Playwright and performer Charles Busch has stepped in to be the honorary festival playwright at the 43rd Annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival. Alums of the long-running festival from the theatrical publishing and licensing company include Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok, Theresa Rebeck, Sheila Callaghan, and Bekah Brunstetter.
Busch, who will kick off the festival with a private event held for the 30 finalist playwrights, has stepped in for The Great Leap playwright Lauren Yee, who had a scheduling conflict. This year's finalists include Somebody's Daughter playwright Chisa Hutchinson, Relentless Award winner Gracie Gardner, and KPOP composer Helen Park.
The 2018 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival will take place August 21–25 at The Vineyard’s Dimson 15th Street Theatre. Over the course of five days, the festival will present 30 plays and musicals, each running 10–30 minutes in length, selected from over 850 submissions.
The judging panel for the festival includes playwrights Kirsten Childs, David Greenspan, Hansol Jung, and Max Vernon; and industry professionals John M. Baker of SPACE on Ryder Farm, Nan Barnett from NNPN, Ken Cerniglia from Disney Theatrical Group, B.J.Evans from BRIC, Chris Giordano from Theatre Now New York/SOUND BITES, Adam Greenfield of Playwrights Horizons, director Lisa Rothe, and Susan Westfall of City Theatre in Miami.
At the culmination of the festival on August 25, Samuel French staff will choose the winning six pieces for licensing and publication in an anthology. For more information visit OOBFestival.com.
