Palm Beach Dramaworks Announces New Year/New Plays Festival

The New Year/New Plays Festival, one of Palm Beach Dramaworks' most popular annual events, will take place online from February 2 - 6, with readings of five intriguing plays that are still in development. Hosted by The Dramaworkshop, the festival provides an opportunity for playwrights to hear their words performed by gifted professionals and to receive feedback from viewers as they continue to refine their work. The goal of The Dramaworkshop in general, and the festival in particular, is to cultivate significant new work for PBD's mainstage and theatres across the country.

The plays are The Science of Leaving Omaha by Carter W. Lewis (7:30pm Wednesday, February 2), Dark Skinned Pavement by TJ Young (7:30pm Thursday, February 3), Past Midnight: A Visit with Larry and Viv by Donna Hoke (7:30pm Friday, February 4), The Chisera by Paula Cizmar (7:30pm Saturday, February 5), and how it feels to fall from the sky by Dominic Finocchiaro (2pm Sunday, February 6). There is also a Playwrights Forum on Saturday afternoon (noon - 1:30pm).

Each play was first presented by PBD's Drama(in the)works series, which features readings of plays in process. The most promising readings are selected for the festival by Producing Artistic Director William Hayes and The Dramaworkshop Manager Bruce Linser, who take audience feedback, among other factors, into account. The plays continue to develop under the auspices of The Dramaworkshop leading up to the festival.

"Although the necessary Covid protocols make it impossible for us to stage the festival live in the theatre this year, we've come to appreciate the intimacy of the Zoom reading format for new plays: it allows us to simply focus on the words, the stories, and the relationships between the characters," said Linser.

"The online platform also enables us to work with a diverse and expanding group of artists - playwrights, directors, and actors - who are new to the PBD family. And when we offered the festival online last season for the first time, we discovered that we were attracting audiences from all over the country."

Tickets for the festival are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at boxoffice@palmbeachdramaworks.org, or by calling the box office

at 561.514.4042 x2. Use ticket promo code NYNP50 for the five-play package discount, or ticket promo code NYNP30 for the two-play package discount. Tickets for the Playwrights Forum are free, but reservations are required.

The executive producers of the New Year/New Plays Festival are Diane & Mark Perlberg. Peggy Bank and Marsha & Stephen Rabb are the producers, and Sandra & Bernie Meyer are the associate producers.

The Plays:

THE SCIENCE OF LEAVING OMAHA

By Carter W. Lewis

Directed by Margaret M. Ledford

Wednesday, February 2 at 7:30pm

Iris feels trapped in her job at a crematory and wants to get out of Omaha. When Baker breaks into the funeral home to say goodbye to his recently deceased wife, he and Iris find themselves trying to understand the dismantling of their working-class lives before their pasts, and the police, catch up with them.

Cast: Catherine Boynton, Elijah Moseley, and Jackie Rivera

DARK SKINNED PAVEMENT

By TJ Young

Directed by Gabe Moses

Thursday, February 3 at 7:30pm

When Harpo's daycare business is threatened, she and her husband are introduced to Dwaylan - a man who can save her from being shut down. But what Dwaylan wants in return might be more than Harpo is willing to give, as the memory of the one child she couldn't protect comes flooding back.

Cast: Rita Cole, Rachel D. Pate, Brandon J. Pierce, Zion Preston, and

Charles Reese

PAST MIDNIGHT: A VISIT WITH LARRY AND VIV

By Donna Hoke

Directed by Mark Perlberg

Friday, February 4 at 7:30pm

Summoned by Vivien Leigh's final companion, Jack Merivale, Sir Laurence Olivier rushes to the apartment where his former wife has been recovering from tuberculosis. Viv and Larry's love story was as legendary as their careers - until devastating mental illness tore them apart. Is it too late for them to make amends?

Cast: William Parry and Maureen Silliman

PLAYWRIGHTS FORUM

Saturday, February 5, noon - 1:30pm

THE CHISERA

By Paula Cizmar

Directed by Emilie Beck

Saturday, February 5, 7:30pm

Set in the Owens Valley in the Eastern Sierra in both 1903 and the present, an early environmental writer and a contemporary scientist confront the questions: What actually constitutes "being green?" And how do we advance the rights of one group without harming another?

Cast: Romi Dias, Liza Fernandez, Steven Sean Garland, Jason Grasl, Dinah Lenney, Erin Ruth Walker, and Leianna Weaver

how it feels to fall from the sky

By Dominic Finocchiaro

Directed by Bruce Linser

Sunday, February 6, 2pm

After witnessing a woman plummet from the sky, five strangers in New York form a support group to process what they have seen. A melancholic dramedy about loneliness, loss, and the unending possibility of salvation through human connection.

Cast: Ben Beckley, Pat Bowie, Reynaldo Piniella, Casey Sacco, and Kristina Wong

For more information, visit www.palmbeachdramaworks.org/program/newplaysfestival or contact the box office at (561) 514-4042.

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