CHICAGO – Following the success of their 12th season of productions, culminating with the critically acclaimed Not One Batu, Nothing Without a Company kicks off season 13 with their second annual New World Play Festival (More info on the 2018-19 season announcement coming soon). This year’s festival will take place in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood at Berger Park Cultural Center (6205 North Sheridan Road), with planned dates of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights on October 11-13, October 18-20, and October 25-27. This year’s festival spotlights ten new plays over three weekends that respond to Nothing Without a Company’s mission to present revolutionary acts of art in site-specific and reclaimed environments. Writers respond to the location by writing one-act plays that are workshopped and rehearsed with actors leading up to their world premieres. Writers currently participating are Shae Boyd, Dolores Diaz, Ray Goldberg, Duff Norris, Priyankar Patra, Ellan Read, Aalisha Mehta Sheth, Kevin Sparrow, Marianna Staroselsky and B.J. Tindal. Tickets are now available at nothingwithoutacompany.org.
The Producer of the festival, Kevin Sparrow, who is also a playwright in the festival as well as the Literary Manager of Nothing Without a Company, commented on the idea of working with new plays through the festival: “Although this is our second annual new play festival, it is the first that is running over multiple days with multiple runs of each play. I love that that gives us a chance to see how different audiences react to the work, and in some ways, these productions continue the development process for the writers. It also is a great way to work with a bunch of actors at once, which can be difficult for a smaller theatre company as we tend to have shows that feature much smaller casts. Being able to collaborate in a shortened time frame but with a goal of launching a new play out into the world has been an exciting experience so far, and I personally am enjoying learning as much as I can about different writers’ processes that can help me be even better as a dramaturg and in expressing what we do as a company.
“I think when we were first planning the festival, we were initially looking at genre work to fit the October time-frame, and a lot of what seemed most urgent was addressing the future and even post-apocalyptic visions. But then as we widened the scope from all the different writers who submitted work, ‘New World’ seemed to fit both that original idea and expanding where these plays could be set, all from within Chicago. We do site-specific work, so the city plays a really important role in how our plays are produced and/or written. The New World Play Festival takes that starting point and allows Chicago to be a lens that looks to other parts of the world and all the way into space. It’s great to have so much work that fits our mission, but to also have an opportunity to experiment and expand how site-specificity can serve what we all do as theatremakers.”
The Co-artistic Director of Nothing Without a Company, Anna Rose Ii-Epstein, pointed out the importance of developing new works: “We like working with new plays, new voices and new artists. What are better ways to do that than asking 10 different writers to join us for a new play festival? Most companies’ will workshop in the house, and as a writer you may never get to see your show in front of an audience. We would like to workshop with an audience. We make it clear to the audience that the work is fresh and new, and their participation truly helps the writers to develop more after the fest. With this being done, the festival writers get 3 different audiences to see their play through fresh new eyes. Many companies tend to work with the same writers, the same directors and the same actors. At Nothing Without a Company, you will see fresh faces though a diverse eye, always.”
Festival Schedule:
Weekend 1:
Location: Berger Park Cultural Center Ballroom
Run: Thurs.-Sat., October 11, 12, 13 at 7pm
Directed by Chris Sylvie
#RUWorthy by Marianna Staroselsky
Appreciation Day by Dolores Diaz
Tuesday by B.J. Tindal
All 3 plays are performed on each show night of the week.
Weekend 2:
Location: Waterfront Cafe
Run: Thurs.-Sat., October 18, 19, 20 at 7pm
Directed by Spencer Ryan Diedrick
Flop Sweat by Ray Goldberg
D.P.N.B. by Kevin Sparrow
Natives of Neptune by Ellan Read
All 3 plays are performed on each show night of the week.
Weekend 3:
Location: Berger Dining Room/Sun Room
Run: Thurs.-Sat., October 25, 26, 27 at 7pm
Directed by Christina Casano
The Last Plait by Aalisha Sheth
One Ticket to America by Priyankar Patra
Avery’s Apparition by Shae Boyd
The Youth and Their Fairy Dyke Mothers by Duff Norris
All 4 plays are performed on each show night of the week.
Ticket prices:
— $10 advanced single day tickets until Sunday, October 7.
— $15 single day tickets are starting Monday, October 8.
— $25 festival pass includes three tickets. The patron can use the pass in one weekend with one/two guests or see one performance each weekend during the duration of the festival.
Nothing Without a Company is planting theatre around Chicago with all forms of media to empower self and community through immersive and revolutionary acts of art in site-specific and reclaimed environments.
Website: www.nothingwithoutacompany.org.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NothingWithoutACompanyChicago.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nothingwithoutacompany.
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/NWaCTheatre.