The 2019 National Playwrights Conference launches July 3 at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut, kicking off three weeks of presentations of new plays that were selected from thousands of submissions from around the country.
The first play of the summer is Death of the Republic by Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer Craig Lucas, directed by NPC Artistic Director Wendy C. Goldberg. A new drama about the passionate intellectual relationship between a moral philosopher and his finest pupil, the reading will be presented July 3 at 8:15 PM. Stephen Schnetzer and Uly Schlesinger star; Tanya Palmer is the dramaturg.
Next up will be Zayd Dohrn's The Humanities, directed by Patricia McGregor, July 5 and 6. The new work by The Profane playwright details the violent fallout from a political provocateur's appearance at a university. The cast is made up of Rob Campbell, Daniel Davila Jr., Glenn Davis, Emily Dorsch, Lio Mehiel, Reynaldo Piniella, and Nick Westrate. John Baker is dramaturg.
NPC continues July 10 and 11 with Charly Evon Simpson's it's not a trip it's a journey, directed by Nicole A. Watson. The new play by the Behind the Sheet playwright is the story of four friends on a road trip west. Liz Frankel is dramaturg; Deonna Bouye, Fedna Jacquet, Cristina Pitter, and Kita Updike make up the cast.
George Brant's Tender Age, directed by Henry Godinez, will be presented July 12 and 13, starring Alban Carlo. The play tells the story of a man who finds himself working at a local Walmart-turned-Immigration Detention Center, charged with supervising child refugees who have been separated from their parents.
July 17 and 18, NPC presents Anna Ziegler's retelling of Antigone for the #MeToo movement, Antigones. Casey Stangle directs a cast made up of Stephanie DiMaggio, Mary Beth Fisher, Emma Kikue, Alex Mickiewicz, JD Mollison, and Marianne Rendón. Kristin Leahey is dramaturg.
Next up is Tearrance Chisholm's play Black Dick, directed by Roy Alexander Weise, with a cast made up of Gisela Chípe, Carmen Salta, Kyle Vincent Terry, and Victor Williams. Performances will be July 19 and 20; Carrie Chapter is the dramaturg.
Kimber Lee's Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play, directed by Robert O'Hara, will be presented July 24 and 25. The story of a woman trapped in a cycle and looking for a way out, the cast is made up of Erin Anderson, Deonna Bouye, Jackie Chung, Thomas Keegan, Tiffany Villarin, and Johnny Wu. Lexy Leuszler serves as dramaturg.
Rounding out the season lineup is Laura Neill's Winter People, a play which traces the impact of a burned down Hamptons mansion on five local women. Daniella Topol directs a cast made up of Sarah Herrman, Michelle Honaker, Carolyn Kettig, Flor De Liz Perez, and Kara Young. Performances are July 26 and 27.
