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Premiere Stages at Kean University – one of New Jersey’s strongest producers and supporters of new work – held its 9th Annual Spring Readings Series March 14-17.

This year’s readings featured the 2013 Premiere Stages Play Festival finalists Brownsville Song by Kimber Lee (Lark Playwrights’ Workshop, Ma-Yi Writers Lab), Soldier’s Heart by Tammy Ryan (Primus Prize Winner for Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods), Ontario Was Here by Darren Canady (Jeff Award-nominated Brothers of the Dust), and The Beautiful Dark by Erik Gernand (New Works Project Winner at T. Schreiber Studio).

The Premiere Stages Play Festival is an annual competition for unproduced scripts that offers developmental opportunities to playwrights born or currently residing in the greater metropolitan area (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut). Four finalist plays are selected from more than 400 submissions, given professional readings and considered for expanded development as part of the Premiere Stages 2013 summer season. One of the four plays will be selected for a staged reading in June, and the most promising play will be awarded a fully produced production in July. All of the finalists receive cash awards ranging from $500 to $2000.

Brownsville Song by Kimber Lee
In the aftermath of a shooting, a Brooklyn family struggles to find peace. Time moves in scattered rhythms, pivoting unpredictably between before and after, as they each stumble through grief, find each other, and fight their way toward hope.

Soldier’s Heart by Tammy Ryan
An American soldier leaves her son behind to defend the country she loves. When her commanding officer becomes her assailant, she returns home to face her greatest test, bringing back more than she bargained for.

Ontario Was Here by Darren Canady
Nathan and Penny are two bright Kansas City social workers who give their all for the children they serve, determined to make a difference. When a case blurs the lines between romance, work, and friendship, their dreams of changing the world are put to the test.

The Beautiful Dark by Erik Gernand
A woman’s life is turned upside down when she suspects that her teenage son may be planning an attack on a school. Is her son capable of the unthinkable? And can she stop him before it’s too late? The Beautiful Dark provides a moving and thought-provoking approach to a subject that haunts the American psyche.

The heart of Premiere Stages’ mission, the Play Festival has quickly become known for being a launch pad for regional dramatists. Numerous plays developed through the Festival have been published, subsequently produced in New York and regionally, and honored by the American Theatre Critics Association and the National New Play Network.

“At Premiere we are committed to fast-tracking plays from a sit-down reading to a fully staged production within a few short months, allowing topical and socially conscious plays to remain relevant,” explained John Wooten, producing artistic director of Premiere Stages. “We also afford playwrights the benefit of retaining the world premiere rights to their scripts. Second productions of new plays are extremely rare, and we are committed to building and extending partnerships that will reverse that trend.” www.kean.edu/premierestages

emlewis@dramatistsguild.com