Playwrights Retreat to Ohio

Information about retreats organized by the Ohio State University Department of Theatre for the International Center for Women Playwrights (ICWP), whose work is archived in Ohio State's Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Going Out With a Bang!

Full evening tonight; no photos--too busy listening and absorbing, and by the time I remembered the camera, I was driving away and the playwrights were headed out for Indian food.

New scenes tonight from Cynthia Wands and Amy Lynne Holland; exciting to watch these plays being developed, scene by scene, over the space of the week. Amy also brought in a short piece, Driving with Goats,
inspired by a news story she found about a foreign driver being arrested for driving 110 miles an hour--and explaining that the reason he was going so fast was that there were no goats getting in the way. A very funny, and charming, piece! Then Nancy Gall-Clayton brought in a full length she'd been revising since early this morning--an intense family drama, with a series of issues about aging and family acceptance, powerful, but with rich humor. We, alas, only had time to read the first act; Nancy promised to bring the second act next year!

Thanks to all the playwrights who attended, and who did such exciting work. A richly rewarding, and heady, week. And thanks to the volunteer actors who participated and made the words come alive; all the playwrights expressed warm appreciation for hearing the words spoken. Cynthia was particularly eloquent on how important it was for her to have the actors' contribution, and how their work revealed a wide range of new facets and possibilities.

So all that's left is the farewell Ohio sweet corn roast tomorrow. Unhappily, Cynthia and Cheryl Conner will be leaving early, so only Amy Lynne Holland, Mrinalini Kamath, and Nancy Gall-Clayton will be able to share corn with volunteer actors. And a great thanks to the playwrights who participated during the week:

Kathy Burkman
Vicki Cheatwood
Cheryl Conner
Emily Davis
Nancy Gall-Clayton
Amy Lynne Holland
Geralyn Horton
Mrinalini Kamath
Kathy Coudle King
Diane Rao
Cynthia Wands

And also thanks to the volunteer performers who turned out:

K Adamson
Mary Bade Von Coeur
Cate Blair-Wilhelm
Irene Braverman
Ryan Britton
Joe Cofer
Jo Fell
Kristina Kopf
Gloria Kraus
Kyle Jepson
John Kuhn
Alex Mack
Kevin McClatchy
Jane Mowder
Ellen Nickles
Angela Palazzolo
Bob Pettigrew
Kal Poole
Carol Shelton
Jessica Studer
Peggy Williams
Sarah Worthington
Tatyana Yassenov

1 Comments:

  • At 2:31 AM, Blogger Nancy Gall-Clayton said…

    Readings by outstanding actors (like those at the retreat) help more than anything in seeing what works and what doesn't in new writing. It was an amazing opportunity for me, and I'm ever so grateful to Alan and all the others who brought their talents and time to make the retreat work so well.

     

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