New York University’s New Plays for Young Audiences will present staged readings of three new plays for young audiences on weekends from June 6-21 at the Black Box Theatre, 82 Washington Square East. Following each Sunday performance at 3 p.m., there will be an audience discussion with the playwright, director, and actors of each show. [Subway: A, C, D, E, F (West 4th St.)]
Ages 12 and up: Scallywag, M.D. tunefully adds music and song to Moliére’s farce, The Doctor in Spite of Himself, where traditional roles hilariously spar. With a script by Graham Whitehead and music and songs by Ric Averill, Scallywag, M.D. runs on Saturday, June 6 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, June 7th at 3 p.m. There will be a family workshop at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6.
Ages 12 and up: The online and offline worlds of adolescent teenage girls are explored in Nasty. Teenagers lured by computer messaging and cell phone texting are propelled into a world of crisis and conflict where the creation of personal avatars offers not relief but confusion and catastrophe. Written by Ramon Esquivel, Nasty runs on Saturday, June 13 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, June 14 at 3 p.m. There will be a family workshop at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 13.
Ages 5 to 15: Bud is a contemporary play where, after a crisis, a boy and girl form a friendship which moves beyond the typical experiences of childhood. Written by Carl Miller, Bud runs on Saturday, June 20, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 21, at 3 p.m. There will be a family workshop at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 20.
All performances are in the Black Box Theatre. 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 contact Tim Farrell, Office of Public Affairs, by phone at 212.998.6797 or by email at tim.farrell@nyu.edu.
Based in the Program in Educational Theatre at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New Plays for Young Audiences is an annual summer play development series located in the historic Provincetown Playhouse. Founded in 1997 by Lowell and Nancy Swortzell, NYU’s prize-winning New Plays for Young Audiences has developed 33 new plays written by leading playwrights for young audiences and families. Many of these plays go on to win major prizes, and receive publication and production throughout the world.