PlayPenn, Philadelphia’s professional new play development organization, will hold its fourth annual New Play Development Conference on July 10-July 27 at both the Adrienne Theater and the Playground (2030 Sansom Street) in Philadelphia. The Conference will feature two weeks of intensive work on six works-in-progress by Peter Bonilla (A Human Equation), Jennifer Haley (Breadcrumbs), Lila Rose Kaplan (Wildflower), James McLindon (Saving Grace), Gregory S. Moss (House of Gold), and Silva Semerciyan (Another Man’s Son). The Conference will culminate in staged readings of the plays on July 24, 25, 26 and 27, which are free and open to the public. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 215-568-1434.

“The goal of the conference is the development of plays, through a process of collaboration, experimentation, rehearsal and rewriting, rather than offering fully realized productions of finished works. We focus on playwrights’ needs by providing a laboratory environment and the necessary tools for playwrights, making the fundamental work of the theatre possible without the constraints and pressures of production, promotion and commercial consideration,” said Paul Meshejian, Artistic Director of PlayPenn.

This year will feature a new addition to the New Play Development Conference. There will be two readings of plays which need to be heard by an audience, but whose writers may not need or benefit from the intensive writing support from the rest of the Conference. There will be a reading of Any Given Monday by Bruce Graham on July 18 at 8:00 PM; Dear Brutus, adapted from J.M. Barrie by Jeffrey Hatcher on July 21 at 8:00 PM.

“This year we are also broadening the impact of the Conference by offering readings by writers who simply want to take advantage of the feedback of hearing their work aloud,” explained Meshejian. “This allows us at the Conference to accommodate a larger pool of writers at different stages of their careers and to adapt to writers whose plays are in varying stages in their evolution.”

The plays that will be developed during two-week workshops during the Conference are as follows:

A Human Equation by Peter Bonilla is a provocative drama about Kenneth Feinberg, the special master of the fund created by Congress to compensate 9/11 victims, who finds himself elevated to a position of influence unequaled in American history. His task: to place unique values on each of the 3,000 lives that had been lost. In the course of his nearly 1,000 meetings with the families of 9/11, Feinberg becomes a lightning rod for their outrage, comes face to face with their grief and fear, and is forced to reconsider his most basic notions of human character and strength. A Human Equation, directed by Casey Stangl with Michele Volansky as dramaturg, will be read on Friday, July 25 at 8:00 PM.

Breadcrumbs by Jennifer Haley is a heartwarming story of a reclusive fiction writer who, when diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers, must depend on a young, chaotic nursing student to help her write her last book - an autobiography. As the two journey into the dark woods of her past, they explore the nature of language, loneliness, and essential self. Breadcrumbs, directed by Katie Pearl with Greg Romero as dramaturg, will be read on Thursday, July 24 at 8:00 PM.

Wildflower by Lila Rose Kaplan takes place in Crested Butte, the Wildflower Capital of Colorado. When a single mother and her troubled son arrive, they encounter an ex-drag queen, an air force pilot, and a curious young woman. These five disparate souls are thrust into a summer of botany and sexual awakening. Wildflower, directed by Sarah Rasmussen with Larry Loebell as dramaturg, will be read on Sunday, July 27 at 5:00 PM.

Saving Grace by James Mclindon is a dark comedy that turns religion upside down. Jack, taught by his second grade nun that a perfect Confession just before death guarantees heaven, has intentionally lived as evil a life as he could imagine. As he now lies on his deathbed about to put his theory to the test, enter the soul-weary Father Gallagher to hear the most bizarre confession of his career. Saving Grace, directed by Rick DesRochers with Rebecca Wright as dramaturg, will be read on Saturday, July 26 at 2:00 PM.

House of Gold by Gregory S. Moss is the story of a Very Famous Dead Little Girl who doesn’t know she’s dead, and a 13-year old white boy who wants to grow up to be a black adult. The Girl, summoned back to a purgatorial version of her own house, negotiates the minefield of adult desire, searching for a safe place to call her own. House of Gold, directed by Holly Derr with Gavin Witt as dramaturg, will be read on Sunday, July 27 at 2:00 PM.

In Another Man’s Son by Silva Semerciyan, an Armenian family is forced to confront the hidden consequences of genocide. Set in Beirut, 1958, the play explores the themes of love, loyalty, and filial duty. Lucine is an ambitious young nurse with a tyrannical father, five younger sisters, and a mother who refuses to leave her bedroom. When she falls pregnant out of wedlock, she must choose between her future and the welfare of others. Another Man’s Son, directed by Laura Kepley with Michele Volansky as dramaturg, will be read on Saturday, July 26 at 8:00 PM.

The Conference will also feature two symposia, which will explore the rewards and challenges of developing and producing new work. “Expectations? Audience, Playwright and Producer” moderated by Rick DesRochers, kicks off the final weekend of Conference on Thursday, July 24th at 6:00 PM at the Playground. The panel will also include Gary Garrison, Terry Nolen, and Lucy Thurber. Friday, July 25th at 6:00 PM will feature the symposium “Is Idealism Still Possible in the American Theatre?” moderated by Michele Volansky with panelists Celise Kalke, Todd London, and Karen Hartman.

In looking to support future playwrights, the Conference will present the work of young playwrights, interns for PlayPenn’s conference, who, under the direction and guidance of Michael Hollinger, will have been mirroring the process of the other playwrights during the two-week Conference. These works will be read on Saturday, July 26 at 12:00 Noon.

PlayPenn is committed to the development of new plays, the advancement of new voices in the theatre both locally and nationally, and the cross-fertilization of writers, directors, dramaturgs, and actors. PlayPenn is made possible through the generous support of the Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trusts A and B and new major grants from, among others, the Dramatists Guild Fund, the Samuel S. Fels Fund, the Newman’s Own Foundation. A pre-conference retreat for PlayPenn participants and additional play readings are made possible in part by a grant from the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts. For further information, please call 215-242-2843.

2008 NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Friday, July 18
8:00 PM ANY GIVEN MONDAY by Bruce Graham

Monday, July 21
8:00 PM DEAR BRUTUS adapted from J.M. Barrie by Jeffrey Hatcher

Tuesday, July 22
8:00 PM Play to be announced

Thursday, July 24
6:00 PM Symposium: Expectations? Audience, Playwright and Producer Moderated by Rick DesRochers
8:00 PM BREADCRUMBS by Jennifer Haley Directed by Katie Pearl

Friday, July 25
6:00 PM Symposium: Is Idealism Still Possible in the American Theatre? Moderated by Michele Volansky
8:00 PM A HUMAN EQUATION by Peter Bonilla Directed by Casey Stangl

Saturday, July 26
Noon Staged Reading of original works from Young Playwrights
2:00 PM SAVING GRACE by James McLindon Directed by Rick DesRochers
8:00 PM ANOTHER MAN’S SON by Silva Semerciyan Directed by Laura Kepley

Sunday, July 27
2:00 HOUSE OF GOLD by Gregory Moss Directed by Holly Derr
5:00 PM WILDFLOWER by Lila Rose Kaplan Directed by Sarah Rasmussen

All performances, which are free, will take place in the Playground or the Adrienne Theatre at 2030 Sansom Street.

For reservations call 215-568-1434.

For press information, call Fleischman Gerber & Associates at 215-735-7356