The Players Theatre News www.theplayers.org
838 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34236
July 13, 2015
WITNESS THE BIRTH OF A BRAND NEW PLAY AT THE PLAYERS NEW PLAY FESTIVAL
Sarasota, July 13, 2015 – From July 20th – 25th, this is where it starts! For 14 years, The Players has served as an incubator for fledgling and seasoned playwrights to hone their craft of fable, and this year is no different. The 14th annual New Play Festival celebrates local playwrights and their penchant for the art of storytelling. This week-long event will showcase newly written works that have not yet been produced anywhere. Five plays were chosen by a panel of judges from a bevy of submissions to compete over these 5 days to be fully produced on The Players stage next season. Each play will be presented in “readers theatre” (rehearsed readings) format to best showcase the literature. The event is coordinated by local theatre maven Sandra Musicante and will also feature a brief talkback session led by Artistic Director Jeffery Kin after each play. This past year’s winner, Bernie Yanelli’s “Not Our Time”, will premier August 20th – 23rd of this year. The winner of this year’s Play Festival will be announced by July 31st.
“This is an amazing series that really showcases the talented writers that we boast in our local community,” says Jeffery Kin, Artistic Director of The Players. “The performance week highlights both local actors and directors as well – So it’s a win/win for the entire theatre arts community in the area.”
Tickets are $10 for a single play, but patrons are encouraged to witness the process and attend several nights to give these fledgling plays a proper audience to bounce around energies and reactions. 3 nights is $24 and all 5 nights is $35.
Schedule:
Monday, July 20th, 7:30pm
Let Me Be Frank
By Connie Schindewolf
Directed by Pam Wiley
Mary accidentally stumbles upon a potential cure for her husband’s Alzheimers disease, but can Frank keep his clarity for more than 20 minutes?
Cast:
Narrator: Kristi Hibschman
Mary: Lynne Doyle
Frank: Tom Aposporos
Cece: Jordan Boyer
Amanda: Natalie Robison
Jim: Richard Russell
Tuesday, July 21st, 7:30pm
Ludlow
By George Loukides
Directed by Ken Basque
A coal strike occurred in 1919 which led to the so-called Ludlow massacre. This play involves two of the miners, their wives, a woman reporter, two militiamen and J.D. Rockefeller who were all somehow involved in the strike leaded to the disaster. It is also the story of how one of the miners, in his pursuit of the American Dream, contributed to the tragic event.
Cast:
Narrator: Anthony Spall
John: Ian Weir
Hannah: Eliza Engle
Clara: Jordan Obbema
Louis: Andrew Mileham
Bruno: Dave Downer
Felix: William Allred
Rockerfeller: Craig Engle
Wednesday, July 22nd, 7:30pm
The Nearly Final Almost Posthumous Play of the Not Quite Dead Sutton McAllister
By Kris Bauske
Directed by Tim Fitzgerald
The final handwritten play of the great Sutton McAllister is missing, and everyone wants it…but not necessarily for the same reason.
Cast:
Reader: Rod Rawlings
Duffy Donnelly: Ric Goodwin
Edith Entwhistle: Lynne Doyle
Albert Entwhistle: Tom Aposporos
Tori Russell: Alana Opie
Sutton McAllister: Ray Crucet
Thursday, July 23rd, 7:30pm
Why Can’t I Be You?
By Llywelyn Jones
Directed by Jeff Dillon
A rock star wakes up after a night of partying to find his worst nightmare: his stalker in his bedroom. The stalker has only one demand: Why can’t I be you?
Cast:
Reader: Ariel Baker
Jason James: Ryan O’Dell
Phil Fresquez: William Allred
Melanie Ritz: Lucy Manuel
Howard Martin: Cliff Roles
Saturday, July 25th, 7:30pm
Before Steepletop
By Arthur Keyser
Directed by Dan Higgs
A fictional portrayal of Pulitzer Prize winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay while she lived in Greenwich Village, NY. The play is based on events (some real, some imagined) that illustrate her struggle to exist as a woman and as an artist born before her time.
Cast:
Narrator/Felice: Melliss Swenson
Vincent: Amanda Heisey
Young Sheldon: Mike Manley
Older Sheldon: Charlie Tyler
Walter: Tom Aposporos
The Players Theatre
838 N. Tamiami Tr., Sarasota FL 34236, 941-365-2494, Fax: 941-954-0282
www.theplayers.org. Box Office: Mon-Sat, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and one hour prior to curtain time.
The Players Box Office is located on Tamiami Trail between 10th Street and Blvd. of the Arts.
The Players Theatre
838 N Tamiami Trail
Sarasota FL 34236
