THE PLAYERS THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS NEW PLAY FESTIVAL WINNER
Sarasota, August 10, 2015 – Each year, dozens of playwrights from Naples to Tampa compete in The Players New Play Festival Competition to become one of only five new plays selected and presented in a five day stage reading competition live on stage. Once selected, the five plays are read in a reader-style format by an auditioned “cast” and the best play is selected through a combination of judges and audience participation. The chosen winner will enjoy a full production next year and become a part of The Players summer season lineup. The Players Theatre is thrilled to announce the 2015 New Play Festival Winner: “Why Can’t I Be You?” by Llywelyn Jones. “Why Can’t I Be You?” will now grace The Players’ stage from August 23-28 of 2016. The play follows Jason James, a pampered rock star who 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?”
Other plays that competed this year included:
“Let Me Be Frank” by Connie Schindewolf
“Ludlow” by George Loukides
“The Nearly Final Almost Posthumous Play Of The Not Quite Dead Sutton McAllister” by Kris Bauske
“Before Steepletop” by Arthur Keyser
The Players wants to thank and congratulate all of the participants and all of the people that made this year’s Play Festival a resounding success.
“Each year our area talent pool seems to grow, which makes our decision-making even more difficult” said Jeffery Kin, Artistic Director of The Players Theatre. “This was a banner year for the New Play Festival, and choosing one winner was quite a challenge. The winning play this year is smart, funny, and dare I day…hip? A play dealing with a rock star and his stalker could be a story from today’s tabloids. We are excited to be working with Llwelyn and staging this great new work.”
This competition is open each spring and usually deadlines in May each year. Visit The Players’ website for more information regarding submitting for next year. If you are currently a playwright and want help with your work prior to submitting it, The Players Theatre will host a Playwriting workshop hosted by Jeffery Kin in the spring. This course is intended to heighten the playwright’s skills while fine tuning a current work in progress through interactive role playing and acting techniques. The set of three workshops will be held on Saturdays from 2-4 on January 16th, January 30th and February 13th with a workshop fee of $100. Call The Players to reserve your space!
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.
