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Attention playwrights in grades 4-12. The submission deadlines for the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest & Festival are quickly approaching! Have your voice heard and submit your play today.
Submissions must be received by January 14, 2012 for playwrights in grades 10-12; and by January 15, 2012 for playwrights in grades 4-9.
Scripts will be reviewed by theatre professionals from across the country and a written critique will be provided to each playwright.
Select plays will be chosen for further development and a public reading in May and December.
Further information about the Contest and Festival may be found online at www.njypf.org.
Don’t miss out…. Have your voice heard! Submit a play today!
Our FORUM series this year features three plays which are appropriate for the entire family. Joan Cushing's LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY kicks it off.
You can catch the reading of this play at The Growing Stage in Netcong, NJ, at 7:00pm on Thursday, December 1 or at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Dreyfuss Theatre in Madison, NJ at 7:00pm on Friday, December 2.
Joan Cushing is best known for writing and performing political satire in Wash, DC, more recently Cushing is adapting children's books as musicals, receiving over 350 productions. Works include Miss Nelson Is Missing! (winner, Nat’l Children’s Theatre Festival), Field Day, Junie B. Jones, Petite Rouge (NY Musical Theatre Festival), George and Martha, all commissioned by Imagination Stage, and Diary of a Worm, A Spider & a Fly, commissioned by Oregon Children’s Theatre. Others: The Christmas Doll, Nat’l Youth Theatre Award for Outstanding New Musical, Tussaud, based on Madame Tussaud’s bloody pursuit of art, and Breast In Show, a brand new musical about breast cancer. Representation by The Susan Gurman Agency. See http://www.joancushing.com/.
1. What inspired you to write Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy?
The book had a really interesting title, it had won several prizes, and the synopsis was intriguing, including the fact that it was based on a true event. At the time, I was adapting “hot” children’s books as musicals for young kids. I was also raising a son and we listened to tons of audio books in the car. The books for young adults were the ones that grabbed us the most. After reading this book, I couldn’t get the story out of my head. At first, I didn’t see the book as a candidate for the musical stage. How would I capture the gorgeous descriptive language? And the main characters didn’t seem to me like characters who would sing. But over several months, I decided to try my hand at adapting it as a play.
2. What is your process for adapting children’s books as musicals?
In the early days, we worked by the seat of our pants. I just wrote the show, with some help from the theatre, in terms of plot synopsis, character development, the journey of the characters, cast size, and what we wanted to accomplish. Now I am commissioned two years out, and we always do a 4 to 5 day workshop a year in advance. That way we can work out the problems and make every line work. I develop most of my scripts with Imagination Stage. Janet Stanford (art. dir/playwright) and Kate Bryer (assoc. prod. dir.) are masters of development.
3. You have written and performed political satire in Washington, DC,do you prefer one over the other?
I never meant to stop writing satire, but my director (of 13 years) died and I was commissioned by Imagination Stage to write my first children’s musical, based on a popular children’s book, Miss Nelson Is Missing. To my great surprise, it was a huge hit. Then I adapted Junie B. Jones, which was an even bigger hit. Since then I have had nonstop commissons to write new musicals, but mostly for young kids. I keep meaning to get back to the satire, and occasionally perform, but mostly political roasts.
4. Tell us a little about your new musical about breast cancer?
A local woman interviewed 200 hundred breast cancer survivors and asked a playwright to write a script from the material, and me to write music and lyrics. Several months into the project, my husband Paul was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I dropped everything to take care him. The producer put off the project for a year to keep me on board, and after my husband died – 4 months later – I had something to say. I brought in Kate Bryer from Imagination Stage to direct and dramaturg. We mounted an initial production with sets, costumes, and orchestra for 2 nights. It got an overwhelming response, and requests for productions are multiplying. It was very healing for me, as I was able to take my husband’s death and turn it into something positive which will touch a lot of people.
5. Do you prefer coffee, tea or soda for your caffeine fix?
I go to Starbucks every day and order a tall skim no water chai. No coffee for me.
Click here to purchase a ticket to see LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY at The Growing Stage.
Click here to purchase a ticket to see LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY at FDU.
You can also find additional information on our website about the entire FORUM reading series.
$10 per reading
$25 for a FORUM pass (attend all 23 readings in the series)
Children attend free (with a paying adult) to the December 2 reading at Fairleigh Dickinson
LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY is appropriate for the entire family.
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.
A staged reading of "Murder, Too" by David Wiltse will take place on Saturday, November 21 at 7pm. Real life husband and wife, Jay O. Sanders (John Goodman’s biker buddy “Ziggy” on Roseanne) and Maryann Plunkett (Tony-winner, Me and My Girl) will play a husband and wife in Wiltse’s new murder comedy.About the Playwright: David Wiltse is the author of 13 plays and 12 novels. A production of Sedition starring Playwrights Theatre’s John Pietrowski, was done at Playwrights Theatre in 2008. Another Wiltse play, The Good German, was produced in this theater in 2006. About the Director: For Playwrights Theatre: Sedition, The Good German, Circumference of a Squirrel, Sunrise at Monticello, adapted & directed Jim Lehrer’s Flying Crows and The Special Prisoner (w/William Schallert). Elsewhere: Death of a Salesman (w/Frankie Faison), Bluff (w/John Astin), The Value of Names (w/Jack Klugman), The Price (w/Orson Bean & Stephanie Zimbalist), All My Sons (w/Richard Benjamin & Paula Prentiss), The Gin Game (w/William Schallert), Mrs. Warren’s Profession (w/Paula Prentiss & Prentiss Benjamin), Macbeth (w/Frankie Faison), Spread Eagle (w/Ed Asner, Sharon Gless, Jamey Sheridan, Fred Savage).
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.
Join us for a reading on Saturday, November 14 at 7pm of Jack Wade's Red Masquerade. Make your reservations online or contact the box office at 973.514.1787 X10.About the Playwright: Jack Wade's previous plays include Blood Ties (Hedgerow Theatre) and Last Stand on the Miracle Mile (Actor’s Center, of Washington, D.C.) He has designed lighting and /or scenery for over 200 theatrical and dance productions An Associate Chair and Professor of Theatre at SUNY New Paltz, he is a recipient of the Theatre Crafts International Award for outstanding achievement in theatrical design and technology and is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829.About the Director: James Glossman - For Playwrights Theatre: Sedition, The Good German, Circumference of a Squirrel, Sunrise at Monticello, adapted & directed Jim Lehrer’s Flying Crows and The Special Prisoner (w/William Schallert). Elsewhere: Death of a Salesman (w/Frankie Faison), Bluff (w/John Astin), The Value of Names (w/Jack Klugman), The Price (w/Orson Bean & Stephanie Zimbalist), All My Sons (w/Richard Benjamin & Paula Prentiss), The Gin Game (w/William Schallert), Mrs. Warren’s Profession (w/Paula Prentiss & Prentiss Benjamin), Macbeth (w/Frankie Faison), Spread Eagle (w/Ed Asner, Sharon Gless, Jamey Sheridan, Fred Savage).
Come in from the cold tonight and see a staged reading of "The Toymaker's War" by Jennifer Fawcett. It begins at 7pm with a discussion to follow with the playwright. Tickets can reserved by calling 973.514.1787 X10 or online. $10 for tonight's reading or purchase a FORUM pass for $25 and see all the remaining FORUM readings (Nov. 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21 and Dec. 16).
About the Playwright: Jennifer Fawcett's work has been developed and produced at theatres in the US and Canada including the Kennedy Center, the Lark Play Development Center (NYC), Halcyon Theatre (Chicago), Waterfront Theatre (Vancouver), Summerworks Theatre Festival (Toronto) and the Adirondack Theatre Festival. She was the NNPN Emerging Playwright-in-Residence at Curious Theatre Company (Denver), and is the recipient of the National Science Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center ACTF and a Creation Fund Award from the National Performance Network.
Our 24th Mainstage season is being called "Plays Without Borders" and opens in October with the NJ premiere of Our Dad Is In Atlantis from Mexican playwright, Javier Malpica (translation by Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas).
The season continues with the East Coast premiere of a comedy Two Jews Walked Into a War...by Seth Rozin.The final show of the season will be Mahida's Extra Key To Heaven by Russell Davis.For complete details visit our website: http://www.ptnj.org/NPD/SeasonScheduleA.htm
Attention playwrights in grades 4-12. The submission deadlines for the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest & Festival are quickly approaching! Have your voice heard and submit your play today.
