@dramatistsguild @jpgoldfinger

The 2016-17 theatre season announcements are out in Philadelphia, and a record number of 13 world premieres with professional companies by local playwrights and makers have been announced: Marcus/Emma by Mary Tuomanen at InterAct, Shitheads by Douglas Williams at Azuka, Feed by Applied Mechanics, Adapt! by Blanka Zizka at The Wilma, VIII Days after… by Kash Goins at GoKash, Color Me Bearded by The Bearded Ladies, The Carols Show by Jen Childs at 1812, Destiny Estimate by MJ Kaufman funded by the Pew, White by James Ijames at Theatre Horizon, This Is The Week That Is by the Ensemble at 1812, my play The Arsonists at Azuka, Breathe Smoke by Douglas Williams at Orbiter 3, as well as an additional Orbiter play, and this doesn’t even include the Fringe in September or collectives that announce productions on a rolling basis.

It’s a revolutionary change. We’ve gone from a community in which brand new work was valued but limited to a community in which you will be able to see world premieres by local playwrights and makers every month, all season long.

 
When I moved to Philadelphia in 2008, audiences could expect to see only one new work by one of four well-established local playwrights each year; a new play by Bruce Graham, Michael Hollinger, Seth Rozin or Thomas Gibbons. If we were lucky, we would get to see two new plays from these gentlemen. However, the perfect storm of increased interest in local artists, an increased generation of new work, and increased interest by funders in supporting new work has led to the founding and support of new work initiatives at both established theaters as well as the forming of a new work development group, The Foundry, which focuses solely on developing new plays by local writers. The Foundry makes it possible for theaters that could not afford to develop new work to have polished new work by local writers given to them ready for production. The Foundry then also inspired an off-shoot, Orbiter 3, which is comprised of local playwrights committed to self-producing their own work in the model of 13P and the Welders.

I hope that you will join us in Philadelphia next season to see phenomenal new work by local playwrights!

Here is where you can find more information about each new work:

• Marcus/Emma by Mary Tuomanen, InterAct: www.interacttheatre.org
• Shitheads by Douglas Williams and The Arsonists by Jacqueline Goldfinger, Azuka: www.azukatheatre.org
• Feed by Applied Mechanics: www.appliedmechanics.us
• Adapt! by Blanka Zizka, Wilma: wilmatheater.org
• VIII Days after… by Kash Goins at GoKash: www.gokashproductions.com
• Color Me Bearded by The Bearded Ladies: www.beardedladiescabaret.com
• The Carols Show by Jen Childs and This is the Week that Is by the Ensemble at 1812: www.1812productions.org
• Destiny Estimate by MJ Kaufman funded by the Pew: http://www.pcah.us/grants/9875_destiny_estimate
• White by James Ijames at Theatre Horizon: www.theatrehorizon.org
• Breathe Smoke by Douglas Williams and One Additional Play at Orbiter 3: www.orbiter3.org

jgoldfinger@dramatistsguild.com