Thursday, March 24, 2011

April Meeting

The April meeting of Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc. will be held on Sunday April 10, 2011 at Common Grounds Coffee House, Lexington, KY. The meeting will run from 2-5 pm and consist of readings of members one act or full-length plays. As time allows 10-minute or shorter works by members or guests will be read and discussed. Additionally, Herman Farrell, Dramatists Guild regional representative will attend and speak briefly about the Guild. Members and non-members of KPA are welcome to attend the meeting. Membership in KPA is open to any Kentuckian who is interested in the development of new works for the stage.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

We are Now IRS Approved!

The Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc. is now approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 nonprofit with all the obligations and opportunities that that entails.

For you, the lover of new works of theatre now reading this, that means that you can now donate some of your hard earned lucre to support our organization that gives opportunities to aspiring playwrights. If you would like to donate, contributions in any amount (now tax deductible! yeah.) may be sent to:

KPW Donation
PO Box 55222
Lexington, KY 40555.

Membership in KPW is open to any Kentuckian who wishes to join. Membership is $10 per year. If you would like to join KPW you may send your dues (which are not generally tax deductible) to:

KPW Dues
PO Box 55222
Lexington, KY 40555

NOTE: Individual circumstances may vary so please consult your tax professional about the tax implications of membership in or donations to the Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Finnigan Productions Presents its fourth Festival of Funky Fresh Fun

Louisville, KY, March 14, 2011 – Finnigan Productions presents its fourth annual festival of new plays by local playwrights, Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun, running April 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, & 23 at 7:30pm at The Rudyard Kipling, located at 422 W. Oak Street. Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun is the second production in Finnigan’s seventh season in Louisville.

Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun is a celebration of local theatre artists in the disciplines of playwriting, acting and directing, with scripts from ten local writers, directed by ten local directors and performed by sixteen local actors. The plays were selected by a committee of theatre artists who regularly contribute to Finnigan shows.

Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun’s plays include a man who swears he sees and hears a singing frog in Looney Tunes by Ben Unwin; a third wheel gets more than he’s bargained for in Roommates by Carlos Manuel; an appliance whisperer set on helping home appliances evolve in Home School by Carolyn Biggs; in the future sex is outlawed but people still want to learn about it in The Librarian by Nancy Gall-Clayton; if you think your job is hard try choir directing in The Da-da, da-da, da-da, da song by Mitch Fields; monkeys explore their humanity in Double Helix by Tad Chitwood; quality family time takes on new meaning in Home Movies by Kevin Gibson; Brittany the transvestite chicken is back in the third installment of the zany adventures of a slightly touched family from London, KY in The Wettest Beak by Sherry R. Deatrick; gypsies, collectors and assholes vie for the object of their affections in Slut for Kush-Balls by Brian Walker; and speed dating hits new…speeds…in Water, water, everywhere… by Bryce Woodard.

Directing credits for Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun are being shared by several local directors, including, Necessary Theatre’s artistic director Tad Chitwood, Pandora Productions’ artistic director Michael Drury, Louisville Repertory Company’s Amy Lewis, StageLab’s founding co-principal Kathi E. B. Ellis, first time director Amelia Pantalos, returning festival director (and winner of last year’s audience favorite play) Becky LeCron, returning director and regular contributing artist George R. Bailey, local actor Jeremy Sapp, playwright Ben Unwin and Finnigan’s Brian Walker.

Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun is being produced by Louisville native and artistic director of Finnigan Productions, Brian Walker and longtime collaborator Kelly Kapp. Walker’s previous writing/producing credits include The Time I was Kidnapped by the Church, Smoke This Play, Great American Sex Play, my daddy’s name is Big Oil, Shot me Down, dirty sexy derby play and ZOMBIE!. Kapp has been a member of Finnigan’s acting company since its first season and serves as drama director at Mercy Academy.

Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun’s cast includes local talents George R. Bailey, Sarah East, Laura Ellis, Natalie Fields, Joe Hatfield, Kelly Kapp, Shaun Kenney, Becky LeCron, Corey Long, Taylor Milks, Kimberly Peterson, Leah Roberts, Michael Roberts, Neill Robertson, Jenn Starr Tennant, Eric Welch and Bryce Woodard.

Reservations for dinner and the show may be made by calling The Rudyard Kipling at 502.636.1311. Tickets are only $12.

Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun was written and conceived by adults for adults and due to adult language and situations, it is not recommended for anyone under the age of seventeen.

Finnigan Productions is a member of the Theatre Alliance of Louisville and the Kentucky Theatre Association.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Looking for Lilith, Looking for Help


Above and below are pictures from the premiere of "Fabric, Fire and Fervor: Women of the Triangle" March 25, 2009 - the 98th anniversary of the fire.
Looking for Lilith, a Louisville-based professional theatre, will perform in NYC on the 100th anniversary of the fire. A benefit performance of the show, to help pay to take the show to New York, is being done Wednesday March 16, 2011 at Natasha's Cafe in Lexington. Tickets are still available.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

A Reminder: Natasha's Next Wednesday-- Be There!

The New York-bound "Fabric, Flames, and Fervor: Girls of the Triangle" is heading to Natasha's Cafe, courtesy of Balagula Theatre this month, Wednesday, March 16. This benefit performance will help Looking for Lilith raise funds to take their original production to the Manhattan Theatre Source, just two blocks away from the original Triangle Factory. Looking for Lilith will perform there the week of March 20, including on the 100th anniversary of the fire, Friday, March 25, 2011. Come to Natasha's and see a little glimpse of New York glamour on Lexington's Esplanade next week!

A review of Fabric, Flames and Fervor can be found at: http://theartslouisville.com/Reviews_2011/kw_fabricflames.php

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Next Meeting to be in Louisville

The next meeting of Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc. will be Sunday March 13, 2011at the Highlands Kroger 2440 Bardstown Road, Louisville from 2-5 pm in the second floor community room. There is plenty of free parking. If you have trouble finding it directions can be obtained on line or by calling the store at 502-459-9805.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Wrigley Field Moves to Minneapolis!

Bill McCann's 10-minute play THERE IS NO WRIGLEY FIELD will be given a staged reading at the Mid-America Theatre Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday March 5, 2011 as part of the conference's Playwriting Symposium. The play will be directed by Phylis Ravel, Marquette University with Martine Kei Green, University of Wisconsin-Madison, serving as dramaturg.

The play takes place in the minutes between the time "David" gets home-- and announces that he wants to leave and consider whether or not he wants to leave his 20 year marriage to "Rita"-- and when Rita pulls rolls for dinner out of the oven. David is to be played by Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, University of Illinois-Springfield. Rita will be performed by Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson, University of Illinois-Springfield.

Bill McCann is a member of the Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc. He is a co-founder with Greta Fields, of 517 Playwrights and a member of Dramatist's Guild. Currently, he is working on a MA in Theatre at the University of Kentucky and working at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, both in Lexington, KY.