The Playwrights Realm, the new works hub that helps emerging writers lay the groundwork for sustainable careers in theatre, film, and television, has announced the second group of artists to participate in its Scratchpad Series.
Three playwrights hailing from cities across the U.S.—Darren Canady (Lawrence, Kansas), Keiko Green (Seattle, Washington), and Jordan Ramirez Puckett (Athens, Ohio)—have been chosen for the program that provides a week-long developmental workshop in New York City with the Playwrights Realm artistic staff. The Realm will also provide a cast and creative team to workshop the plays.
In Reparations, Canady explores a future where people can harness the power of their blood to re-live their ancestral history and receive reparations for past sufferings. When a young black woman signs up, has she finally found a way out or is she about to learn more than she can handle? Green’s The Ballad of the White Tiger is a magical and poignant tale of two estranged bi-racial sisters haunted by a horrific car crash. As they try to put their lives back together, they grapple with questions of identity, family, and finding a place in the world. In Las Pajaritas, Puckett tells the story of three generations of Chicana women struggling to survive in Los Angeles, examining how language, colorism, and opportunity can separate even the closest of family members.
The inaugural Scratchpad Series playwrights included transgender playwright MJ Kaufman, now a staff writer for Netflix’s new series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; Benjamin Benne, who was recently accepted into Yale’s MFA Playwriting Program; and Miranda Rose Hall, whose Plot Points in Our Sexual Development was just seen at LCT3.
“Last year we were thrilled by the response to our inaugural Scratchpad Series,” said Founding Artistic Director Katherine Kovner. “The outpouring of talented writers from all over The United States was tremendous and this year the pool of playwrights grew further to nearly 650. This year's Scratchpad Series will enable us to work with three incredibly talented early-career playwrights from Kansas, Washington and Ohio. Each of them is taking on complicated questions of family, legacy and history in their own unique and thought-provoking ways and I'm honored to get to collaborate with them on their plays.”
