@dramatistsguild @kimstinson

What does the 2015-16 season hold for new works on North Carolina stages? Plenty. At various times throughout this upcoming season, professional theatres in North Carolina are offering unique works. There are new works scheduled for the stages of Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, Burning Coal Theatre Company, the Stephen Hyers Theatre, North Carolina Stage Company and Triad Stage. 

The Patron Saint of Losing Sleep by Diana Grisanti was the winner of the NuVoices Festival in January 2015 under its previous title of Inc. Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte is producing this full production September 9 – 16. Grisanti’s piece explores insomnia from the perspective of a female protagonist. A work by a female playwright with a female protagonist is still a rarity (as we learned hearing the results of The Count at the Dramatists Guild’s National Conference in July); so, please, support this production if you are able to attend.  

Actors Theatre of Charlotte will again host their NuVoices Festival in January 2016. The deadline for submissions has passed; however, if you missed the deadline, you can submit next year. Also, attending the NuVoices Festival and supporting the playwrights whose work is in the festival is a good way to ensure that the project is sustained and is around to accept your future submissions. 

Being created by Koffee Dance Company, Burning Coal Theatre in Raleigh is offering a unique production on their second stage with Insomnia in June of 2016. According to Burning Coal, this piece is, “a presentation that explores the complex issues plaguing young African-Americans today. As this generation has adopted #staywoke, KDC performers explore relationships, trauma, and identity, forty years after the release of the battle cry song, ‘Wake Up Everybody.’” 

Seeking submissions of full-length plays through October 1, the North Carolina New Play Project is still living on after the passing of Stephen Hyers. See past North Carolina articles for more information on Hyers and past productions. The North Carolina New Play Project is typically produced in April. Watch for information on specific dates on their website where they also have information on other submission opportunities. http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/index.aspx?page=1474. 

Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor, written and performed by Michael Broussard, is slated for a September 15 performance at North Carolina Stage Company in Asheville. This original work intersperses Broussard’s personal experiences with audience discussion and is a work reflective of the current movement in theatre towards social, grass-roots activism.  

Janet Allard’s Vrooommm! is to be produced by Triad Stage in Greensboro, January 27 – February 14, 2016. About the first female NASCAR driver, this play sports an all-female cast playing both male and female roles. Another female written piece with a female protagonist, this production, like Grisanti’s, is one to support. 

Several (not all) of these companies offer discounts to Dramatists Guild members; so, be sure to ask when you contact the box offices for tickets. If there is a company that does not offer a discount, still be sure to mention to them that you would appreciate one and suggest that they contact me by e-mail.   

kstinson@dramatistsguild.com