NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ THE BLANK SOIRÉE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF THE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL ▪︎ SUNDAY, JUNE 4 at 6pm

HOLLYWOOD’S BLANK THEATRE

CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF THE
YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
THE BLANK SOIRÉE
A Benefit Reunion

HONORING CASTING DIRECTOR
APRIL WEBSTER
AND FIVE-TIME YPF WINNER AUSTIN WINSBERG

HOSTED BY BELLAMY YOUNG
Star of ABC-TV’s SCANDAL

SUNDAY, JUNE 4
PROJECT CLUB LA IN HOLLYWOOD

Hollywood’s Blank Theatre has announced The Blank Soirée, A Benefit Reunion celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Young Playwrights Festival, on Sunday, June 4 at 6pm. Hosted by Bellamy Young (star of ABC-TV’s Scandal), the event will honor casting director April Webster and five-time YPF winner Austin Winsberg for their ongoing and tireless efforts on behalf of the Young Playwrights Festival, an LA theatre institution. The event will take place at Project Club LA in Hollywood.

The Blank Soirée will feature a celebration of nearly 300 young playwrights and their amazing work over the last 25 years. Hollywood Councilman Mitch O’Farrell (13th District) will be on hand to present The Blank with a special citation. Past winners, cast members, and creative staff will be joined by special celebrity guests and other surprises. A short documentary on the Festival’s history will be shown and there will be presentations and readings from past Festival works featuring (in alphabetical order) Shawn Ashmore, Deborah S. Craig, Mark Feuerstein, Kat Foster, Nathan Frizzell, Nina Millin, Matthew Scott Montgomery, Eric Nenninger, and Lindsey Rosin. Food, drinks, and music will round out the evening. All celebrity appearances are subject to availability.

Casting director April Webster has worked on an eclectic mix of film, television, and theatre projects including Star Wars, Star Trek, Mission Impossible III, Super 8, Bates Motel, The Strain, Lost, and CSI. She is an Emmy Award-winner and has also received two Media Access Awards, several CSA Artios Awards, and the Hoyt Bowers Award for Excellence in Casting. Austin Winsberg is primarily a writer/producer for film and television. His credits include The Sound of Music Live, Jake in Progress, Gossip Girl, Wedding Album, Standing Still, and Glory Days. He wrote the book for the 2013 Broadway musical First Date which is currently playing around the United States and throughout the world. He is a five-time winner of the Young Playwrights Festival.

Ticket prices for The Blank Soirée are $125 for general admission and $250 for VIP tickets which include a private reception at 5pm, premium reserved seating, and a hosted bar. To purchase tickets online go to www.TheBlank.com or call (323) 871-8018. Project Club LA is located at 6356 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

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05-30-17

Announcing: Listing Info & Play Descriptions – The Blank Theatre’s 20th Annual Young Playwrights Festival

THE BLANK THEATRE
20TH ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Professional actors and directors present 12 winning plays by young playwrights from across the nation during this prestigious four-week festival. Each week is a different evening of three plays. For complete list of plays and performance dates, see schedule below.

DATES:  May 31 – June 24

TIMES:  Thurs/Fri/Sat at 8pm; Sun at 2pm

ADMISSION:  Adults $20 Students $14.  Festival Pass (one seat each week) $64

TICKET INFO:  Available online at www.TheBlank.com, or by calling (323) 661-9827.

LOCATION:  The Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard (at Highland), in Hollywood.

WEEK ONE May 31 – June 3

COFFEE TALK
By Spencer Emerson Opal-Levine (age 9), Sarasota, FL
What do you want to become? Do you have to follow the rules? The denizens of a local Starbucks ask these same questions, but the answers are not what you expect.
Mentor – Ellen Byron
Director – David Shine

THE GRANT PROPOSAL
By Nick Mecikalski (age 18), Madison, AL
In the too-near future, your productivity is very closely watched and charted. This family struggles with what one must do when Grandpa is no longer “useful.”
Mentor – Mark Saltzman
Director – James Kerwin

PRINCESS
By Kate Herzlin (age 19), Rockville Centre, NY
Princess has been sheltered her whole life, as if raised in a fairy tale.  But what should she do if a dream life isn’t her dream?  Can she ever find her true self or must she live everyone else’s version of happily ever after?”
Mentor – Brighde Mullins
Director – April Webster

WEEK TWO June 7 – 10

THE INDEX
By Zachary Weaver (age 15), Overland Park, KS
What if they kept a list of your life accomplishments? What would be in your Index? Maybe you haven’t done anything noteworthy. Does that make you not worthy?
Mentor – Patrick Burleigh
Director – Trevor Bishop

SCRAPBOOK
By Brendan Blaber (age 17), Indian Head Park, IL
The last day at Camp Itchyknee seems like the end of the world. And when you are 12 years old, it just may be. Especially if you haven’t been able to tell the cute girl how much you like her yet.
Mentor – David Rambo
Director – J. Richey Nash

THE ART OF LOSING
By Nicole Acton (age 18), Interlochen, MI
Family matters. It is important to give of yourself to help those that have always helped you. But how much can one give? And for how long? And at what cost?
Mentor – Christopher Kyle
Director – Loni Peristere

WEEK THREE June 14 – 17

DAMMIT!
By David Agronin (age 17), Owings Mills, MD
Len needs to apologize to his girlfriend but she’s not picking up her phone, so he leaves a message.  And then another. And then another. Can he stop digging this terrible hole for himself and ever get back in her arms?
Mentor – Austin Winsberg
Director – Matt Graber

OTHER PEOPLE’S ORGANS
By Paige Roth (age 18), San Antonio, TX
Getting Mom’s attention is never easy, especially when she is so self-obsessed. But Carlton needs more that just that from her mother: she needs to know what really happened to her father.
Mentor – Robert L. Freedman
Director – Ameenah Kaplan

ARC
By Elana Zeltser (age 16), Sherman Oaks, CA
Kacey doesn’t get why she needs to write a paper on Joan of Arc. What could this girl from a million years ago have to do with her? She just might find out, when Joan in her jail cell appears in Kacey’s bedroom.
Mentor – Kelly Miller
Director – Barbara Bain

WEEK FOUR June 21 – 24

BEAR IN MIND
By Emma Steinkellner (age 17), Santa Barbara, CA
Sometimes having a conscience can be a real bear. In Annie’s case it is literally a large British bear who wants her to become respectable. So naturally, she tries to get rid of him.
Mentor – Gary Tieche
Director – Jeff Maynard

ONE PLUS ONE IS FOUR
By Rachel Kaly (age 16), Forest Hills, NY
When a meteor is hurtling it way to earth, about to destroy all in half an hour, is it too late to look for love?
Mentor – Dave Holstein
Director – Warren Davis

THE CARDIOLUTHIER
By Dylan Zwickel (age 19), Manhattan Beach, CA
When your violin strings break, you see a Luthier to get them fixed. But where do you go when you break your heart strings?
Mentor – John Cariani
Director – Michael Matthews

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05-15-12