Archive for the ‘FYI’ Category

WTP Presents the last On-Demand Reading of the 2011 Season:

AFFLICTIONS OF A QUIET WINTER by Essential Theatre’s 2011 Playwriting Award Winner Theroun D’arcy Patterson.
A controversial interview sets off a firestorm of events. A former child soldier rises to power in Uganda. A reluctant son defies his fate while his wife embraces her fierce ambitions. An activist shrinks from life while a reporter uncovers an American corruption. Destinies collide, snow beckons a ghost from the past, and a Jackal pulls the strings. Everything in life is a battle for something. What’s  your affliction?

With Daniel Burnley, Eric Mendenhall, Stacy Melich, Olubajo Sonubi, Ko Sonubi, Cynthia Barker, Winslow Thomas, Naima Carter Russell and Amanda Cucher.  Directed by Suehyla El-Attar.

WHERE: Academy Theatre, 119 Center St., Avondale Estates, Ga
WHEN: Monday, Dec. 12, 2011
TIME: 7:30pm
TICKETS: $5 donation at door. WTP members free.

Don’t miss your opportunity to be a vital part of this play’s development. Your participation in the talkback with the playwright, director and cast immediately following the reading is greatly appreciated.

Working Title Playwrights Presents THE LIARS CHILD by Sharon Mathis, a WTP On-Demand Reading, Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 7:30 p.m., Academy Theatre, 119 Center St., Avondale Estates, Ga. Free for WTP members; $5 requested donation all others.

The Liars Child by Sharon Mathis

A legacy of violence. Accusations, delusions, and lies. Is killing in the genes? A son must choose between parents, and do an unspeakable wrong for the right reason. In the nightmare of living with his act, Orestes discovers the truth about his family and a promise of peace.

Based on Aeschylus’ “Orestia”, the play is history told by the outsiders- women, children, and servants. As it unfolds inside Orestes’ head, time is fluid; the dead can resurrect; and the living become demons or gods. The story is as old as myth and as new as a dream.

With Joshua David Simpson, Betty Mitchell, Whitney Drury, Naima Carter-Russell, Nadir Mateen, Laura Carson, Sarah Keys Chang, Lauren Broussard, Neal Hazzard, David Fisher and Jared Foust. A talkback with the playwright immediately following the reading will be moderated by Pamela Turner, PhD., Regional Representative Dramatists Guild of America.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 3, 2011
WHERE: Academy Theatre, 119 Center St., Avondale Estates, Ga.
DIRECTIONS: http://academytheatre.org/Directions.asp
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
COST: WTP Members FREE / $5 requested donation all others

Susan V. Booth –Jennings Hertz, Jr. Artistic Director

Hey! Are you ready to explore the Director/Playwright relationship with Alliance Theatre Artistic Director Susan Booth?

Both from her own experiences as a director of new work, especially with playwrights over several productions, Booth is an expert on creating a rehearsal room that empowers   the playwright to do their best work and also ensures a great production.

At this special master class, Booth will also discuss playwright/director match making as a producer and give types for interviewing directors. Plenty of time for Q and A will be included. You don’t want to miss this, and space is limited, so get to enrolling! How? Email your intentions to managing<at>workingtitleplaywrights.com.

WHERE: Alliance Theatre 3rd Floor Black Box

WHEN:   4:30-6:00 p.m., Thursday, May 12, 2011
FEE:   WTP members $30, non-members $50

Susan V. Booth, (Jennings Hertz, Jr. Artistic Director) joined the Alliance Theatre in 2001. In the past nine seasons, she has initiated the Collision Project for teens, the Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition, and created local producing partnerships with Georgia Shakespeare, True Colors and the nine theatre companies that participated in the Alliance’s City Series.

She has also overseen regional collaborative productions with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage, Goodman Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Pasadena Playhouse, St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, as well as commercial partnerships on projects including Come Fly Away; The Color Purple; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; SISTER ACT the Musical; Bring in Da’ Noise, Bring in Da’ Funk; Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL; and this season’s productions of Twist and Bring It On: The Musical.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday May 4, 11, 18 & 25 – KICK ASS PLAYWRITING WORKSHOP SERIES: ACT TWO!

With Pamela Turner, Ph.D., Southeast Regional Rep for the Dramatists Guild of America and Artistic Director of multiShades.atlanta.

Theatres report the top three reasons for rejecting submissions are:

Plays are under-developed.

Plays are lacking in theatricality.

Plays are trite in subject matter.

Our Gonzo Approach to Playwriting remedy is applied over four consecutive work sessions that look at story, character, conflict, action, image, text and subtext for both dramatic and comedic plays, through writing exercises, group critique, “example mentoring” and the first public reading / feedback session of the 10-minute play you will write through the course of this series.

Work Sessions: May 4, 11, 18, 25  Public Reading: Monday, June 6

Time: 6:00-9:00 pm

Location: Ben Franklin Academy-Emory

Fees: $150 WTP members / $175 public

Registration: By April 30th, 2011 – Space is Limited
Contact Jill Patrick @ 404.585.7695 or email to managing<at>workingtitleplaywrights.com

Working Title Playwrights has been awarded a $10,000 grant by the Hellen Ingram Plummer Charitable Foundation, a private foundation out of Boca Raton, FL. The support will allow us to fortify and expand our showcase program, the Ethel Woolson Lab.

As you may recall from earlier blog posts, The Ethel Woolson Lab brings together the top playwrights, directors, and actors in the Atlanta theatre community for meaningful collaboration in the creation of new, full-length plays for the stage. 

 We are immeasurably grateful to the Hellen Ingram Plummer Charitable Foundation for this grant, and its recognition of the importance new works bring. This funding will enable WTP to provide arts education through new play and playwright development. The competitively selected playwrights participating in the Lab as well as the public audiences attending these staged readings will benefit. Read the rest of this entry »

First, take action at 1:00 p.m., stroll on down from the Rialto to the capitol steps and let your voice be heard regarding funding cuts for the arts in Georgia.

Then, join Working Title Playwrights and the whole Atlanta theater community at a gathering at Manuel’s Tavern to celebrate the life and memory of our dear friend, Allen Hagler. Share memories, tell irreverent stories (you KNOW he’d like that), and hoist a glass in a toast or two. The fun begins at 7:30pm. Spread the word!

Manuel’s Tavern is located at the corner of North and Highland Avenues in Atlanta.

The Georgia House of Representatives is preparing to vote on HB 1049. The Rules Committee meeting has been pushed to this afternoon, at 2 p.m. Those of us who care about and are committed to the arts in Georgia have only until then to make urgent calls and send insistent emails. One lobbyist says, “KEEP THE HEAT ON! We are still not on the Rules agenda—HB1049 will die if we do not make it on the Rules agenda this week.”

HB1049 gives each county in Georgia the ability to invest a fraction of a penny sales tax to support cultural assets and economic development initiatives in their community, when and if they so choose. Click here for more details on how HB1049 works.

Take action now, and share this message with colleagues and friends who support art & culture. Email/Call members of the RULES Committee asking for SUPPORT of HB 1049 (See members & contact information listed below) The message should be brief. Add a personal note on why this is important to you. Read the rest of this entry »

Please know that our dear friend Allen Hagler passed away on Friday morning, March 19th.  He was surrounded by his family and went peacefully.

A service will be held on Tuesday, March 23rd, 11am, at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

A celebration of his life is being planned for another date, the details of which will be shared as they emerge.

His family invites all his friends and loved ones to attend the service(s) and asks that in lieu of flowers you send contributions to Hospice of Atlanta, The American Cancer Society or the charity of your choice.

Thank you all for the support you demonstrated along Allen’s journey. Fair thee well, Allen.

Monetary contributions keep coming in, from both auction sales from the Fun and Fund Raising for Allen event as well as online gifts. We have currently raised around $14,000 for Allen’s cost of living. With Medicaid and Social Security kicking in, because of your overwhelming generosity, Allen and Olivia are confident they have enough financial assistance to help him through this cancer ordeal at this time.

For those of you who still want to contribute somehow, we ask that you please consider:

1. Sharing your good will with the Atlanta Community Food Bank (or whomever else you might feel inclined to help) with contributions of canned foods or money. As Olivia told me, “God knows that (a) folks have already been UNBELIEVABLY generous with us already and (b) that there are still tons of needy folks out there every day who also need tending to.”

2. Writing to Grady Hospital’s new CEO, Mr. Michael Young, and let him know how you appreciate the quality of care being given to (Patrick) Allen Hagler and encourage him to stay the course on reforming the state’s primary health care system. What you may not know, is that while we have (relatively few) complaints about the quality of care Allen is receiving – genuinely, the staff across the board has been positive, helpful and good at what they do – the fact is the system itself is so flawed that one mistake made by one person will cause a 2-hour appointment to last twelve hours or longer; that nurses are so understaffed some clinics wait for every patient to check in before they start triaging; and that some bathrooms and clinics (particularly in first floor clinics) are so filthy one questions whether a sick person will only get sicker the longer they stay in Grady … and considering how long they have to wait now, it does not seem conducive to healing. Read the rest of this entry »

Allen Hagler and Jo Howarth as G.W. and Latrelle, SORDID LIVES

And it just doesn’t stop! Yes, Sir, we’ll have some more…

Del Shores – internationally known playwright (“Sordid Lives,” “Southern Baptist Sissies”), actor, & director of film & TV – has offered to auction a DVD of “Sordid Lives: The Series” signed by himself and the entire cast (including Leslie “Brother Boy” Jordan) in support of Allen and our efforts to love on him. He’s doing this on his Sordid Lives Facebook site – which has over 15,000 fans!

Please note that Del Lives in LA and has never met Allen. In fact, when he made the offer he didn’t even realize that Allen played “GW” in Process Theatre’s production of “Sordid Lives” last year. He reached out simply because Allen is an actor in need. To quote Topher Payne, “You gotta love sweet Southern boys.”

To get more details and bid, go to the designated Sordid Lives Facebook page now. Thanks, Del!