UPDATES

The play contest is really going well: less than a month into the submission period we have received almost half of the submissions. At this rate we might very well reach 100 submissions by the end of March. So please get your submission in ASAP.

The next meeting of 517 Playwrights is scheduled for March 1, 2009. Anyone who wishes to may attend the meeting at the Northside branch of the Lexington Public Library. Bring a play you would like to have read. Not finished? Get busy! Time is a wasting.

Coming Soon!

Pictures from the recent play reading will be posted in the next few days. Check back so you can put playwright names and faces together!

Last Sunday in January?

So far the last Sunday in January 2009 is the leading candidate to be the next time 517 Playwrights will meet to conduct a reading of new plays. Any other suggestions? Leave a comment and let us know when you'd like to have another new plays reading. Thanks.

Four Playwrights Met

We started small yesterday-- but we started. Altogether, four playwrights-- Greta Fields, Steve Taylor, Bruce Williams and myself met to read plays we'd written. Each playwright brought a play, or an excerpt from a play and the four of us spent about 3 hours reading and discussing the scripts that we had on hand.

Bruce Williams is from Georgetown and author of a play that is actually in production; Steve Taylor, from Frankfort will see three of his short plays produced in January 2009. Greta Fields, from Whitesburg and Lexington and myself (from Lexington) are the cofounders of 517 Playwrights and do not have plays in production.

While we were few in number, we were high in enthusiasim and expect to hold another play reading in January 2009.

I'm Sorry

I've had two people contact me through the twitter account that they came but couldn't find us yesterday-- which probably means that others came, but didn't complain. I appologise to you all. I am so sorry that our communications were not what they should have been. I'll keep working to improve that. In the meantime, please don't give up. Those who came yesterday were enthusiastic about the need for a playwright's group. So please stay in touch. There will be a second meeting, some time in January 2009.

Come Rain or Come Shine

As I write this it is 6:00 am, and raining hard outside. But the show must go on! The initial meeting of 517 Playwrights will be held today at 3563 Georgetown Road, beginning at 2:00 pm, regardless of the weather.

Even if you have not signed up before, you are welcome to join us. You need not bring a play to participate. You need not be a playwright. All you need to be is interested in new plays whether as an actor, audience member, director or playwright; heck, you can be a theatre critic and come. Everyone is welcome!

Come one, come all and meet Lexington area playwrights who have scripts that they want to share.

Its not too late!

Join us tomorrow at 3563 Georgetown Road, Lexington, KY for our first new play reading opportunity. Leave you name and the number of people coming with you as a "comment" and come join us! Nothing else is required. As of today, I am expecting about 14 people. But there is room for more people, maybe a dozen more. So don't be shy. Come join us.

Directions: From New Circle Road (in Lexington) take the Georgetown Road exit (US 25) head out of town (towards Georgetown) and go four miles. Look for the baloons that will mark the drive and voila, you're at the inaugeral meeting of 517 Playwrights! See ya at 2:00 pm.

One thing read our "Rules" so you can know what to expect!

If you have a play you'd like read bring it along with enough copies so that our readers don't have to crowd around a single (or only a few) scripts. Thanks.

Need more information about us? Read the other entries on this blog.

For up to the moment information you can also visit us at twitter.com/517Playwrights

Bring Plays and Copies of Plays

You do not need to be a playwright to attend the reading of new plays this Sunday afternoon; all who have an interest in new plays are invited. However, if you are a playwright and do want to hear one of your plays read, please bring enough copies to make the reading of your play easier. Ideally, we'd like you to bring one copy for every character-- 4 characters = 4 copies. On the other hand if a character has a single line, or does not speak, then fewer copies are fine. Please just keep in mind that if six readers are sharing a single script that you are less likely to get a true feel for how your script "sounds." In short, use common sense in determining how many copies of the script are necessary.

Newspaper article now online!

The Rich Copley newspaper article about 517 Playwrights that originally appeared in the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader on November 23, 2008 is now available online at:
http://copiousnotes.bloginky.com/

Please RSVP

If you can come to the play reading this weekend, please let us know. As of right now we are expecting about a dozen people. The house where we're meeting could probably hold double that, perhaps more. However, as with any "party" we need to know how many to plan for. If you don't know if you can come for sure, tell us you're coming: better too many snacks than not enough.

Just send us a comment. Give us your first name and the number of people who will be coming with you. Thanks.