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writemarcus · 15 days

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Art House Productions presents 2024 INKubator New Play Festival

originally published: 04/03/2024

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Art House Productions presents the 2024 INKubator New Play Festival from May 13-21. This year's playwrights are Upasna Barath, Amanda Sage Comerford, Leo Layla Díaz, Neil Levi, Dave Osmundsen, and Marcus Scott. Audiences who attend the festival will have the opportunity to participate in conversations with the writers, directors, and actors following each performance. All readings are free to attend, but advanced registration is required.

INKubator is a year-long generative process for a select group of six playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. During the program, playwrights meet on a monthly basis alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. The program culminates in the INKubator New Play Festival, where the playwrights work with professional directors and actors to hear the play read aloud for the first time. Casting will be announced at a later date.

"It's incredible to think six years have flown by since our first INKubator cohort in 2018," remarks program director Alex Tobey. "Since then, INKubator has nurtured 38 playwrights, with their works seen in readings and productions nationwide. I’m excited to showcase New Jersey's top playwrights once more, and unite artists and audiences to foster new play development in Jersey City."

Performances of the 2024 INKubator New Play Festival take place at 345 Marin Boulevard in Jersey City, New Jersey. The venue is ADA accessible. To request ASL interpreters or captions, please email [email protected] at least 2 weeks before the event.

Art House Productions is generously supported by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Public Funds from the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund, The Princeton Area Community Foundation, SILVERMAN, Exchange Place Alliance, The Albanese Organization, Liberty Harbor, and The Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs. A full list of funders can be found on their website.

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Monday, May 13 at 7:00pm - Gore is for Girls by Leo Layla Díaz, directed by Hannah Marie Pederson. You’re invited to Trinity’s Necromancy Party! She found a dead body in her backyard, and now she’s invited all her friends and others to resurrect the mystery man. Together they’ll celebrate the summer, play jump rope with the line between life and death, and try not to start the zombie apocalypse in Jersey City in this new play by Leo Layla Díaz.

Tuesday, May 14 at 7:00pm - couple goals, written and directed by Upasna Barath. After exchanging flirty messages on Instagram, two actors meet at a futuristic Malibu house for a romantic and creative getaway. As Ananya, a fresh-out-of-rehab TV actress, and Nathan, an award-winning performer, spend time in isolation with each other, reality unravels. In this drama with a surrealist twist, Ananya and Nathan realize the complexities of their relationship are inextricably tied to their industry.

Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00pm - We’d Rather Know If You Weren’t Coming Back by Dave Osmundsen, directed by Mack Brown. In a seaside town called Crichton-by-the-Sea, a young Autistic woman becomes a tour guide for a local ghost tour company. As she and her fellow guides confront the literal and metaphorical ghosts that haunt them, sinister secrets arise that force them to reexamine their individual and collective mythologies. A new play about the places and people we haunt, and the people and places we allow to haunt us.

Monday, May 20 at 7:00pm - The Rip by Neil Levi, directed by Isabel Perry. A coastal town on the edge of a vast ocean. Two teenage brothers defy their parents’ prohibition and head to the beach, where hostile locals and a menacing sea await them. When one brother returns home without the other, everything that’s held the family together threatens to fall apart. The Rip is about trying to find your way in the world when you don't know where or who you are, and the fine line between love and hate.

Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00pm - Talk to Me, Ocey Snead by Amanda Sage Comerford, directed by Jessica Brater. In this bizarre yet true New Jersey tale of spectacle, scandal and betrayal, a bathtub drowning quickly becomes a murder mystery. As three sisters cloaked in black emerge as the prime suspects, local sleuths set out to discover not only what’s real, but what lies behind the veils.

Wednesday, May 22 at 7:00pm - Bizarro World by Marcus Scott, directed by Martavius Parrish. A clique of young entrepreneurial computer programmers—all diversity hires at a Big Tech company in Silicon Valley—decide to strike out on their own by creating an innovative, one-of-kind simulated reality affinity space that comes complete with a truly revolutionary and singular artificial intelligence–powered virtual assistant. When a power grab commences and power players try getting ahold of the algorithm that will launch the group into the upper echelon of the tech world, they make a last-minute addition before launching. There’s just one thing they weren’t counting on and now all hell is about to break loose. Part office comedy, part sci-fi techno-thriller, Bizarro World explores machine learning, unlearning, the dualities of justice and injustice, equity and equality, visibility and representation, surveillance and over-policing in the digital age.

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

Art House Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the development and presentation of the performing and visual arts in Jersey City, NJ. Art House Productions presents theater, performing and visual arts festivals, arts events, visual art exhibitions, and adult and youth art classes.

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #theatre #theater #playwrights #playwright #Arthouse #Arthouse Productions #New plays #New Works

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writemarcus · 16 days

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Art House Productions to Present 2024 INKubator New Play Festival

This year's playwrights are Upasna Barath, Amanda Sage Comerford, Leo Layla Díaz, Neil Levi, Dave Osmundsen, and Marcus Scott.

By: Chloe Rabinowitz

Apr. 02, 2024

Art House Productions has revealed the lineup for the 2024 INKubator New Play Festival from May 13-21. This year's playwrights are Upasna Barath, Amanda Sage Comerford, Leo Layla Díaz, Neil Levi, Dave Osmundsen, and Marcus Scott. Audiences who attend the festival will have the opportunity to participate in conversations with the writers, directors, and actors following each performance. All readings are free to attend, but advanced registration is required.

The venue is ADA accessible. To request ASL interpreters or captions, please email [email protected] at least 2 weeks before the event.

For more information about the 2024 INKubator New Play Festival, please visit arthouseproductions.org.

FULL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Monday, May 13 at 7:00pm

Gore is for Girls by Leo Layla Díaz directed by Hannah Marie Pederson

You’re invited to Trinity’s Necromancy Party! She found a dead body in her backyard, and now she’s invited all her friends and others to resurrect the mystery man. Together they’ll celebrate the summer, play jump rope with the line between life and death, and try not to start the zombie apocalypse in Jersey City in this new play by Leo Layla Díaz.

Tuesday, May 14 at 7:00pm

couple goals written and directed by Upasna Barath

After exchanging flirty messages on Instagram, two actors meet at a futuristic Malibu house for a romantic and creative getaway. As Ananya, a fresh-out-of-rehab TV actress, and Nathan, an award-winning performer, spend time in isolation with each other, reality unravels. In this drama with a surrealist twist, Ananya and Nathan realize the complexities of their relationship are inextricably tied to their industry.

Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00pm

We’d Rather Know If You Weren’t Coming Back by Dave Osmundsen directed by Mack Brown

In a seaside town called Crichton-by-the-Sea, a young Autistic woman becomes a tour guide for a local ghost tour company. As she and her fellow guides confront the literal and metaphorical ghosts that haunt them, sinister secrets arise that force them to reexamine their individual and collective mythologies. A new play about the places and people we haunt, and the people and places we allow to haunt us.

Monday, May 20 at 7:00pm

The Rip by Neil Levi directed by Isabel Perry

A coastal town on the edge of a vast ocean. Two teenage brothers defy their parents’ prohibition and head to the beach, where hostile locals and a menacing sea await them. When one brother returns home without the other, everything that’s held the family together threatens to fall apart. The Rip is about trying to find your way in the world when you don't know where or who you are, and the fine line between love and hate.

Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00pm

Talk to Me, Ocey Snead by Amanda Sage Comerford directed by Jessica Brater

In this bizarre yet true New Jersey tale of spectacle, scandal and betrayal, a bathtub drowning quickly becomes a murder mystery. As three sisters cloaked in black emerge as the prime suspects, local sleuths set out to discover not only what’s real, but what lies behind the veils.

Wednesday, May 22 at 7:00pm

Bizarro World by Marcus Scott directed by Martavius Parrish

A clique of young entrepreneurial computer programmers—all diversity hires at a Big Tech company in Silicon Valley—decide to strike out on their own by creating an innovative, one-of-kind simulated reality affinity space that comes complete with a truly revolutionary and singular artificial intelligence–powered virtual assistant. When a power grab commences and power players try getting ahold of the algorithm that will launch the group into the upper echelon of the tech world, they make a last-minute addition before launching. There’s just one thing they weren’t counting on and now all hell is about to break loose. Part office comedy, part sci-fi techno-thriller, Bizarro World explores machine learning, unlearning, the dualities of justice and injustice, equity and equality, visibility and representation, surveillance and over-policing in the digital age.

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #theatre #theater #playwrights #playwright #Arthouse Productions

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writemarcus · 22 days

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The 24 Hour Plays Make NJ Debut at Mile Square Theatre

originally published: 03/27/2024

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- On April 7, 2024, The 24 Hour Plays make their New Jersey debut at Hoboken's Mile Square Theatre. Established in 1995, The 24 Hour Plays are a non-profit theater company that bring creative communities together to write, rehearse and perform new plays and musicals in twenty-four hours. Showtime is 7:00pm.

“Mile Square Theatre and The 24 Hour Plays honor an abiding belief in the power of creative collaboration to develop transformative multicultural voices for the theater,” said Kevin R. Free, Artistic Director of Mile Square Theatre. “We’re thrilled to be a partner to The 24 Hour Plays for its New Jersey premiere and host to a delightful mix of talents from New Jersey and New York City to make the program really sing.”

“The relationships artists build during formative theatre experiences like The 24 Hour Plays last their entire careers,” said producer Leo Layla Diaz. “We seek the very best cross-section of multi-generational and multi-cultural theater artists – and we arm them with what they need to hone their voices for this unique event."

Actors slated to participate include Gabriel Hernandez (Quarter Rican), Nirvaan Pal (School of Rock), Matt Lawler (“Station 11”, “Billions”), Kennedy Kanagawa (Into the Woods), Stephanie Kurtzuba (“The Irishman;” Wolf of Wall Street;” “Annie”), Joy Katharine Donze (Funny, Like an Abortion), DeAnna Supplee (B.R.O.K.E.N. code B.I.R.D switch.), Jason Yanto, Joelle Zazz, Maya Jeyam, Julia Way, Rich Frohman, David F. Gow (“The Girls on the Bus”), Jordan Ho, Grant Madison Stanton, Ross Cowan, Keivana Wallace (The Christmas Tree Farm) and Ian Lloyd Sanchez.

Writers include Susie Felber (Host/Producer "The Hawk"), DW Gregory (The Yellow Stocking Play, Radium Girls), Iraisa Ann Reilly (The Jersey Devil is a Papi Chulo), Pia Wilson (Black Bee), Marcus Scott (Sibling Rivalries), and Raakhee Mirchandani (JOURNEY TO THE STARS: KALPANA CHAWLA, ASTRONAUT). Directors include Julie Tucker, Rachel Dart (The Christmas Tree Farm) and Goldie Patrick (Paradise Blue). Musical Guests include Faye Chiao and Tasha Gordon-Solmon (Fountain of You). Additional artists to be announced.

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

Participating actors, writers, directors and production staff gather for the first time on the evening of Saturday, April 6th to introduce themselves and share prop and costume items they’ve been asked to bring. The writers will take inspiration from this meet and greet to write new plays overnight. In the morning, the actors and directors will receive the six new plays and team up with production staff to begin their rehearsal and tech process, with curtain at 7:00pm that night.

The 24 Hour Plays: Hoboken are produced by Leo Layla Diaz and Mark Armstrong in conjunction with Mile Square Theatre’s Artistic Director Kevin R. Free. The event will honor the long-standing contributions of the Rostan Family to Mile Square Theatre with the dedication of the naming of the gallery space. Proceeds from The 24 Hour Plays: Hoboken will benefit Mile Square Theatre’s non-profit theatre making and educational programming.

Tickets start at $45 and are available for purchase online.

The 24 Hour Plays (est. 1995) bring together creative communities to produce plays and musicals written, rehearsed and performed in twenty-four hours. Through our radically present approach to theater, we make work that responds immediately to the world around us, builds communities and generates new artistic partnerships. Our events include The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway and The 24 Hour Musicals, as well as productions in Athens, Denver, Dublin, Finland, Florence, Germany, Little Rock, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco, Savannah and more. Beginning March 17 2020, The 24 Hour Plays Viral Monologues series generated over 600 new free-to-view theater pieces, featuring over 1000 artists, viewed millions of times worldwide and archived in the Library of Congress.

Mile Square Theatre, a non-profit company, has been producing original and gently used theater since 2003 in Hoboken New Jersey. Located at 1400 Clinton Street in Hoboken, New Jersey, Mile Square Theatre enriches and engages the region through the year-round production and presentation of professional theatre and innovative arts education.

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #black playwrights #theatre #theater #playwrights #playwright #black theatre #24hourplays #hoboken #24hourplayshoboken

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writemarcus · 22 days

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THE 24 HOUR PLAYS Make Their New Jersey Premiere At Mile Square Theatre In April

The 24 Hour Plays are a non-profit theater company that bring creative communities together to write, rehearse and perform new plays and musicals in twenty-four hours.

By: A.A. Cristi

Mar. 27, 2024

On April 7th, The 24 Hour Plays make their New Jersey debut at Hoboken's Mile Square Theatre. Established in 1995, The 24 Hour Plays are a non-profit theater company that bring creative communities together to write, rehearse and perform new plays and musicals in twenty-four hours.

“Mile Square Theatre and The 24 Hour Plays honor an abiding belief in the power of creative collaboration to develop transformative multicultural voices for the theater,” said Kevin R. Free, Artistic Director of Mile Square Theatre. “We're thrilled to be a partner to The 24 Hour Plays for its New Jersey premiere and host to a delightful mix of talents from New Jersey and New York City to make the program really sing.”

Participating actors, writers, directors and production staff gather for the first time on the evening of Saturday, April 6th to introduce themselves and share prop and costume items they've been asked to bring. The writers will take inspiration from this meet and greet to write new plays overnight. In the morning, the actors and directors will receive the six new plays and team up with production staff to begin their rehearsal and tech process, with curtain at 7pm that night.

The 24 Hour Plays: Hoboken are produced by Leo Layla Diaz and Mark Armstrong in conjunction with Mile Square Theatre's Artistic Director Kevin R. Free. The event will honor the long-standing contributions of the Rostan Family to Mile Square Theatre with the dedication of the naming of the gallery space. Proceeds from The 24 Hour Plays: Hoboken will benefit Mile Square Theatre's non-profit theatre making and educational programming.

About The 24 Hour Plays

About Mile Square Theatre

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #theater #theatre #playwrights #playwright #24hourplays #24hourplayshoboken

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writemarcus · 2 months

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Artistic ways to mark Black History Month in Central Florida

By MATTHEW J. PALM | [email protected] | Orlando Sentinel

PUBLISHED: February 8, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: February 9, 2024 at 3:22 p.m.

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As the nation observes Black History Month, there are plenty of ways in Central Florida to mark the occasion artistically. The following plays, concerts and art exhibitions below shine a light on Black history, celebrate Black heritage or give voice to contemporary Black artists in writing, painting and musical composition.

The arts always provide food for thought; these offerings allow for reflection and celebration along with entertainment.

Theater

Playwrights’ Round Table, for the third year, presents its Black History Month Showcase. Six short plays by Black writers are included in the production, which runs Feb. 9-18 at Imagine Performing Arts Center in Oviedo Mall (tickets are $12-$20 at ImaginePerformingArtsCenter.org).

In Marcus Scott’s “Call and Response,” a young man is confronted after falsely sending emergency responders to someone as a joke, a practice called “swatting.” Michael Hagins contributed two works: the dark comedy “Man Bites Dog” and “First Date,” which is humorously described as “Making a connection can be hard, especially if your kids are assaulting Chuck E. Cheese.”Thao Tran and Chuck Roberson perform a scene from “Technical Support” by Amaris Gagnon, part of Playwrights’ Round Table’s Black History Month Showcase. (Courtesy Daniel Cooksley via Playwrights’ Round Table)

Amaris Gagnon also wrote two of the plays. “Mother of the Apocalypse” looks at a nurse at a fake abortion clinic, and “Technical Support” asks where lonely people come from.

Finally, in Krystle Dellihue’s “White Coat,” a young man on the cusp of achieving his dreams suddenly has to make a very difficult decision with his girlfriend. The cast of “A Raisin in the Sun” at Rollins College prepares for the production with a West African movement and traditions workshop from Julie Coleman.

(Courtesy Rollins College) Rollins College in Winter Park presents a classic title with “A Raisin in the Sun” taking the stage at the Annie Russell Theatre Feb. 16-24 ($20, rollins.edu/annie). Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 masterpiece follows a multigenerational Black family as it navigates prejudice. Felichia Chivaughn directs.

Turning to African heritage, the MAC Boys tackle “Ruined,” Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play set during civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where strong Mama Nadi owns a bar that draws characters from different sides of the conflict. The play will be performed at Orlando Family Stage, where the MAC Boys spotlight stories and works of and by people of color. It runs Feb. 22-25 with tickets ($20) at OrlandoFamilyStage.com.Julian Brown plays the djembe, an African drum, in Orlando Family Stage’s “Giraffes Can’t Dance.” (Courtesy Michael Cairns via Orlando Family Stage)

Also at Orlando Family Stage is the theater’s own production of “Giraffes Can’t Dance” for youngsters and their families. Based on the children’s book by Giles Andreae, the show is set on the African savannah and features a look at African musical heritage. Julian Brown plays the show’s djembe drummer; the djembe is a goblet-style drum originally from West Africa.

The show itself, adapted by Black playwright Gloria Bond Cunie, is a sweet look at feeling different and friendship as African animals prepare for a big dance. Director Ke’Lee Pernell leads the creative team for “Giraffes Can’t Dance,” which runs through Feb. 25. Get tickets ($15 and up) at OrlandoFamilyStage.com — and check out the theater’s ongoing salute to Black playwrights at Facebook.com/OrlandoFamilyStage.

Joy Allen, from left, Adourin Jamelle Owens, Jordan Sophia, Dayla Carroll and Julian Brown star in “Giraffes Can’t Dance” at Orlando Family Stage. (Courtesy Michael Cairns via Orlando Family Stage)

Music

The Sanford Jazz Ensemble salutes Black musicians in its Black History Month Concert at 3 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Ritz Theater in Sanford. Featured singer Ron Stark will perform Motown songs by Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops and The Temptations, while the band will play songs by Michael Jackson, Grover Washington, Earth Wind & Fire and Tower of Power. Tickets ($27.50) are available at ritztheatersanford.com.

The 89th Bach Festival will acknowledge a significant moment in Black artistic history when its orchestra performs Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1 in E minor as part of its “Sanctuary Road” program Feb. 17-18 (tickets $15 and up; bachfestivalflorida.org). When the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played the work in 1933, it was the first time a symphony composed by an African American woman was performed by a major American orchestra.Composer and musician Florence Price, photographed by G. Nelidoff in Chicago, Illinois. (Courtesy University of Arkansas Libraries)

As for “Sanctuary Road,” it highlights a grimmer era of Black history. That work by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell sets the stories of enslaved Americans to music. It’s based on William Still’s 1872 book of slave narratives, “The Underground Railroad.”

Composer James Lee III was inspired by a more modern moment in Black history, the Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” His “Shades of Unbroken Dreams,” written 60 years after King’s famed 1963 speech, is part of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Brahms Third Symphony” program Feb. 24-25.Composer James Lee III was inspired by Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

“Shades of Unbroken Dreams,” co-commissioned by the Philharmonic, is making its Florida premiere in the Steinmetz Hall performance (tickets: $20 and up at drphillipscenter.org). Composer Lee even matched the cadence of King’s speech in parts of the music.

“For me, this ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and this concerto is really a vehicle through the arts that can really stimulate one to think about what is their role?” Lee told the BBC about the work. “How can they participate in helping to achieve this dream 60 years later?”

Timucua Arts Foundation will present “Timucua Amplifies Black Voices,” a weekend of music and spoken word, Feb. 16-18 at its venue, 2000 S. Summerlin Ave. in Orlando. Performers include Solomon Jaye, Britton Rene Collins, Brandon Martin, the Jarred Armstrong Trio and the DeAndre Lettsome Quartet.

Jaye is a vocalist and high-energy tap dancer, while Collins combines pantomime, poetry, gesture and improvisation in theatrical percussion performance. Martin will present a vocal recital, “Voices of Justice.”

Get more information on the individual performances and tickets at timucua.com/events/tag/black-history-month.

Art

Orlando City Hall’s Terrace Gallery will host a Black History Month art exhibition through March 31, featuring works by African Americans. From 10-11:30 a.m. Feb. 12 the public is invited to meet some of the artists. Regular gallery hours are 8 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The gallery is on the first floor of city hall, 400 S. Orange Ave. and admission is free, 12-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.Purvis Young is among the artists on view at the Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando. (Orlando Sentinel file photo courtesy of Skot Foreman)

And finally, the city’s Mennello Museum of American Art is currently exhibiting “Self-Taught Black Artists in the American South.” Thirteen artists are featured in the exhibition, which highlights examples from the Mennello’s permanent collection alongside works from a 2023 acquisition from the Polk Museum of Art. Artists represented in paintings and sculpture include Mary Proctor, Alyne Harris, Purvis Young, Jesse Aaron and Mose Toliver.

The Mennello Museum, at 900 E. Princeton St. in Orlando, is open 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-4:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $5 or less. Get more information at mennellomuseum.org.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at [email protected]. Find more entertainment news at OrlandoSentinel.com/entertainment

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #black playwrights #theatre #theater #playwrights #playwright #black theatre #call and response

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writemarcus · 3 months

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Dev Bondarin is directing a reading of my kitchen-sink dramedy TUMBLEWEED with the UP Theater Company (www.uptheater.org). The reading will take place on Sunday, January 21st at 3pm at Ft. Washington Collegiate Church located at 729 W. 181st St. (1 train to 181st).

Kirby Fields, artistic director of the UP Theatre Company recently spoke with the Manhattan News recently about their Dead of Winter series: ‘Fields says it is particularly gratifying to establish relationships with writers. Marcus Scott, who wrote the third play in the series, “Tumbleweed,” came to a staged reading last year. Then he sent Fields a number of his own plays.

“This guy is just bursting with ideas,” said Fields. “He’s pulling from philosophy, pop culture…he’s culling from all different racial dynamics on stage and putting them all together.” Directed by Dev Bondarin, the play revolves around a young Black woman with “hair like a tumbleweed” who tries to reconcile different standards of beauty.’

👩🏾‍🦱👩🏿‍🦱👩🏽‍🦱👩🏾‍🦱👩🏿‍🦱👩🏽‍🦱👩🏾‍🦱👩🏿‍🦱👩🏽‍🦱👩🏾‍🦱👩🏿‍🦱👩🏽‍🦱👩🏾‍🦱👩🏿‍🦱👩🏽‍🦱👩🏾‍🦱👩🏿‍🦱👩🏽‍🦱

Read the story: Manhattan Times

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writemarcus · 7 months

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ART HOUSE PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES 2023-2024 INKUBATOR PLAYWRIGHTS COHORT

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Editor

Art House Productions is proud to announce the 2023-2024 cohort of its INKubator Program. INKubator is a year-long generative process for a select group of 6 playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. This year’s playwrights are Upasna Barath, Amanda Sage Comerford, Leo Layla Díaz, Neil Levi, Dave Osmundsen, and Marcus Scott. Playwrights will meet monthly alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. In the spring, each writer will team up with a director and actors to present a public reading as a part of Art House Productions’ INKubator New Play Festival scheduled for May 2024. Audiences who attend the festival will have the opportunity to participate in conversations with the writers, directors, and actors following each performance. INKubator playwrights will be the first cohort to meet full-time in Art House Productions’ new theater inside the Hendrix, at 345 Marin Boulevard between Bay Street and Morgan Street. In addition to official INKubator programming, playwrights will also have the ability to utilize the space for meetings, rehearsals, and readings. Submissions were evaluated through a process coordinated by INKubator Program Director, Alex Tobey, in partnership with INKubator alum playwrights Iraisa Ann Reilly and Micharne Cloughley, and Art House Productions’ Associate Executive Director, Anna Gundersen. The following finalists were also honored in this year’s submission process: Phillip Gregory Burke, Lauren D’Errico, Kevin T. Durfee, Joseph Gallo, Lizz Mangan, Kyle Mazer, Frank Murdocco, and M. D. Schaffer. Anna Gundersen, Associate Executive Director of Art House Productions, says, “This year’s INKubator cohort is an exciting group of talented playwrights who pitched unique and thoughtful plays to develop. INKubator is a program that began at Art House in 2018, and under the leadership of Alex Tobey, it continues to grow. We look forward to supporting these artists during their play development residency and in the future.”

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #theatre #theater #playwrights #playwright

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writemarcus · 7 months

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Art House Productions Announces 2023-2024 INKubator Playwrights

originally published: 10/04/2023

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Art House Productions has announced the 2023-2024 cohort of its INKubator Program. INKubator is a year-long generative process for a select group of 6 playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. This year's playwrights are Upasna Barath, Amanda Sage Comerford, Leo Layla Díaz, Neil Levi, Dave Osmundsen, and Marcus Scott.

Playwrights will meet monthly alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. In the spring, each writer will team up with a director and actors to present a public reading as a part of Art House Productions' INKubator New Play Festival scheduled for May 2024. Audiences who attend the festival will have the opportunity to participate in conversations with the writers, directors, and actors following each performance.

INKubator playwrights will be the first cohort to meet full-time in Art House Productions’ new theater inside the Hendrix, at 345 Marin Boulevard between Bay Street and Morgan Street. In addition to official INKubator programming, playwrights will also have the ability to utilize the space for meetings, rehearsals, and readings.

Submissions were evaluated through a process coordinated by INKubator Program Director, Alex Tobey, in partnership with INKubator alum playwrights Iraisa Ann Reilly and Micharne Cloughley, and Art House Productions’ Associate Executive Director, Anna Gundersen.

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

Anna Gundersen, Associate Executive Director of Art House Productions, says, “This year’s INKubator cohort is an exciting group of talented playwrights who pitched unique and thoughtful plays to develop. INKubator is a program that began at Art House in 2018, and under the leadership of Alex Tobey, it continues to grow. We look forward to supporting these artists during their play development residency and in the future.”

Art House Productions is currently in rehearsal for the New Jersey premiere of Tracy Jones by INKubator alum Stephen Kaplan, which received early development during INKubator and was first presented at the 2019 INKubator New Play Festival. Tracy Jones is the first full production to be presented in Art House Productions’ new state-of-the-art theater and the first play developed in INKubator to receive a full production at Art House. Tracy Jones is a touching comedy that runs at Art House Productions from October 19 - November 5, 2023. Alex Tobey directs. Tickets are currently on sale at arthouseproductions.org.

2023-2024 INKubator Writers

Upasna Barath(she/they) is a queer South Asian writer, actress, and producer based in Brooklyn, New York, but originally from Naperville, Illinois. She began her writing career as an essayist, publishing work for Rookie Mag. In college, Upasna wrote her first play, "The Choice is Yours," which was runner-up for the 2019 Judith Barlow Prize. Her acting credits include Natalie in Lucy Kirkwood’s "Mosquitoes" (Steep Theatre) and Sarita in Sharyn Rothstein’s "Right to Be Forgotten" (West Virginia Public Theatre). She was awarded the 2020/21 Steppenwolf Theatre Literary Apprenticeship and Fellowship. Recently, she co-wrote, co-produced, and was a lead actress in her comedic coming-of-age short film "Little Sl*t," which is currently in post-production. She received a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Theatre from North Central College. She also has an MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises from Northwestern University.

Amanda Sage Comerford (she/her) is a New Jersey playwright who wrote her first play about an elderly woman’s rabid dog when she was seven. Since then, her plays have had productions and readings at Premiere Stages, Luna Stage, Chester Theatre Group, Chatham Players, The Actors Studio of Newburyport, The Red Room, and Under St. Mark’s Theatre. She has also participated in CODE Red: An Evening of Monologues with TSquared Production Co. and Voting Writes with Luna Stage. Amanda received her BFA in Dramatic Writing from Purchase College.

Leo Layla Díaz (they/them) is a Jersey playwright, dramaturg, and teaching artist, a recent graduate of The New School’s BFA Drama program, and completing their MA in arts management. Their recent plays include Orbiting Something at The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals 2023 (off-Broadway, NYC), Trophy Boys at The New School and The Tank (NYC), and Roleplay in 2023 at The Chain Theatre (NYC). Díaz’s writing has also been performed at Rebel Verses (Vineyard Theater, NYC), The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues (NYC), Brave New Voices (Houston & Las Vegas), Louder Than a Bomb (NJ), Performance Anxiety Inc (WI), and Berg Originals (PA). They’ve been a Dramatists Guild member since 2022. Díaz’s work focuses on identity, myth, and legend, being mediocre at Spanish, queer people who never left their emo phase, and glitter.

Neil Levi’sfirst play, Kin, won the 2015 Patrick White Playwright’s Award in Australia and was presented in a staged reading at the Sydney Theater Company. He has since written plays on such topics as ultra-leftist political violence in the 1970s, doping in competitive swimming, the Jewish community in apartheid South Africa, and inherited family trauma. He received a BA in English and Philosophy from the University of Western Australia, an MA, MPhil, and PhD in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. For many years he was a Professor of English at Drew University in Madison, NJ. Playwriting courses at ESPA Primary Stages and Pataphysics at the Flea. A long-time resident of Jersey City, he is thrilled and honored to be part of this year’s INKubator cohort.

Dave Osmundsen (He/Him/His) is an Autistic playwright and dramaturg whose work has been seen and developed at KCACTF Region 8, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, the Great Plains Theatre Conference, Purple Crayon Players, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Conference, Phoenix Theatre Company, Clamour Theatre Company, Premiere Stages, the Valdez Theatre Conference, and more. A two-time O’Neill semifinalist, he was a recipient of the Blank Theatre and Ucross Foundation’s inaugural Future of Playwriting Prize. His play Light Switch was the 2021 Distinguished Achievement recipient of the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, an Honorable Mention finalist for BAPF 2021, longlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, and a finalist for the 2020 Carlo Annoni Playwriting Prize. Light Switch received its world premiere at Spectrum Theatre Ensemble in 2022. His play More of a Heart will receive its world premiere at BLUEBARN Theatre in March 2024. His plays have been published by The Dionysian, Canyon Voices, Exposition Review, Fresh Words: Contemporary One Act Plays Volume 5, and Broadway Play Publishing. MFA: Arizona State University.

His work has developed or presented at Concord Theatricals/Sam French OOB Short Play Festival, Queens Theatre (New American Voices series), The Fire This Time Festival, Zoetic Stage (Finstrom Festival Of New Work), Dixon Place, Feinstein's/54 Below, Abingdon Theatre Company, Downtown Urban Arts Festival, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Across A Crowded Room at Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library (NYPL), Musical Theater Factory's 4x15 Series, Space on Ryder Farm, Theatre West, New Circle Theatre Company, MicroTheater Miami, Columbia College Chicago, among others. Scott is a 2021 NYSAF Founders’ Award finalist, a 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award semifinalist, a four-time National Black Theatre I AM SOUL Playwrights Residency finalist, and a four-time top finalist for The Civilians R&D Group. His articles appeared in Architectural Digest, Time Out New York, American Theatre Magazine, Playbill, Elle, Out, Essence, and The Brooklyn Rail, among others. BFA: State University College at Buffalo, MFA: NYU Tisch.

Art House Productions is generously supported by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, SILVERMAN, The Princeton Foundation, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, The Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Alliance of Resident Theatres / New York.

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #theatre #theater #playwrights #playwriting #playwright #writers #Art House #Art House Productions

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writemarcus · 7 months

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Art House Productions Reveals 2023-2024 Cohort of its INKubator Program

Each writer will team up with a director and actors to present a public reading as a part of Art House Productions' INKubator New Play Festival scheduled for May 2024.

By: Stephi Wild

Oct. 04, 2023

Art House Productions has announced the 2023-2024 cohort of its INKubator Program. INKubator is a year-long generative process for a select group of 6 playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. This year's playwrights are Upasna Barath, Amanda Sage Comerford, Leo Layla Díaz, Neil Levi, Dave Osmundsen, and Marcus Scott. Playwrights will meet monthly alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. In the spring, each writer will team up with a director and actors to present a public reading as a part of Art House Productions' INKubator New Play Festival scheduled for May 2024. Audiences who attend the festival will have the opportunity to participate in conversations with the writers, directors, and actors following each performance. INKubator playwrights will be the first cohort to meet full-time in Art House Productions’ new theater inside the Hendrix, at 345 Marin Boulevard between Bay Street and Morgan Street. In addition to official INKubator programming, playwrights will also have the ability to utilize the space for meetings, rehearsals, and readings. Submissions were evaluated through a process coordinated by INKubator Program Director, Alex Tobey, in partnership with INKubator alum playwrights Iraisa Ann Reilly and Micharne Cloughley, and Art House Productions’ Associate Executive Director, Anna Gundersen.

The following finalists were also honored in this year’s submission process: Phillip Gregory Burke, Lauren D'Errico, Kevin T. Durfee, Joseph Gallo, Lizz Mangan, Kyle Mazer, Frank Murdocco, and M. D. Schaffer. Anna Gundersen, Associate Executive Director of Art House Productions, says, “This year’s INKubator cohort is an exciting group of talented playwrights who pitched unique and thoughtful plays to develop. INKubator is a program that began at Art House in 2018, and under the leadership of Alex Tobey, it continues to grow. We look forward to supporting these artists during their play development residency and in the future.”

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #theater #theatre #playwrights #writers #Art House #Art House Productions

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writemarcus · 7 months

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There Goes The Neighborhood workshop with The Elif Collective

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #black playwrights #theatre #theater #lgbt #lgbtq #black conservative perspective #black conservative republicans #black conservatives #black republicans #all lives matter #black lives matter #slasher #slashers #horror plays

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writemarcus · 7 months

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Meet The FireWorks Playwrights!

#writemarcus #write marcus #marcusscott #marcus scott #theatre #theater #lgbt #lgbtq #horror plays #horror comedy

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writemarcus · 7 months

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Cry Havoc Theatre Company

Honored to be a part of the the Cry Havoc Playlist cohort. Creating a brand new one act play that goes up at the end of the month and I'm very excited!

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #black playwrights #theatre #theater #lgbt activism #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbtq community #lgbt pride #new works #new plays #short plays #one acts

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writemarcus · 7 months

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Loyalty comes to a head in reading of ‘Sibling Rivalries’ at JCTC

Updated: Sep. 12, 2023, 5:41 p.m.|

Published: Sep. 12, 2023, 5:23 p.m.

By David Mosca | The Jersey Journal

Jersey City Theater Center will have its next live play reading, “Sibling Rivalries” by Marcus Scott, on Monday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The new play is set at a fictional Ivy League school in the years following the Obama Administration.

This political drama follows a group of young black men, all members of a fraternity, who face shifting loyalties and eroded principles when they are forced to compete against one another for a prestigious fellowship.

“As we prepare to showcase the extraordinary talent of Marcus Scott, a remarkable representative of the black, queer community, whose work we have had the privilege of nurturing by providing a creative residency in 2023, our enthusiasm knows no bounds,” said Olga Levina, the executive producer at JCTC. “At the very core of our mission lies our unwavering commitment to open doors for emerging playwrights, allowing their voices to resound both locally and globally. JCTC is immensely thankful for our enduring partnership with I Love Greenville and the sponsorship from Healthier JC. Our collaboration has given rise to a wide spectrum of programming, each piece thoughtfully designed to shed light on the experiences and obstacles faced by people of color while celebrating their rich cultural traditions.”

Scott is a playwright, musical theatre writer, and journalist. Some of his full-length work includes “Tumbleweed” (finalist: 2017 BAPF & the 2017 Festival of New American Plays at Austin Playhouse; semifinalist: 2022 O’Neill NPC, 2022 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2017 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship), “There Goes The Neighborhood” (finalist: 2023 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship, 2023 Blue Ink Playwriting Award, the 2019 Bushwick Starr Reading Series; semifinalist: 2023 BAPF), and “Cherry Bomb” (recipient: 2017 Drama League First Stage Artist-In-Residence, 2017 New York Theatre Barn’s New Works Series; 2017 finalist for the Yale Institute for Music Theatre).

He was commissioned by Heartbeat Opera to adapt Beethoven’s “Fidelio” and his one-act “Sundown Town” was published in Obsidian: Literature and Arts of the African Diaspora: Issue: 48.1.

Sibling Rivalries will take place at Jersey City Theater Center, 165 Newark Ave, Jersey City, entrance from Barrow St. Tickets start at $5 and are available at www.JCTCenter.org.

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #black playwrights #theatre #theater #black lives matter #Jersey City Theatre Company #JCTC #new works #new plays #Talented tenth

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writemarcus · 8 months

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JCTC Produces Reading of New Play SIBLING RIVALRIES By Marcus Scott

The production is set for September 18.

By: Stephi Wild Sep. 06, 2023

Jersey City Theater Center will present a reading of Sibling Rivalries by Marcus Scott, a new play set at a fictional Ivy League school in the years following the Obama Administration. This political drama follows a diverse group of young black men, all members of a fraternity, who face shifting loyalties and eroded principles when they are forced to compete against one another for a prestigious fellowship. Sibling Rivalries will take place at Jersey City Theater Center (165 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302 / Entrance from Barrow St., Jersey City, NJ, 07302) on Monday, September 18 at 7:30PM. Tickets start at just $5.00 and are available at www.JCTCenter.org. "As we prepare to showcase the extraordinary talent of Marcus Scott, a remarkable representative of the black, queer community, whose work we have had the privilege of nurturing by providing a creative residency in 2023, our enthusiasm knows no bounds. At the very core of our mission lies our unwavering commitment to open doors for emerging playwrights, allowing their voices to resound both locally and on the globally," stated Olga Levina, the Executive Producer at JCTC. "JCTC is immensely thankful for our enduring partnership with I Love Greenville and the sponsorship from Healthier JC, our collaboration has given rise to a wide spectrum of programming, each piece thoughtfully designed to shed light on the experiences and obstacles faced by people of color while celebrating their rich cultural traditions." We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers' Unions: ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS, AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS and SAG-AFTRA through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear in this program.

About Marcus Scott

Marcus Scott is a playwright, musical theatre writer & journalist. Full-length works: Tumbleweed (finalist: 2017 BAPF & the 2017 Festival of New American Plays at Austin Playhouse; semifinalist: 2022 O'Neill NPC, 2022 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2017 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship), Sibling Rivalries (finalist: Normal Ave's NAPseries, 2021 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference & 2021 ATHE-KCACTF Judith Royer Excellence In Playwriting Award; semi- finalist: 2022 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2021 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship; long-listed: 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award), There Goes The Neighborhood (finalist: 2023 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship, 2023 Blue Ink Playwriting Award, the 2019 Bushwick Starr Reading Series; semifinalist: 2023 BAPF) & Cherry Bomb (recipient: 2017 Drama League First Stage Artist-In-Residence, 2017 New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series; 2017 finalist for the Yale Institute for Music Theatre). Heartbeat Opera commissioned Scott to adapt Beethoven's “Fidelio” (Co-writer; Met Live Arts at the MET Museum, Mondavi Center at UC Davis, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, The Broad Stage, Rutgers Presbyterian Church, Baruch Performing Arts Center; NYTimes Critics' Pick! ★★★★). Scott is the recipient of the WTP Rosalind Ayres-Williams Memorial Scholarship (2022-2024). Scott is the recipient of the WTP Rosalind Ayres-Williams Memorial Scholarship (2022-2024). His one-act Sundown Town is published in Obsidian: Literature and Arts of the African Diaspora: Issue: 48.1. His work has developed or presented at Concord Theatricals/Sam French OOB Short Play Festival, Queens Theatre (New American Voices series), The Fire This Time Festival, Zoetic Stage (Finstrom Festival Of New Work), Dixon Place, Feinstein's/54 Below, Abingdon Theatre Company, Downtown Urban Arts Festival, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Across A Crowded Room at Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library (NYPL), Musical Theater Factory's 4x15 Series, Space on Ryder Farm, Theatre West, New Circle Theatre Company, MicroTheater Miami, Columbia College Chicago, among others. Residencies and retreats: The inaugural Personal Pizza Party Writers' Kitchen cohort (2023), The 2022 Valdez Theatre Conference, The Road Theatre Company's Under Construction 3 Playwrights Group (2022), Mojoaa Performing Arts Company's Southern Black Playwrights Lab (Cohort 2; 2022), Works & Process LaunchPAD “Process as Destination” Residency at the Guggenheim (2022), Prospect Musical Theater Lab (2021), María Irene Fornés Playwriting Workshop (2021), JACK Governor's Island Artist Residency (2021), Catwalk Artist Residency (2021), The Center at West Park Virtual Performance Residency (2020-2021), Gingold Theatre Group Speaker's Corner Writer (2020-2022), Liberation Theatre Company's Playwriting Residency Fellowship (2018), Athena Theatre Company's Athena Writes Playwriting Fellowship (2018-2019), the inaugural LIT Council at the Tank (2018-2019), Fresh Ground Pepper Artist-In-Residence BRB Retreat (2017), One Co. Writers' Residency at Little Farm (2017) and Goodspeed Opera House Retreat (2013). Scott is a 2021 NYSAF Founders' Award finalist, a 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award semi-finalist, a four-time National Black Theatre I AM SOUL Playwrights Residency finalist and a four-time top finalist for The Civilians R&D Group. His articles appeared in Architectural Digest, Time Out New York, American Theatre Magazine, Playbill, Elle, Out, Essence, The Brooklyn Rail, among others. BFA: State University College at Buffalo, MFA: NYU Tisch.

#marcus scott #marcusscott #write marcus #writemarcus #black playwrights #theatre #theater #new works #new plays #talented tenth #Sibling Rivalries #black frats #Black fraternities #Ivy league #college plays

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writemarcus · 8 months

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Jersey City Theater Center to present a reading of "Sibling Rivalries" by Marcus Scott

COLUMNS | FEATURES | EVENT PREVIEWS featured events

originally published: 09/05/2023

Marcus Scott, playwright

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Jersey City Theater Center will present a reading of Sibling Rivalries by Marcus Scott on Monday, September 18, 2023 at 7:30pm. This is a new play set at a fictional Ivy League school in the years following the Obama Administration. This political drama follows a diverse group of young black men, all members of a fraternity, who face shifting loyalties and eroded principles when they are forced to compete against one another for a prestigious fellowship.

"As we prepare to showcase the extraordinary talent of Marcus Scott, a remarkable representative of the black, queer community, whose work we have had the privilege of nurturing by providing a creative residency in 2023, our enthusiasm knows no bounds. At the very core of our mission lies our unwavering commitment to open doors for emerging playwrights, allowing their voices to resound both locally and on the globally," stated Olga Levina, the Executive Producer at JCTC. "JCTC is immensely thankful for our enduring partnership with I Love Greenville and the sponsorship from Healthier JC, our collaboration has given rise to a wide spectrum of programming, each piece thoughtfully designed to shed light on the experiences and obstacles faced by people of color while celebrating their rich cultural traditions."

Jersey City Theater Center wishes to express their gratitude to the Performers’ Unions: ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS, AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS and SAG-AFTRA through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear in this program.

Sibling Rivalries will take place at Jersey City Theater Center (165 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302 / Entrance from Barrow St., Jersey City, NJ, 07302) on Monday, September 18, 2023 at 7:30pm. Tickets start at just $5.00 and are available at www.JCTCenter.org.

MARCUS SCOTT is a playwright, musical theatre writer & journalist. Full-length works: Tumbleweed (finalist: 2017 BAPF & the 2017 Festival of New American Plays at Austin Playhouse; semifinalist: 2022 O’Neill NPC, 2022 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2017 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship), Sibling Rivalries (finalist: Normal Ave’s NAPseries, 2021 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference & 2021 ATHE-KCACTF Judith Royer Excellence In Playwriting Award; semi- finalist: 2022 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2021 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship; long-listed: 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award), There Goes The Neighborhood (finalist: 2023 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award in Playwriting Fellowship, 2023 Blue Ink Playwriting Award, the 2019 Bushwick Starr Reading Series; semifinalist: 2023 BAPF) & Cherry Bomb (recipient: 2017 Drama League First Stage Artist-In-Residence, 2017 New York Theatre Barn's New Works Series; 2017 finalist for the Yale Institute for Music Theatre). Heartbeat Opera commissioned Scott to adapt Beethoven’s “Fidelio” (Co-writer; Met Live Arts at the MET Museum, Mondavi Center at UC Davis, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, The Broad Stage, Rutgers Presbyterian Church, Baruch Performing Arts Center; NYTimes Critics’ Pick! ★★★★). Scott is the recipient of the WTP Rosalind Ayres-Williams Memorial Scholarship (2022-2024). Scott is the recipient of the WTP Rosalind Ayres-Williams Memorial Scholarship (2022-2024). His one-act Sundown Town is published in Obsidian: Literature and Arts of the African Diaspora: Issue: 48.1.

Residencies and retreats: The inaugural Personal Pizza Party Writers' Kitchen cohort (2023), The 2022 Valdez Theatre Conference, The Road Theatre Company's Under Construction 3 Playwrights Group (2022), Mojoaa Performing Arts Company's Southern Black Playwrights Lab (Cohort 2; 2022), Works & Process LaunchPAD “Process as Destination” Residency at the Guggenheim (2022), Prospect Musical Theater Lab (2021), María Irene Fornés Playwriting Workshop (2021), JACK Governor's Island Artist Residency (2021), Catwalk Artist Residency (2021), The Center at West Park Virtual Performance Residency (2020-2021), Gingold Theatre Group Speaker's Corner Writer (2020-2022), Liberation Theatre Company's Playwriting Residency Fellowship (2018), Athena Theatre Company's Athena Writes Playwriting Fellowship (2018-2019), the inaugural LIT Council at the Tank (2018-2019), Fresh Ground Pepper Artist-In-Residence BRB Retreat (2017), One Co. Writers' Residency at Little Farm (2017) and Goodspeed Opera House Retreat (2013). Scott is a 2021 NYSAF Founders’ Award finalist, a 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award semi-finalist, a four-time National Black Theatre I AM SOUL Playwrights Residency finalist and a four-time top finalist for The Civilians R&D Group. His articles appeared in Architectural Digest, Time Out New York, American Theatre Magazine, Playbill, Elle, Out, Essence, The Brooklyn Rail, among others. BFA: State University College at Buffalo, MFA: NYU Tisch.

Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization committed to inspiring conversations about important issues of our times through the arts. Co-founded by Executive Producer Olga Levina, an immigrant from Belarus, Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) produces and presents universal yet locally relevant works, emphasizing social justice and human rights. Since 2006, JCTC has provided a platform for all artistic voices to be heard in Jersey City, with the aim of sparking meaningful cross-cultural dialogue that helps build a greater understanding, mutual respect and better communities in New Jersey.

Programming made possible by numerous supporters, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development, Hudson County, the City of Jersey City, and the Office of Cultural Affairs. For those who are interested in attending any of the performances, sponsoring any of the upcoming productions, or purchasing tickets for large groups, please email [email protected].

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Tommy Emmanuel, CGP with special guests Larry Campbell & Teresa WilliamsFriday, September 08, 2023 @ 8:00pm State Theatre New Jersey 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 category: music Click here for full descriptionThe Weight BandFriday, September 08, 2023 @ 8:00pm The Vogel 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701 category: music Click here for full descriptionSelling KabulFriday, September 08, 2023 @ 8:00pm Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083 category: theatre Click here for full descriptionBreaking The Surface, Fandango, To Understand An Anemone - Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7PMFriday, September 08, 2023 @ 7:00pm NJ Film Festival 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 category: film Click here for full descriptionUncle Vinnie's Presents Vic DiBitettoSaturday, September 09, 2023 @ 8:00pm Algonquin Arts Theatre 60 Abe Voorhees, Manasquan, NJ 08736 category: comedy Click here for full descriptionMalindaSaturday, September 09, 2023 @ 8:00pm The Vogel 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701 category: music Click here for full descriptionSelling KabulSaturday, September 09, 2023 @ 3:00pm Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083 category: theatre Click here for full descriptionSelling KabulSaturday, September 09, 2023 @ 8:00pm Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083 category: theatre Click here for full description For more event listings, click here more in theatrePHOTOS from "Grumpy Old Men: The Musical" at Surflight TheatrePushcart Players Launches 50th SeasonMcCarter Theatre Center adds "Dreamgirls" to 2023-2024 seasonMusical Theater Songwriting Challenge Returns for 2023NJ Rep to Present the World Premiere of "Welcome To Matteson!" New Jersey Stage © 2023 by Wine Time Media, LLC | PO Box 140, Spring Lake, NJ 07762 | [email protected] Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage! Images used on this site have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us and we will look into the matter. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and on our RSS feed

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writemarcus · 8 months

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Victoria Detres and Helen Park with Marcus Scott

R.I.S.E.’s launch event. Photo: Heather Gershonowitz.

During the 2018-2019 Broadway season, 100 percent of general managers and 94 percent of producers identified as white, according to a 2021 report from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition. These numbers were reflected in onstage representation as well, with actors who identified as white being cast in 80 percent of the lead roles in musicals and 90 percent of the lead roles in plays.

Since then, there’s been a reckoning with “We See You, White American Theater” disrupting the status quo, promoting over one hundred theater organizations nationwide to respond with action to demands for better BIPOC representation, visibility, and leadership. Several collectives popped up, most notably Black Theatre United, which negotiated “A New Deal for Broadway” between Broadway shows and their touring productions in 2021. However, one might argue that these institutions, while transformative, are primarily concerned with the optics onstage, whilst larger issues loom behind the scenes. In order to incite incremental change, it will have to take those with clout, capital, and connections that operate sub rosa and in the spotlight. Enter Lin-Manuel Miranda.

On June 8, numerous theater artists and industry insiders gathered on the rooftop of the Civilian, a 27-story luxury boutique hotel in Hell’s Kitchen on the edge of the Theater District, for a special announcement: Maestra Music and the Miranda Family Fund partnered to establish RISE (Representation, Inclusion, & Support for Employment) Theatre, with the aspiration of generating more equitable hiring exercises within the theater community by centralizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) tactics and resources through a network of partners. This came to be when the Hamilton creator approached Georgia Stitt, the illustrious composer and music director who developed Maestra, to discuss launching the RISE Theatre Directory, a free national digital almanac created to promote visibility and hiring of underrepresented artists, backstage crews, and other vital theater employees.

The Brooklyn Rail spoke over Zoom with Victoria Detres (the project coordinator at RISE) and Helen Park (a member of its community of advocates and a Tony Award nominee for her KPOP score) to discuss its service, mosaic of diverse supporters, and subsequent sea change they hope to witness in the years to come.

Marcus Scott (Rail): What was the spark for RISE and how did you get involved?

Victoria Detres: I’ll start with the logistics of it all. So, Maestra Music is a not-for-profit that supports female and non-binary musicians working in musical theater. They had a program formerly called Get To Work. It was designed to share the statistics about where our industry is with hiring practices, and it was formed as a reaction to the pandemic, where everyone recognized where we were failing, and we had a larger movement.

So, we started sharing the resources. It was cultivated with community partners who were also working in various lanes of equitable progress, wanting to move the needle forward. That was happening in 2020, and they were moving the needle forward with the small programming they were doing for Get To Work; it was 2021 when Georgia and Lin-Manuel, oddly enough, ran into each other at a pumpkin patch in upstate New York. Lin had previous conversations with Ava DuVernay because he had given some funding for the ARRAY Crew, which is designated for BIPOC representation in film and television. He was working with Ava to create the same ideal database directory for theater. They recognized that film and television are very different from theater, so they wanted to part ways amicably recognizing that they didn’t have the insight or the knowledge about the theatrical industry that would serve creating the directory.

At the same time, that’s when Lin had run into Georgia. He knew about Georgia’s work at Maestra, and she mentioned the Get to Work program, and the partnership felt like a natural next step. The partnership began officially in 2022. I came on in 2023. There was some formulating about what the program would be. They recognized that Maestra didn’t have the infrastructure to do the entire push of the RISE Theatre Directory on their own, and they needed to hire additional help. That’s where I came in, along with my colleague Adam Hyndman. I came on in January to start the program when they mentioned, “Oh, yeah, we’re launching in June of this year.” I said, “OK, great. Happy to do that!” Adam came on in February, and it was all systems go, ready for the launch, figuring out what RISE Theatre would be.

It wasn’t RISE at that time. It was Get to Work. We had a hot five months of just working to make it happen. And then that’s where Helen comes in with our launch aiming for June. We really wanted to be intentional about the partnerships that we were building and how we actually got the community involved. We wanted to reach out to industry changemakers; cultural leaders who are doing the work in the industry to really get the name out there, but also cultivate partnerships so that we can highlight the good work that’s being done and amplify artists who are doing everything they can to move the needle forward.

Rail: The acronym of RISE stands for Representation, Inclusion, and Support for Employment. What does RISE mean to you in this moment?

Detres: We have this adage of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” and I think in our industry specifically, we are stuck in a scarcity mindset. When you’re seated at the table, you can’t open the door for someone else, and we kind of wanna challenge that. Or, at least, I wanna challenge that with the work that I do. Doing this work, elevating and cultivating community in more intentional ways is only gonna benefit the greater community. But I think we are stuck in a place where we are so at odds and we worry. I feel like the word “equity” doesn’t actually have a good rep because people don’t understand it. Equity means to create an equal playing field for everyone involved, and that’s not the current state of our world, in our industry. And by creating an equitable platform, everyone’s gonna benefit in the long term. For me, it’s really about moving from a place of abundance. RISE is abundance; it’s the abundance mindset. It’s cultivating community for long-term standards. That means everyone is represented at the table.

Rail: Between 2021 and 2023, Broadway saw a major boost in diversity. However, virtually all of those shows shuttered within months or closed early. What are some of the problems or issues that need addressing? Because we’re going into very uncertain times, as indicated by the various layoffs, cutbacks and cancellations by national and regional theaters across the country. How can RISE and organizations like it answer the call?

Helen Park: What I love about RISE in particular is the feeling of action, the emphasis on the action. I think right now it’s hard to see the culmination of this movement that started during the pandemic, like with Black Lives Matter… this reckoning of Broadway. Broadway is actually like “the Great White Way,” you know? I think it’s a problem to just look at it as “Oh, it’s such an easy fix! Let’s just do a play written for the Black community! Let’s do K-pop, let’s do a Korean show!” But then in order to actually execute it and pull out the best capabilities to really make meaningful actual change that does represent the culture accurately, I think there’s a lot of different reasons why these shows in the past season didn’t succeed or run for as long as they maybe deserved. One of those reasons I think is that the people who have always been in this field, who have always done things the way things are done, are doing the same thing over and over again. Then when they’re met with something that’s not familiar territory (in terms of the story or the source material or the cultural background of said project), there is difficulty and they need help. It’s not also just about replacing who’s always been there. It’s not just like giving up space to have someone else to take over, you know?

Rail: You mentioned a reckoning.… In the midst of a global quarantine, there was a cultural and societal reckoning, particularly in the arts and media landscapes where advocates, activists and artivists came out of the wilderness to shine a light on many of the problems facing those who were not cisgender heteronormative white men. Right? In that time, we saw various movements take place, such as #MeToo and We See You White American Theatre and during that time various organizations either generated a listserv or directory. One that comes to mind is “Underrepresented Theater Critics.” How is this one different?

Detres: We have to, first of all, acknowledge the platform that we are on. That I can’t go about saying we are on an elevated platform because of the associations we have. There are so many Excel spreadsheets that I have used in my lifetime that are about BIPOC designers, Black directors, but only because I was in the community did I know those existed. And when I would speak to people I worked with in spheres—when I spoke to white people in spheres—they didn’t know about these. But I think that’s the disconnect with the communities that exist in the industry and I’m really excited about the potential of actually being the connective tissue for our industry. So much of the time we talk about “our voice is power.” Communication is power. How can RISE be the connective tissue for all of these systems to exist? We want to be clear that we don’t wanna override any work that has been created before. We’re not trying to steamroll. But we’re actually trying to recognize what has come before us and understand that this is a natural evolution, that we can ride on this wave of amplification and visibility to become a centralized source, so that we can fight that narrative. Like, we don’t exist. Okay, well then, here’s an easy digestible way to find us. It really is capitalizing on this situation now and understanding that this is a natural evolution of years of work in our community and how we can continue moving the needle forward by understanding that our history cannot be erased, but we can actually evolve from the history that we’ve had.

Park: Right now, we are at a critical time where people acknowledge the need for better representation and more authentic storytelling. It can only enrich our community and this medium of theater. I think everybody’s sort of onboard with the theoretical, you know? Like, “Of course, inclusivity!” But I’m really hopeful that through this very specific directory we will see gradual change.

Detres: I think what’s lacking overall is support. All of these shows that closed early because producers broadcast to this audience once and then never invited them back for a different show. The audiences at KPOP showed up because they were excited about this; because they were actually welcomed for the first time. What happens when we start doing that with every show? We gotta stop that model that’s, like, “You’re only welcome to go see a show that fits your personality and your identity.” How many white shows have I seen in my lifetime that I don’t resonate with but I was excited because it was on Broadway and I wanted to go see it and be part of that?! How do we create systems to support people of color when they aren’t given leadership roles, when they’re set up to fail? That’s what I’m really excited about. I think we just don’t talk about what support looks like and how to create structures of support for new things that we’re bringing in.

Contributor

Marcus Scott

Marcus Scott is a New York City-based playwright, musical writer, opera librettist, and journalist. He has contributed to Time Out New York, American Theatre Magazine, Architectural Digest, The Brooklyn Rail, Elle, Essence, Out, Uptown, Trace, Hello Beautiful, Madame Noire and Playbill, among other publications. Follow Marcus on Instagram.

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