In the wake of widespread theatre closures, Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, The Public, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and D.C.'s Woolly Mammoth have teamed up to commission multiple playwrights to pen short plays that can be read aloud or performed at home. The short pieces (always under 10 minutes) are commissioned under the assumption that they will never be produced in a theatre—allowing writers the chance to dream big and embrace elements that could not be reproduced for the stage.
The new works are freely available to the public. Check out PlayatHome.org to see newly released microplays from Patricia Ione Lloyd, Diana Oh, Karen Zacarías, Jaclyn Backhaus, Aleshea Harris, Noah Diaz, Miranda Rose Hall, and others. More will become available in the coming weeks.
Baltimore Center Stage has commissioned Backhaus (Men on Boats), Diaz (Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally), and Hall (Plot Points in Our Sexual Development), Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Where We Stand), Ashley Lauren Rogers (Chasing the Ghost) and Keenan Scott II (Thoughts of a Colored Man).
Long Wharf Theatre has commissioned Hilary Bettis (Alligator), Ricardo Pérez González (On the Grounds of Belonging), MJ Kaufman (Sagittarius Ponderosa), Lloyd Suh (The Chinese Lady), and Lauren Yee (Cambodian Rock Band).
The Public Theater has commissioned Jordan E. Cooper (Ain’t No Mo’), Ty Defoe (CRANE: On Earth, in Sky), Ryan J. Haddad (Hi, Are You Single?), Daniella de Jesús (Mambo Sauce), Daniel Alexander Jones (Black Light), Hansol Jung (Wolf Play), Ethan Lipton (Tumacho), Patricia Ione Lloyd (Eve’s Song) and Mona Mansour (The Vagrant Trilogy).
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has commissioned Guadalís Del Carmen (Bees and Honey), Tre’Von Griffith (VOICES: Sounds of America), Steph Del Rosso (53% of), Regina Taylor (Crowns), and Zacarías (Native Gardens).
Woolly Mammoth has commissioned Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi (Werk!), Harris (What to Send Up When It Goes Down), Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), Mike Lew (Bhangin’ It), and Oh (The Infinite Love Party).
“Even as theatres have closed to protect the public, the community that makes theatre possible remains open for storytelling,” shared Artistic Directors Stephanie Ybarra, Jacob G. Padrón, Oskar Eustis, Hana Sharif, and Maria Manuela Goyanes in a joint statement. “We’re proud to have found a way to support our storytellers during this time of great uncertainty clouding the future of theatre, and we’re excited for audiences to read and perform these plays as they bring them to life with their families—in their own homes. We hope that theatres across the country will be inspired to join with us to continue to expand this list and bring more voices to the table.”
