2nd Annual PlayShop Festival
four plays in process
March 7 - 22, 2009
Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge Street, Philadelphia
"The Loudest Man on Earth" by Catherine Rush
directed by Jay Wahl
"Noori and the Infidels" by Joe Byers
directed by Meghann Williams
"Solitary" by L.E. Colston, II
directed by Jane Stojak
"Traveling Light" by Lindsay Harris-Friel
directed by Becky Wright
set design by Adrian Blue
lighting design by Stephen Dombkowski
costume design by Jamie Grace-Duff
dramaturgy by Debra Leigh-Scott
stage managers: melody wong & laura zingle
Come and join a company of nearly 40 artists as they present four world premiere plays "in process". During a five-week rehearsal process (wherein the plays are written and re-written and re-written again) we will present each play in performance multiple times over three weekends in March. We'll be soliciting the feedback and input of audience members and YOU can help shape any play that you watch. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to watch one, two, three, or all four diverse new works by four exciting playwrights. For a complete schedule of performances, click on "buy tickets" below (you'll have a chance to peruse options before actually purchasing).
SYNOPSES:
"The Loudest Man on Earth" - Haylee Masters and Jordan Weiss are proof that opposites attract: she's a WASP and he's a Jew; she's concerned with everyone's opinion and he couldn't care less; she loves music and he's been deaf since birth. A thought-provoking romantic comedy about navigating the terrain of opposites and oppositions on the road of love. Starring Jake Blouch, Adrian Blue, Kate Brennan, and Bi Jean Ngo.
"Noori and the Infidels" - Uptight gay graduate student Alex Swank goes to visit his parents in their new home on a private island off the coast of Florida. But the home isn't the only thing that's new: Mom and Dad have a live-in servant, Noori, who does all sorts of outrageously personal tasks for them. Seems our government is addressing the over-crowding problem at Guantanamo by secretly lobotomizing the detainees and recycling them as house-slaves for prominent Republicans. What's a good, gay political liberal to do? Starring Jean Brooks, Tim Chambers, Robert Heath, and Jerry Rudasill.
"Solitary" - Jamal awakens to find himself in solitary confinement with no memories of how he got there. Where is he? He searches the limits of his confines only to get his many questions met with silence. A dark and visceral drama that closely examines the fibers of a man's being. It is difficult to find the answers that you seek when you are alone. Or is it? Starring: Brian Cowden, Gerard Joseph, Aimee Kelly, Jennifer Nehila, Kevin Savage, Wendy Staton, and Johnny Walker.
"Traveling Light" - 1967 London's not so swinging when you're tyring to kill yourself. Brian Epstein can't evade Joe Orton and his script for the Beatles. They can't evade the police. Will they have the time of their lives before they end up dead? Starring Alex Bechtel, Sarah Milici, Matt Rohner, and Bob Stineman.
