Plays and Playwrights 2008 (Paperback)

by Crystal Skillman (Author), Daniel Talbott (Author), Carolyn Raship (Author), Thomas Bradshaw (Author), John Regis (Author), Robert Attenweiler (Author), Leslie Bramm (Author), Elena Hartwell (Author), Mac Rogers (Author), Daniel Reitz (Author), Martin Denton (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
An anthology of 10 plays by emerging playwrights, produced in NYC during the 2006 - 07 theatre season. The book contains a detailed introduction, permission information, production list, and the complete script for each play. Included, in addition, is an Appendix of new American Plays produced in NYC during the same season. Plays included: "The Telling Trilogy", a gripping and and often chilling full length play that explores the nature of loss; "What Happened When", two young men, brothers who have recently been separated, reunite of a night of reminiscence and truth telling; "Antarctica", in this sometimes surreal fantasia of growing up, Magda and Winnie set out to become the first American Girls to make an expedition to the South Pole; "Cleansed", an envelope-pushing drama about a biracial teenage girl who joins a white supremacist group; "Linnea", A young writer who is obsessed by Dostoyevsky lives out his own NYC dream version of "The Idiot" in this remarkable coming-of-age tale; "... and we all wore leather pants", in this wild and pyrotechnically poetic comedy, a Midwestern American family searches for redemption in the world of heavy metal & glam rock; "Marvelous Shrine", 17-year-old Marvelous isn t sure if he s gay, but he knows he wants to play music. His parents battle over his destiny; "In Our Name", a triptych of short, breathtaking one-acts about the ways that the War in Iraq has hit home; "Universal Robots", a riveting sci-fi cautionary tale inspired by the lives and works of Czech writer/activists Karel & Josef Capek, especially the play "R.U.R." which gave us the word robot. ; "Fall Forward", a play about choices and figuring out what really matters, originally performed in a Methodist Church two blocks from the World Trade Center.

About the Author
CRYSTAL SKILLMAN is a playwright. She was born in San Diego, CA in 1974, and was raised both there and in Wappinger Falls, NY. She graduated from The New School with a degree in Theatre Studies, and studied at The Hartford Art School and Parsons School of Design. DANIEL TALBOTT is an actor, director, playwright, and artistic director. He was born in the Bay Area and moved around the country with his family before landing back there for high school. He trained as an actor at the American Conservatory Theater s Young Conservatory, Solano College Theatre s two-year actor training program, and The Juilliard School. He is the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Repertory. CAROLYN RASHIP is a writer, director, and illustrator. For the past ten years she has held various positions with the New York International Fringe Festival. She lives in Brooklyn, and is currently working on a novel and the grownup picture book version of "Antarctica". THOMAS BRADSHAW is a playwright. He was born in Summit, NJ on March 18th, 1980, and grew up in Orange, NJ. He graduated from Bard College, where he studied with Chiori Miyagawa, with two B.A. degrees: one in Playwriting and one in Sociology. He received an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Brooklyn College, where he studied with Mac Wellman. Thomas is a Playwriting Professor at Brooklyn College, and also teaches playwriting at Medgar Evers College. JOHN REGIS is an actor, a director, a teacher, and a playwright. He was born in Marblehead, MA on July 4, 1958, and raised in both Peabody, MA and Hampton, NH. He received a B.A. in Communications from Fordham University, and studied with Stella Adler and Mario Sileti at the Stella Adler Conservatory. John teaches drama and videomaking at the Bank Street School. ROBERT ATTENWEILER is a writer and independent producer. He was born in 1975 and raised in Mansfield, OH. He received a B.A. in English from John Carroll University; an M.A. in English from The Ohio State University; and an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University. He is the founder of the theatre company, Disgraced Productions. LESLIE BRAMM is a playwright. He was born in Philadelphia, PA on January 23, 1963, and raised in the Aleutian Islands, AK, Newport News, VA, San Francisco, CA, and New York City. He is the author of thirteen plays. His poetry is published in numerous magazines, and literary journals. ELENA HARTWELL is a writer and theatre artist. She was born in Bogota, Colombia, and raised in San Diego, CA. She holds a B.A. in Mass Media Communications/Theatre Arts from the University of San Diego (Magna Cum Laude), a M.Ed with an emphasis in teaching theatre from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Georgia. She is also the co-founder of Iron Pig, a company of Pacific Northwest artists dedicated to producing theatre that is both entertaining and socially responsible. MAC ROGERS is a playwright, actor, and sporadic director. He was born in Milwaukee, WI, and raised in Greensboro, NC. He also produces theater with partners Jordana and Sean Williams under their Gideon Productions shingle, and he plans to remount Universal Robots in late 2008/early 2009. He lives in a converted auto-body shop in the East Williamsburg Industrial Complex. DANIEL REITZ is a playwright, screenwriter, and director. He was born and raised in upstate New York, and graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a double degree in Honors English and Theatre. He is a member of New Dramatists, the Dramatists Guild, and Rising Phoenix Repertory.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: The New York Theatre Experience, Inc.; 1st edition (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979485215
• ISBN-13: 978-0979485213
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #772,586 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars another amazing anthology, March 9, 2008

By	Nita Congress (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

plays and playwrights 2008 is martin denton's ninth anthology of the year's best offerings of new york indie theatre (what used to be called "off-off broadway"). as in the previous volumes, this year¡¦s plays are rich, bold, funny, scary, profane, profound. interestingly, many are about ghosts, which says something very intriguing indeed about the zeitgeist.

to highlight a few of the 10 plays in this year¡¦s anthology:

Þ the moving and powerful fall forward (daniel reitz), which was originally staged at the john street methodist church, just across the street from the site of the world trade center. this short, sad, simple, and resonant play is about the choices we make -- and why we must make them.
Þ the very funny and very odd ...and we all wore leather pants (robert attenweiler), which features this telling observation: ¡§I am recently turned a serious religious man. Not in the way where I¡¦m good to people or nothin¡¦...¡¨ ¡V it¡¦s a mad wild ride, told in a distinct voice unlike any i¡¦ve ever read.
Þ the sober and honest in our name (elena hartwell), which puts the lie once and for all to those who imply that we do not support the troops when we wish them home. three monologues by three very different women from three very different perspectives on the common theme of war.
Þ the chilling the telling trilogy (crystal skillman), which sends delicious shivers up the spine as the mournful dead call across the great divide.
Þ two very different takes on growing up, antarctica (carolyn raship) ¡V where high schoolers magda and winnie leave the confines of mrs. margolis¡¦s trigonometry 2 for the south pole, meeting penguins, cupid, and adulthood on the way there and back; and linnea (john regis) ¡V where a dreamy writer emerges from a feverish dostoyevsky vision sadder but infinitely wiser.

there¡¦s also the sad and surprising marvelous shrine (leslie bramm), another riff on war and youth; cleansed (thomas bradshaw), a shocking tale of a biracial girl who joins a white supremacists¡¦ group; universal robots (mac rogers), a breathtaking reworking of karel capek¡¦s RUR; and the spare, taut what happened when (daniel talbott), featuring a most poetic presentation of a terrifying story.

and to top it all off, there is an appendix that lists every new american play that was produced in new york in the 2006/07 season; this not only includes title, author, and production information but also a brief description -- quite a wonderful reference tool.

martin denton's books give new and extended life to otherwise all too easily lost treasures. they are a must for anyone who loves theatre.