Saturday Series
Directions
Photo Gallery
Ten Min Workshop
(10/16/2010)
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08/14/2010
10-MINUTE WORKSHOP - with Guest Judge/Director BRIAN GOLDEN, Artistic Director, THEATRE SEVEN OF CHICAGO
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Staged readings of 10-minute plays and scenes by various writers, followed by an audience discussion moderated by Theatre Seven’s Artistic Director, Brian Golden. Go to www.theatreseven.org to check out Theatre Seven’s programming, productions, and current search for new plays.
Any playwright able to attend may submit a 10-minute play or a 10-minute scene from a larger work. Participating playwrights will be expected to attend one two-hour rehearsal, in addition to the workshop at Chicago Dramatists on August 14 at 2:00 PM.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Submissions will not be returned and must meet the following criteria: 1) maximum scene length: ten pages (in standard 12 pt font size with pages numbered); 2) cast size: no more than six actors needed; 3) one piece per playwright; 4) include title page with playwright's name, address, day and evening phone number, and e-mail address; 5) include character breakdown page; 7) no binding or staples.
E-MAIL SUBMISSIONS (preferred) TO: 10minute@chicagodramatists.org Please send as a “.pdf” file of no more than 400K.
OR – MAIL OR DELIVER TO (no faxed submissions accepted): Ilesa Duncan, Director of Youth & Community Programming, Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60642.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Submissions must be received by 2:00 PM, Saturday, July 10. Notification by July 24. |
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08/21/2010
ONE TIME
by RICHARD LYONS CONLON, Network Playwright
Directed by: Michael Weber
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Unrequited love, religious epiphanies, posing in the nude, an abusive marriage, and the secret powers of nuns . . . these are just some of the stories Sonia and Mason tell each other from their individual lives. But can they complete the story of a common past they once shared more than three decades earlier?
Network Playwright RICHARD LYONS CONLON is also a Resident Playwright Alumnus with Chicago Dramatists. He has written over twenty-five plays and screenplays, including “send forth thy mercies” which won the 2007 Emerging Illinois Playwrights Competition and was First Runner-up in the 2009 Eileen Heckart Drama Competition. His children’s play, “Anastasia and Drizella,” is published by Eldridge Publishing and has received well over three hundred productions. |
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08/28/2010
THREE SHORT PLAYS
by TANYA SARACHO, Resident Playwright
Directed by: Erica Weiss and Maria Enriquez
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“Mala Hierba,” “Surface Day” and “Untitled” are three disparate one-acts that track Latino life from 1990s Chicago, to present day Texas/Mexico Border, to the center of the Earth in the year 2112. The Spanglish abounds.
TANYA SARACHO was born in Mexico and is the Co-Founder and former Artistic Director of Teatro Luna. She is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists and Teatro Vista and a new Artistic Associate at About Face Theatre. Plays include: A musical adaptation of “The House on Mango Street,” “Our Lady of The Underpass,” “Quita Mitos,” “Kita y Fernanda” and “Jarred (A Hoodoo Comedy).” She is at work on an adaptation of “The Cherry Orchard” for Teatro Vista and a commission for Steppenwolf titled “The Well Meaning.” |
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09/04/2010
NO EVENT TODAY
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Labor Day Weekend |
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09/11/2010
THIRST
by Network Playwright ANITA CHANDWANEY and Resident Playwright M.E.H. LEWIS
Directed by: Lavina Jadhwani
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What happens when a rural Dalit (untouchable) community’s quest for water and dignity challenges age-old traditions of the caste system in the drought-devastated Bundelkhand region of India? As an intrepid young journalist investigates the government corruption that delays the building of a desperately needed dam, she encounters the mystery of a missing bride and a gang of pink-clad women vigilantes.
ANITA CHANDWANEY’s “Gandhi Marg” won 2nd Place in Writers Digest’s 75th Annual Stage Play Competition and was a finalist in Chicago Dramatists’ Many Voices Project. Her monologues have been produced by Rasaka Theatre in its “Yoni ki Baat” in 2009 and 2010.
M.E.H. LEWIS is a two-time Illinois Arts Council Fellow and a winner of the Julie Harris Playwriting Award, the Jeff Award, the Dayton Playhouse Outstanding Playwright Award, among others. She is the author of “Here Where It's Safe,” “Creole,” “Fellow Travellers” and “Burying the Bones.” |
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09/18/2010
THE ROPER
by WILL DUNNE, Resident Playwright
Directed by: Associate Artist Richard Shavzin
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Chicago. 1876. A petty criminal is hired by the Secret Service to infiltrate a gang of Irish counterfeiters and collect information that could lead to their arrests. What he uncovers is much more than he bargained for: a plot to commit one of the most notorious crimes of the Nineteenth Century. Based on a true story.
WILL DUNNE is an award-winning O’Neill playwright and author of “The Dramatic Writer’s Companion.” Recent local productions include: “How I Became an Interesting Person” (Chicago Dramatists) and “The Ascension of Carlotta” (16th Street Theatre). |
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09/25/2010
THE ANATOMY OF PAIN
by MIA McCULLOUGH, Resident Playwright
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Isolated and arthritic, a retired surgeon, whose only entertainments are listening to classical music and playing on-line chess, is mistaken for an Internet predator.
MIA McCULLOUGH’s recent productions include “Lucinda’s Bed” at Chicago Dramatists, “Since Africa” at The Old Globe, and “Impenetrable” at Stage Left’s LeapFest. |
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10/02/2010
SHOWCASE OF THE NEW SENIOR NETWORK PLAYWRIGHTS
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Please join Chicago Dramatists and its playwrights as we sample the diverse work of our current two-year group of Senior Network Playwrights. After the readings, we will hold an audience discussion to get to know these playwrights and their work and to discuss the Senior Network program – followed by a wine and cheese reception in the lobby.
RAKE by Diane Baia
Real-life secret agent Denis Rake, a homosexual serving behind enemy lines during WWII, is torn between conscience and country when he falls in love with a German officer. DIANE BAIA’s play “The Wisdom of Serpents” was a finalist for the 2009 Jane Chambers Award. Her play “Dragon’s Teeth” received a workshop production at First Stage in L.A.
SPACE RACE by Mark Donahue
Harold's panic attacks are getting worse. As he struggles with whether or not to take medication, he moves through a suburban world of late-night parties, drugs and role-playing games. MARK DONAHUE has developed plays at Chicago Dramatists, the Great Plains Theatre Conference and Coe College.
MAGIC LANTERN by Donald Gecewicz
The start of the Twentieth Century, the beginning of motion pictures: How do actors and writers for the stage, so involved in its intimacy and directness, make the switch to film? DONALD GECEWICZ is an artistic associate of Caffeine Theatre, which produced his play “Like the Moon behind the Clouds” in 2008. He received an individual fellowship in translation from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2001.
JOAN’S LAUGHTER by Jacob Juntunen
Her trial is over; her fate is sealed. Joan of Arc will be burned as a relapsed heretic at dawn. Should she listen to the priest who says she can save her soul by repudiating her Voices? JACOB JUNTUNEN’s recent productions include “Under America” (Mortar Theatre, Chicago), “Saddam’s Lions” (Source Theatre Festival, DC), and “Antigone the Dog” (Caffeine Theatre, Chicago).
A FIXED STANDARD OF CONDUCT by Michael Rychlewski
A high-school senior who escaped the war in Bosnia decides to write an elegy for a childhood friend rather than the research paper required for graduation. His own unexpected death and a teacher’s refusal to pass him forces everyone to re-examine the line between justice and mercy. MICHAEL RYCHLEWSKI has had his plays performed at the American Theater Company, Second City and The Rhinoceros Festival.
MIRANDA’S WORLD by Neill Shanahan
Prospero has retired, but on his magical isle, the story goes on. What did he leave behind? NEILL SHANAHAN’s play “Mandatum” received multiple readings, including in Chicago Dramatists’ Saturday Series. He is currently working on two full-length works, “Invasion of Privacy” and “Miranda’s World.” |
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10/09/2010
RAKE
by DIANE BAIA, Senior Network Playwright
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It’s World War II and Denis Rake, a gay British actor serving as an undercover agent in Occupied France, must choose between duty to his country or the love of his life, a German officer. Based on a true story.
DIANE BAIA is the Founder and Artistic Director of Theatre of the Air. Her play “The Wisdom of Serpents” was a finalist for the 2009 Jane Chambers Award and is scheduled for a concert reading during Northwestern University’s “The Once and Future Saint: The Two Lives of Hildegard von Bingen” exhibit. |
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10/16/2010
10-MINUTE WORKSHOP - with Guest Judge/Director STEF TOVAR, Artistic Director, ROUTE 66 THEATRE COMPANY
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Staged readings of 10-minute plays and scenes by various writers, followed by an audience discussion moderated by Mr. Tovar. Go to www.route66theatre.org to check out Route 66’s programming and productions.
Any playwright able to attend may submit a 10-minute play or a 10-minute scene from a larger work. Participating playwrights will be expected to attend one two-hour rehearsal, in addition to the workshop at Chicago Dramatists on October 16 at 2:00 PM.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Submissions will not be returned and must meet the following criteria: 1) maximum scene length: ten pages (in standard 12 pt font size with pages numbered); 2) cast size: no more than six actors needed; 3) one piece per playwright; 4) include title page with playwright's name, address, day and evening phone number, and e-mail address; 5) include character breakdown page; 7) no binding or staples.
E-MAIL SUBMISSIONS (preferred) TO: 10minute@chicagodramatists.org
Please send as a “.PDF” file of no more than 400K. Please send your entire submission all in one file.
OR – MAIL OR DELIVER TO (no faxed submissions accepted): Ilesa Duncan, Director of Youth & Community Programming, Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60642.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Submissions must be received by 2:00 PM, Saturday, September 11. Notification by September 25. |
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10/23/2010
WHAT MAKES THE BUDDHA SMILE?
by JAY KOEPKE, Network Playwright
Directed by: Peter Marston Sullivan
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Inez is cut down in the prime of life. Disoriented and unsure of her circumstances, she is forced to grapple with the confusion of death not being the end, the pain of watching her partner Lorraine begin to move on, and the hazards of navigating reincarnation.
JAY KOEPKE’s play “What Makes the Buddha Smile?” was given a staged reading as part of Polarity Ensemble Theatre's Dionysos Cup 2010 and was a semi-finalist for the O'Neill National Playwright's Conference. |
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10/30/2010
HARLEQUIN
by RUTH MARGRAFF, Resident Playwright
Directed by: Artistic Director Russ Tutterow
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Set in 1994, a poetry graduate student meets an Iraqi refugee in a bookstore cafe. Their conversation sweeps them across many landscapes: imprints of history, urgent immediacy, and the masquerades of foreboding. “Harlequin” follows the pre-9/11 leader of an Iraqi opposition group, which became the force behind lobbying Congress on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. “Harlequin” was commissioned by a 2006-07 McKnight National Commission & Residency at the Playwrights Center (Minneapolis) and developed by a Hedgebrook/Alpert Award residency (Seattle).
RUTH MARGRAFF has new publications from The Drama Review, Dramatists Play Service, Connotations Press, and Applause Books. Her work with www.sevenplay.org has been touring Sweden. She is an alumna of New Dramatists and an Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. |
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11/06/2010
BACKSTAGE FORUM - An Open Discussion with Artistic Directors - Part IX
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Our annual panel allowing playwrights to network with Artistic Directors and Literary Managers of theatres that produce new plays.
TOPICS:
New play development and production, commitment to local playwrights, play selection criteria, submission procedures, chain of command, playwright agreements and contracts, commissioning, what kind of plays and playwrights interest them, the best and worst ways to get their attention, current trends, and more. Time will be allotted for questions from the audience and for playwrights to socialize and network with the panelists.
PANELISTS:
MICHAEL HALBERSTAM, Artistic Director, Writers’ Theatre
JAMIL KHOURY, Artistic Director, Silk Road Theatre Project
KRISSY VANDERWARKER, Artistic Director, Dog & Pony Theatre Company
JAMES PALMER, Artistic Director, Red Tape Theatre
JEREMY WECHSLER, Artistic Director, Theater Wit
RUSS TUTTEROW (Moderator), Artistic Director, Chicago Dramatists
CHECK OUT THE PANELISTS’ WORK WITH PLAYWRIGHTS AND NEW PLAYS:
www.writerstheatre.org
www.srtp.org
www.dogandponychicago.org
www.redtapetheatre.org
www.theaterwit.com |
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11/13/2010
BROTHER OF ALL
by JIM HENRY, Resident Playwright
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Leonard Street is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation as a result of a shocking family tragedy. During these sessions, the rollercoaster of his life unfolds before us. As Leonard struggles to find meaning in the Cherokee legends he learned from his blood brothers, the dark secret he’s been hiding cannot remain silent.
JIM HENRY is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been produced throughout the United States and in Australia. His first play, “The Angels of Lemnos,” premiered at Chicago Dramatists and earned him a Jeff Award for Best New Work. |
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11/20/2010
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY - 4th Annual Readings of Graduate Student Plays
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Chicago Dramatists’ professional actors and directors stage readings of short plays and scenes, developed in Northwestern University’s Department of Radio/Television/Film’s M.F.A. in Writing for the Screen and Stage program, taught by Resident Playwright Alumna Rebecca Gilman. |
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11/27/2010
NO EVENT TODAY
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Thanksgiving Weekend |
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12/04/2010
DEADLINE WORKSHOP - Part 1
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Readings of short plays created in Chicago Dramatists’ fall Deadline Workshop. This unique program unites six Network or Resident Playwrights with five of Chicago Dramatists’ favorite actors over a two-month development period. Three of the short plays developed will be seen today, three next week. |
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12/11/2010
DEADLINE WORKSHOP - Part 2
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Readings of short plays created in Chicago Dramatists’ fall Deadline Workshop. This unique program unites six Network or Resident Playwrights with five of Chicago Dramatists’ favorite actors over a two-month development period. Three of the short plays developed were seen last week, three today. |
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12/18/2010
NO EVENT TODAY
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Happy Holidays! |
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12/25/2010
NO EVENT TODAY
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Merry Christmas! |
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01/01/2011
NO EVENT TODAY
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Happy New Year! |
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