Pietrowski's crisp production."
Peter Filichia, The Star-Ledger

Click here to purchase tickets online or call the box office at 908-737-7469. Please note: All performances take place at the Zella Fry Theatre on the campus of Kean University.

Performances This Week:
Thursday, Sept 9 at 8pm
Friday, Sept 10 at 8pm
Saturday, Sept 11 at 3pm and 8pm
Sunday, Sept 12 at 3pm

Special Events This Week:
Sunday, Sept 12 - "Sunday Scholars" post-show discussion with Dr. Jay Spaulding, expert on Sudanese History

An optimistic former "Lost Boy" from Sudan meets a suburban mother in desperate need of adventure. What begins as an unlikely friendship soon becomes an unbreakable bond that leads them toward a better understanding of their place in the world.

Click here for directions to Premiere Stages at Kean University

Daily Record review of Mahida's Extra Key To Heaven

Check out Bill Westhoven's review of "Mahida's Extra Key to Heaven" by Russell Davis in today's Daily Record.

"Mahida's Extra Key to Heaven" is the kind of play you won't want to see alone, because you'll need someone to discuss it with on the way home. That sort of entertainment is torture for some people, but for others, this food for thought will be a gourmet meal." -- Bill Westhoven, Daily Record

The Light by Ken Scarborough

Tonight's FORUM reading of "The Light" by Ken Scarborough will be directed by John Pietrowski. It begins at 7pm with a discussion to follow with Ken and John.

About the Playwright: Ken Scarborough has won four Emmys for his television writing: as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live, as the Head Writer for the PBS series Arthur, and as a writer for Between the Lions. Ken currently serves as Head Writer and Creative Producer for Martha Speaks, a children’s television series he developed for PBS. The Light is his first play.

About the Director: John Pietrowski is the Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre, where he has directed numerous world premiere productions of plays in his 19-year tenure. A winner of the Agnes E. Nixon playwriting award at Northwestern University for two of his plays, he has had readings and productions of plays at theatres in New Jersey and New York. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Performance Studies Department, he also holds an Masters of Public Administration in non-profit management from Seton Hall University, and teaches at both Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall University.

Beggar at the Feast by Fengar Gael

The third week of FORUM continues tonight at 7pm with "Beggar at the Feast" by Fengar Gael, directed by John Pietrowski. FORUM is a staged reading series featuring the work of some of the country's best writers with intimate discussions between author and audience following each performance.

About the Playwright: Fengar Gael plays have been produced at the InterAct Theatre, New Jersey Repertory, Moxie Theatre, Seanachi Theatre, and MultiStages. She is a recipient of the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding New Play for Devil Dog Six, the Playwrights First Award for Opaline, and commissions from South Coast Repertory and the National New Play Network. She is working on a musical, Soul on Vinyl, and her play, The Usher’s Ball, will be produced in New York at CAP 21 next summer.

About the Director: John Pietrowski is the Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre, where he has directed numerous world premiere productions of plays in his 19-year tenure. A winner of the Agnes E. Nixon playwriting award at Northwestern University for two of his plays, he has had readings and productions of plays at theatres in New Jersey and New York. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Performance Studies Department, he also holds an Masters of Public Administration in non-profit management from Seton Hall University, and teaches at both Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall University.

Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods by Tammy Ryan

Tammy Ryan's "Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods" continues the FORUM reading series tonight at 7pm.

About the Playwright: Tammy Ryan’s plays include A Confluence of Dreaming (finalist, 2008 Julie Harris Playwriting Award), The Music Lesson (2004 AATE Distinguished Play Award), and Dark Part Of The Forest (winner 2006 Premiere Stages Playwriting Festival). Lost Boy Found In Whole Foods was developed at the New Harmony Project and Premiere Stages Playwriting Festival this summer and will be presented at the National New Play Network’s 2009 National Showcase of New Plays in Atlanta in December.

About the Director: John Pietrowski is the Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre, where he has directed numerous world premiere productions of plays in his 19-year tenure. A winner of the Agnes E. Nixon playwriting award at Northwestern University for two of his plays, he has had readings and productions of plays at theatres in New Jersey and New York. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Performance Studies Department, he also holds an Masters of Public Administration in non-profit management from Seton Hall University, and teaches at both Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall University.

Risk by Yasmine Beverly Rana

The second week of the FORUM reading series begins tonight at 7pm with "Risk" by Yasmine Beverly Rana. Tickets are $10 for one reading or purchase a FORUM pass for $25 and see all the plays you want in the FORUM series. Reserve online or call the box office at 973.514.1787 X10.

About the Playwright: Yasmine Beverly Rana's The War Zone is My Bed and Other Plays will be published by Seagull Books. The volume will include Blood Sky, Returning, and Paradise, all presented in Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey’s Reading Series. Yasmine is a founder and Resident Playwright at Nora’s Playhouse in New York, a new theater company celebrating the voices and stories of women artists. www.norasplayhouse.org. Her plays have been produced at Johns Hopkins University, Brooklyn College, Second Stage Theater, La MaMa E.T.C, among others.

About the Director: is the Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre, where he has directed numerous world premiere productions of plays in his 19-year tenure. A winner of the Agnes E. Nixon playwriting award at Northwestern University for two of his plays, he has had readings and productions of plays at theatres in New Jersey and New York. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Performance Studies Department, he also holds an Masters of Public Administration in non-profit management from Seton Hall University, and teaches at both Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall University.