announces
News from The Dramaworkshop
New Free Series: Drama
(in the)
works
Monday Evenings,
Beginning January 13, 2020
and
Casting for the
New Year/New Plays Festival
January 10 – 12, 2020
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Palm Beach Dramaworks is excited to announce the launch of Drama (in the) Works, a series of weekly readings of evolving plays that will involve the audience in the process of determining which works will be included in the New Year/New Plays Festival in 2021. Each reading will be followed by a talkback, and the audience’s feedback will be part of the assessment when Producing Artistic Director William Hayes selects the roster of plays to receive readings on PBD’s mainstage as part of the third annual Festival next season. Drama (in the) Works takes place every Monday from January 13 – May 18, 2020 at 7pm in the Diane & Mark Perlberg Studio.
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“PBD is committed to discovering and developing stimulating new work, and we think that involving an audience at a fairly early stage of the process can be very beneficial,” said Bruce Linser, manager of The Dramaworkshop. “Plays are meant to be spoken out loud to a roomful of people. The response from the audience, whether it’s laughter or silence or restlessness or enthusiasm, is informative. It has an impact. Without the audience, it’s tougher to determine how well a play is working. So, theatre enthusiasts will not only be helping PBD, but they’ll have a rare opportunity to participate in a show’s growth and, consequently, help us shape our 2021 Festival.”
Readings are free to the public, but seating is limited and reservations are required. Please contact the box office at 561.514.4042 ext. 2.
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Casting is set for the second annual New Year/New Plays Festival, which runs from January 10-12. All readings take place on the mainstage of the Don & Ann Brown Theatre.
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The People Downstairs
by Michael McKeever
For two years and one month, Anne Frank and seven others hid in four small rooms concealed behind a bookcase in the building where her father worked. Her diary revealed their ordeal to the world. But what of the people who hid them, got them food, and kept them informed? This play explores the complex challenges faced by these brave individuals on their journey of rebellious morality during the horrors of the Holocaust.
Director: William Hayes. Cast: Margery Lowe, Bruce Linser, Dennis Creaghan, Tom Wahl, John Campagnuolo, Matthew Korinko, and Michael McKeever
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Remember Me When You Come Into Your
Kingdom
by Padraic Lillis
Giovanni Montorfano, a third-generation artist, has been commissioned by the Duke of Milan to paint the Crucifixion. The fresco will adorn the wall facing another commission, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. As Montorfano works on the painting with his apprentice, keenly aware of da Vinci’s genius, he grapples with his craft, his faith, and his place in the world.
Director: Debi Marcucci. Cast: Nicholas Richberg and an additional actor TBA.
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Augie, an aging actor understudying the role of King Lear, is given an opportunity most actors only dream about: he’s going on for the star that evening. But Augie is paralyzed with fear, uncertain that he’s still got what it takes to step into one of theatre’s most daunting roles. His wife, Anna, a retired actress, tries desperately to keep Augie from walking out. What happens when the last great moment in an actor's life arrives, and the actor is afraid that it may be too late?
Director: Catherine Randazzo. Cast: Maureen Anderman and Rob Donohoe.
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Painter Alice Neel is tired of working in obscurity at the fringes of the New York art scene. Poet Frank O'Hara, curator for MoMA and gay playboy, is its gatekeeper. Neel convinces him to let her paint his portrait and over the course of five sittings these two forces of nature test each other, best each other, and reveal themselves in ways they never imagined. Inspired by real people and events – and paintings – this play is a rendering of two brilliant outcasts clawing their way to fame in
Mad Men
-era NYC.
Director: J. Barry Lewis. Cast: Elizabeth Dimon and Bruce Linser
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The Hat Box
by Eric Coble
Do we ever really know our parents? Do we ever really want to? Two sisters are about to find out when they discover a hat box hidden in the back of their recently deceased father's closet. What sits inside sends them off to visit eccentric Aunt Esther and on an increasingly wild ride down memory lane. With surprising twists and hilarious turns, this comedy of family lore revels in the bizarre and beautiful mysteries that make up a life.
Director: Mark Perlberg. Cast: Irene Adjan, Kim Cozort, Angie Radosh, Patti Gardner, and Kenneth Kay.
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The Schedule:
Friday, January 10
3pm -
The People Downstairs
by Michael McKeever
5pm - Dinner break
7pm -
Remember Me When You Come Into Your
Kingdom
by Padraic Lillis
Saturday, January 11
1pm - Playwrights Forum: A discussion with the Festival’s five dramatists*
3pm -
The Standby Lear
by John W. Lowell
5pm - Dinner break
7pm -
As I See It
by Jenny Connell Davis
Sunday, January 12
12:30pm - Lunch with the artists at Leila Restaurant**
3pm -
The Hat Box
by Eric Coble
6pm - Champagne Toast*
Pricing:
$20 – One play
$30 – Two plays
$50 – All five plays
*The panel discussion and champagne toast are free with a ticket to any play
**$25 – Lunch with the Artists
Palm Beach Dramaworks is a non-profit, professional theatre and is a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the South Florida Theatre League, Florida Professional Theatres Association, and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.
The Don & Ann Brown Theatre is located in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach, at 201 Clematis Street.
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Palm Beach Dramaworks - 201 Clematis Street West Palm Beach FL 33401 - 561.514.4042
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