Pittsburgh New Works Festival Launches 22nd Season, Now thru 9/30

Eighteen new one-act plays will receive world premieres as the Pittsburgh New Works Festival takes to the stage for the twenty-second time. The Festival will run today, August 19 through September 30 at the Father Ryan Arts Center (420 Chartiers Avenue) in McKees Rocks.

The Festival brings together eighteen local theatre companies to present staged readings and fully realized main stage productions, making it one of the most unique and ambitious theatre festivals in the country.

A record number of plays were submitted from around the world. This year submissions were received from playwrights as far away as Finland and New Zealand. A panel of readers narrowed the list to 30 scripts and the following plays were chosen:

THE SCHEDULE

Staged readings

August 19 at 7pm
Everything by David Bloomquist (12 Peers Theatre)
Life on Mars by Chris Gavaler (Comptra Theatre)
Interlude by John Michael Duggan (Stage Right Theatre Company)

August 26 at 7pm
Peace and Quiet by Kenneth Smith (Theatre Sans Serif)
The Trick by Michele Scaramucci (Pittsburgh New Works Festival)
Love Insurance by David Zinman (Actors Civic Theatre)

Main Stage
(Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 5 and 8pm, Sundays at 2pm)

September 6-9
A Light Subject Matter by Sara Baines-Miller (Greensburg Civic)
Art Initiates Life by Connie Dillon (CCAC South)
Seeing Purple People Michelle Giusto (Theatre Factory)

September 13-16
The Promise by Jeffrey Strausser (Heritage Players)
Cones by Russell Weeks (The Summer Company)
Sophie’s Second Law by D. J. Jones (The Red Masquers)

September 20-23
Leaving Antarctica by Alyssa Herron (Phase 3 Productions)
Often as the Moon by James Sheldon (Baldwin Players)
Smoke and Fire by F. J. Hartland (Thoreau MN)

September 27-30
Forgotten Names by David Katzin (Rage of the Stage Players)
Helping Out by James Michael Shoberg (McKeesport Little Theatre)
Revolution by Mark Cornell (Cup-A-Jo Productions)

The Pittsburgh New Works Festival will culminate in the Awards Gala on October 7 at 6pm at Rockefellers Grill in Kennedy Township. In addition to a dinner, there will be the presentation of the Donna Awards, named for Pittsburgh New Works founder Donna Rae.

At the Gala, Ron Tassone will be feted as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Detailed play descriptions and ticket information are available at www.pittsburghnewworks.org.

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