Three New Plays Debut This June at Provincetown Playhouse
New Plays for Young Audiences, a series of family-friendly productions sponsored by the Program in Educational Theatre at New York Universitys Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, will begin its 11th season this June with three new plays. Performances take place at the Provincetown Playhouse, 133 MacDougal Street, Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. An open forum discussion with the playwright and creative team follows each Sunday performance. [Subway: A, C, D, E, F (West 4th St.)]
Eggs by Y York, based on the novel by Jerry Spinelli, directed by Rob Goodman (First Stage Childrens Theatre, Milwaukee), will be performed on June 7 and 8. David, a desperate nine-year old, conspires with the universe to bring his mother back from the dead in this sad comedy.
What Cant Be Seen by R.N. Sandberg, directed by Joe Salvatore (NYU), will be performed on June 14 and 15. Nan, a molecular biologist, and Natalia, her 16 year old violinist daughter, have just lost the man they love most in the world. How they cope with his death is explored in this sometimes funny, sometimes dream-like adult drama. Close friends, potential lovers, and an array of eccentric strangers flow in and out as Nan and Natalia try to maintain their equilibrium, vent their grief, and understand what lies beyond the surface of their lives. Love, mystery, inspiring meals, and a box of ashes lead them on solitary journeys that challenge the bonds holding them together.
Gossamer by Lois Lowry, based on her novel, directed by Stan Foote (Oregon Childrens Theatre, Portland), will be performed on June 21 and 22. In a story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people-a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy-face their own histories and discover what they can be to each other, renewed by the strength that comes from tiny, caring creatures they will never see. Gossamer explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare.
New Plays for Young Audiences has developed 30 new plays, many of which have been published and performed around the country, including at the Childrens Theatres of Nashville, Dallas, and Seattle, as well as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Public readings are performed each weekend with an open forum discussion following each Sunday performance. This program honors the traditions and history of the Provincetown Playhouse where the early plays of Eugene ONeill, Susan Glaspell, and Edna St. Vincent Millay were first presented.
Tickets are $5 for adults and FREE for children, high school students, or with a valid NYU ID. For reservations, please call 212.998.5867. Reporters interested in attending should call Branden Huldeen at 917.640.1347 or email at brandenhuldeen@hotmail.com.