For Immediate Release: December 13, 2006
Media Contact: Megan Wendell, for Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, 215.242.6393

In February the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia will present the inaugural year of the Philadelphia New Play Festival: Where Theatre Begins from February 8 - 18, 2007. A multi-organizational and region-wide effort, the two-week festival will feature nine main stage World Premieres by the region's leading theatre companies, as well as several readings, symposia, and discussions that share the thrill of giving birth to a new play and celebrate Philadelphia as a hotbed of new play activity.

World Premieres will be presented by Arden Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre Company, The People's Light & Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Prince Music Theater, Theatre Exile, The Vagabond Acting Troupe, Walnut Street Theatre, and The Wilma Theater. Free readings and other events will be presented by several companies, including Flashpoint Theatre Company, Hedgerow Theatre, Madhouse Theater Company, Philadelphia Dramatists Center, and Philadelphia Young Playwrights. (A list of plays and descriptions follows below.)

The Philadelphia New Play Festival has been in development since June of 2005 when a group of Philadelphia artistic directors met to explore the idea of creating a festival of new plays. A collaborative effort to raise awareness of the region as a thriving center for first-class theatre, the New Play Festival is unique around the country in highlighting the wide variety and vibrancy of new work being produced. Rather than representing one centralized artistic point of view, each participating theater is solely responsible for the selection and production of a play that is reflective of its individual mission and theatrical vision. "Producing new plays is risky but also very exciting," says Blanka Zizka, co-Artistic Director of The Wilma Theater. "Everyone involved in rehearsals has to be ready to be flexible, knowing that the play is still being refined and that text will change from day to day. The thought of placing productions of new plays into a city-wide context energized many artistic directors into a stimulating collaboration which I have not seen in Philadelphia theatre before."

Deborah Golden, Executive Director of the Theatre Alliance says, "We are delighted to offer this exciting opportunity to Philadelphia audiences. February will be a thrilling time to experience all that the region's theatre community has to offer, from World Premiere productions to behind-the-scenes discussions with acclaimed playwrights, directors, and dramaturgs."

A Festival Pass will be sold for $20 through the Theatre Alliance which will provide several discounts, including $10 off tickets at Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, and The Wilma Theater; $5 off tickets at InterAct Theatre Company, People's Light & Theatre Company, Prince Music Theater, Theatre Exile, The Vagabond Acting Troupe, and Walnut Street Independence Studio 3; as well as discounts at participating businesses including Astral Plane, Campo's, Chris' Jazz Café, Fork, L2 Restaurant, Moriarty's, Nodding Head, Places Bistro, SOTA Spirit of the Artist, Sotto Varalli, Upstairs at Varralli, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology & Archeology. Details and ticket information for the Philadelphia New Play Festival will be available soon online at www.theatrealliance.org/newplayfestival or by calling (215) 413-7150.

World premieres to be produced in the Festival are:

Dex and Julie Sittin' in a Tree
Arden Theatre Company (Feb. 8 - 18)
by Bruce Graham
directed by James J. Christy
In this world premiere by celebrated Philadelphia playwright Bruce Graham (Coyote on a Fence, Belmont Avenue Social Club, The Philly Fan), college sweethearts Dex and Julie meet 25 years later as he arrives to collect an award from their Pennsylvania alma mater. Michael "Dex" Dexter is a hotshot New York lawyer infamous for defending superstars and deviants. Dr. Julie Chernitsky is a recently widowed English professor with a biting sense of humor. Memories of their romance are rich, and things heat up fast. Filled with snappy dialogue and surprising twists, this bittersweet, two-actor tour-de-force is a must-see for everyone who has fantasized about a different outcome with a former love. Website: www.ardentheatre.org

A House with No Walls
InterAct Theatre Company (Feb. 8 - 18)
by Thomas Gibbons
directed by Seth Rozin
Following the success of Bee-Luther-Hatchee and Permanent Collection, A House With No Walls presents a conflict between two African Americans -- a rising star in the world of academia who has just published a startlingly conservative book and an ultra-liberal, Afro-centric political activist. The battleground for these two opposing forces is the site of the new American Museum of Liberty, which happens to be on the grounds of George Washington's Philadelphia home, including its slave quarters. This dramatic controversy - inspired by real-life events in Philadelphia - serves as a springboard for a volatile debate over whether or not African Americans should embrace the legacy of slavery as their primary identity or discard it as a mantle of "victimhood." A House With No Walls juxtaposes the fictionalized present day conflict with the true story of one of George Washington's slaves as she contemplates escape. Website: www.interacttheatre.org

Anne of Green Gables
The People's Light & Theatre Company (Feb. 8 - 11)
adapted by Peter DeLaurier from the Novel by L. M. Montgomery
directed by Shannon O'Donnell
Matthew Cuthbert and his no-nonsense sister Marilla send for an orphan to help with the farm at Green Gables. But instead of a sturdy boy, they get skinny Anne Shirley, an accident-prone redhead with a natural flair for drama. It doesn't take long though for this imaginative young heroine to work her way into the hearts of her reluctant new parents, and to transform their stodgy, old-fashioned neighbors on Prince Edward Island into a host of "kindred spirits." This new adaptation captures all the spirit of the beloved classic. Best appreciated by ages 7 and up. Website: www.peopleslight.org

Nerds: //A Musical Software Satire
Philadelphia Theatre Company @ Plays & Players Theater (Feb. 8 - 18)
by Jordan Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner, composed by Hal Goldberg
directed by Philip Wm. McKinley
A funny and irreverent musical take on the parallel stories of computer pioneers Bill Gates and Steve Jobs as they blaze from "garage inventors" to warring titans of the computer revolution. With its rollicking tunes and brilliantly off-beat humor, Nerds://A Musical Software Satire celebrates the inner nerd in us all! Website: www.phillytheatreco.com

Stormy Weather Imagining Lena Horne
Prince Music Theater (Feb. 10 - 18)
written by Sharleen Cooper Cohen; music by Cole Porter, Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer, Rodgers & Hart, Jerome Kern, Billy Strayhorn, & more
directed by Michael Bush
A glorious voice. Grace. Brains and beauty, talent and presence. All these were still not enough to make Lena Horne one of the world's greatest entertainers. Above all, she needed grit, courage and tenacity. She battled racism and blazed a trail for African American artists over a 40-year career with many firsts: first African American movie star, first black woman on a national magazine cover. Blacklisted and suspended by MGM, Lena Horne faced professional and personal tragedies that nearly ended her career. Discover her amazing story in this Prince world premiere starring Tony Award-winner Leslie Uggams heading a spectacular company singing a score filled with hits like "The Lady is a Tramp," "You do Something to Me" and of course, "Stormy Weather", plus 20 more. Website: www.princemusictheater.org

Hearts & Soles
Theatre Exile @ Christ Church Neighborhood House (Feb. 8 - 18)
an evening of short works by Bruce Graham, Michael Hollinger, and Arden Kass
directed by Joe Canuso, Deborah Block, and Deb Seif
Theatre Exile will present the Philly Originals, a multi-pronged exploration and presentation of works originated here in Philadelphia. The highlight of the festival will be Hearts & Soles, an evening of short works by Bruce Graham, Michael Hollinger, and Arden Kass. Hearts & Soles is a sexy, smart look at the misfiring of human connection, from lovers to friends to fathers. Website: www.theatreexile.org

The Wedding Consultant
The Vagabond Acting Troupe @ L2 Restaurant (Feb. 8 - 18)
by Eric Singel
directed by Gerre Garrett
One wedding is just like another...unless it's this one! The best man just arrested the mother of the groom; the mother of the other groom is expecting to meet the "bride;" the lesbians are having anger management issues; and no one can find the groom. Or the other groom. Enter The Wedding Consultant from Hell, determined to make your wedding unique, "just like everyone else's." Website: www.vagabondactingtroupe.org

Bookends
Walnut Street Independence Studio 3 (Feb. 8 - 18)
by M. J. Feely
directed by Tom Markus
Jake and Matt were the best of friends. They knew how to work together. They could complete each other's sentences. There were like bookends. Together, they became one of the most successful director/playwright teams in the American theater. In October of 1951, all of that changed. Jackson "Jake" Kale was interrogated by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Lives, careers and friendships were destroyed. Jake and Matt took different paths. Thirteen years later, Matt, his wife Nora and Jake are reunited and given an opportunity to begin a new chapter. Can they heal old wounds and reclaim lost innocence? Or are the memories of a better life all that we have left? Website: www.walnutstreettheatre.org

Enemies, A Love Story
The Wilma Theater (Feb. 9 - 18)
from the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer, adapted for the stage by Sarah Schulman
directed by Jiri Zizka
New York City, 1949. The war is over. The Big Apple blushes with excitement. New hopes rise. Herman, a Holocaust survivor falls in love again, and again, and again. Overcome with guilt and facing the intricacy of pleasing his three wives, he questions his spirituality and God's order on the Lower East Side, Coney Island and in the Bronx. Does a capricious rabbi want to guide him to the peace he seeks? Or simply lay his hands on one of Herman's wives? Adapted from an enticing novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Enemies, A Love Story is a bittersweet and deeply funny tale of a man stumbling towards enlightenment, striving to escape his past but unable to escape his women. Website: www.wilmatheater.org

A full schedule of events, including readings and symposia will be released soon.

Major support for the Philadelphia New Play Festival is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation.

The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia strengthens and leads the region's richly diverse theater community, with more than 100 member organizations and 200 individuals, by promoting awareness and serving as a resource for information, professional development and advocacy. For further information, visit www.theatrealliance.org or call the Theatre Alliance at (215) 413-7150.

To request interviews, photos, press passes, and more information, please contact: Megan Wendell, Canary Promotion, 215-242-6393, megan@canarypromo.com

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