Steinhardt Educational Theatre's celebrated New Plays for Young Audiences will stage rehearsed readings of three new plays for young audiences, June 11-26 at the historic Provincetown Playhouse. The readings are free and open to the public.
New Plays for Young Audiences will stage rehearsed readings of three new plays for young audiences, June 11-26 at the historic Provincetown Playhouse, presented by the Educational Theatre program at the NYU Steinhardt School. The readings are free and open to the public.
The plays are the outgrowth of New Plays for Young Audiences’ annual summer play development series established in 1998 by Lowell and Nancy Swortzell. The prize-winning series has developed dozens of new plays written by leading playwrights for young audiences and families, many of which have gone on to receive both national and international recognition, publication, and production.
Beyond the North Wind is a performance project for young audiences and a 2015 recipient of the Steinhardt Art and Culture Award. The piece will explore and adapt for the stage the children’s book At the Back of the North Wind by George R. MacDonald (1871). The story of a young boy’s lower-class urban existence moves quickly from reality to fantasy, as the characters encounter poverty, illness, and disability, as well as embrace hopes, dreams, and memories. The imagistic text is a rich source in which to engage the transformational modes of physical theatre: puppetry, magic, movement, and mime. Through collaboration with experts in these aesthetic forms, Leland Faulkner, Therese Schorn, and Spica Wobbe, and the inclusion of an original musical score by composer Robert Schwimmer, director/playwright Nancy Smithner will seek feedback from audiences of all ages in the New Plays series, in order to further develop the key elements of the piece. Leland Faulkner directs. This piece is appropriate for ages 4 and up. Rehearsed readings are on Saturday, June 11, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, June 12, at 3 p.m.
In An Eye for An Eye by Rachel Teagle, Alys is in trouble. Driven from her home by an unending war, she finds herself at the mercy of a scheming noblewoman and locked in a tower with three other unfortunate young women. As they pass the time with stories and menial chores, they bond over their shared history and the oppressive tenure of their guardian. But, the fortress might not be as secure as they thought it was, and the far away war is getting closer every day. When it becomes clear that their guardian does not have their best interests at heart, the girls band together to sharpen their swords and their wits for the fight of their lives. Originally developed with Babes with Blades Theater Company in Chicago, An Eye for An Eye examines loyalty, retaliation, and the cost of battling one's personal demons in a high energy, swashbuckling setting. Havilah McGinnis directs. This play is appropriate for ages 13 and up. Rehearsed readings are on Saturday, June 18, at 7:30 pm and Sunday, June 19, at 3 p.m.
In Kilo Hoku by Susan Soon He Stanton, a young girl is forced to spend the summer with her Hawaiian grandfather and her cousin after her parents’ divorce. Meanwhile, thousands of years earlier in Tahiti, another young girl sets out on a dangerous journey to Hawaii. Combining hula, chant, history, and hard science, this play explores ancient and modern stories of navigation. Questions of identity, geography, and history collide when two young women, one modern and one ancient, find themselves wrestling with the stars and sea to discover their place in the world. Deirdre Kelly Lavrakas directs. This play is appropriate for ages 9 and up. Rehearsed readings are on Saturday, June 25, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 26, at 3 p.m.
All rehearsed readings are in the Provincetown Playhouse. An audience discussion with the playwright and director will follow each Sunday reading. Tickets are FREE. There are no advance reservations. Tickets will be available at the theatre’s box office beginning an hour before each reading.
The Provincetown Playhouse is located at 133 MacDougal Street, between West 4th and W. 3rd streets [Subway: A, C, D, E, F, M (West 4th St.)]. Reporters interested in attending should contact Shonna Keogan at 212.998.6796. For more information on the series, contact Dr. David Montgomery at dm635@nyu.edu or 212.998.5869.
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