Plays in Development
Isn't it great to say, "I was there first?" Seattle Rep's New Play Program is the
place where we find and develop the next great plays in American theatre. Here are
the projects we are currently supporting.
Under Commission
A key part of fostering new work for the Rep stage is through commissioning, when we approach a playwright to write a new play
for us and then guide it through the development process. While there's never a guarantee a play we commission will end up on the
Bagley or Leo K., commissions are usually done with writers with whom we have a previous relationship.
- Seattle Rep will be partnering with Oregon Shakespeare Festival to help develop Robert Schenkkan's (By the Waters
of Babylon, The Kentucky Cycle) new two-part series on Lyndon B. Johnson.
- Kathleen Tolan (Memory House) is working on Istanbul Notes, a piece about Iraqi refugees living in Turkey.
- The theatre will also continue developing Cheryl L. West's (Holiday Heart, Play On, Rejoice!) new play with music, Pullman
Porter Blues, which had a public reading at Seattle Rep in September 2010. Artistic Director Jerry Manning has now announced a
commitment to producing the work in the fall of 2012.
In Collaboration
Throughout the spring and beyond, we will support the following projects through readings and workshops.
- Actors David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright begin an adaptation of The Hound of Baskervilles.
- We'll join with New Century Theatre Company to support Stephanie Timm on a contemporary riff on A Streetcar Named
Desire called The Red Dress Party.
- Marya Sea Kaminski will work with director Braden Abraham on a new play inspired by Bonnie and Clyde.
- Playwright, actor and musician Joanna Horowitz will continue development of her country musical, 100 Heartbreaks.
- Seattle Rep Artistic Director Jerry Manning will work with actors to craft J.R.R. Tolkien, Joseph McCarthy and Dorothy Day
in Milwaukee about three unlikely archivists curating the personal papers of three very unlikely public figures.
Yes Project
A key piece of the New Play Program ties to the theatre's Yes Project, an initiative to inspire young artists
and audiences. The Yes Project focuses on finding and developing plays for the main stage that feature young characters and/or have a
curriculum tie-in. Here's what's in development for Yes:
- Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, who came to Seattle Rep last February with Lidless (which was workshopped in collaboration with
the University of Washington's School of Drama), will work on a new play set in the Pacific Northwest, inspired by meetings with local
Seattle youth and activists.
- Justin Huertas and Andrea Allen, who acted in and directed 2010's Speech & Debate, respectively, will develop a
piece about coming of age and coming out. Through a travelogue of sorts, Huertas will chronicle his experiences on the road playing
cello with the national tour of Spring Awakening.
