NEWS RELEASE — THE BLANK THEATRE’S 24th ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL CHOOSES WINNERS

THE BLANK THEATRE’S 24TH ANNUAL
YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
CHOOSES WINNERS
12 PLAYS BY THE NATION’S BRIGHTEST YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS
WILL BE PERFORMED AT
THE STELLA ADLER THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD
JUNE 2 — 26, 2016

Now celebrating its 24th Anniversary, The Blank Theatre’s Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival has chosen 12 plays by playwrights aged 16—19 from seven different states. These plays will be presented by professional actors and directors in this year’s Festival at The Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, June 2—26.

Said Noah Wyle (star of television’s ER and Falling Skies), Artistic Producer at The Blank, “Each Spring for the past 23 years, The Blank has found the freshest, most original voices in the American theatre, invited them to Los Angeles, and promoted their work during a month-long festival in June. This thought provoking work, performed and directed by seasoned professionals, has entertained thousands of audience members over the years. While these authors are often as different as the states from which they come and the subjects with which they deal, they share something truly improbable. They’re teenagers.” Wyle continued, “These are not only the voices of today’s theatre — they are the voices of tomorrow’s as well.”

Producing Director Heather Provost added, “I am especially pleased that 11 out of 12 Festival winners this year are female. Gender parity in our industry is so important and I’m happy that we are contributing to the balance.”

This year’s winning plays are: VICTIMOLOGY by Rachel Linton, Washington, DC, Age 18; AGE-SEX-LOCATION by Honor Levy, Los Angeles, CA, Age 18; MIND GAMES by Sarah Holland, Austin, TX, Age 18; SUPERMARKET OF LOST by Casandra Hsiao, Walnut, CA, Age 16; ABOUT ART by Alexa Derman, Westfield, NJ, Age 19; BITING ELEPHANTS by Sarah Steuer, Memphis, TN, Age 19; LAZY BOY by Charlotte Leavengood, St. Petersburg, FL, Age 16; GWENDOLYN by Dylan Schifrin, Sherman Oaks, CA, Age 17; LOVELY MADNESS by Ariella Carmell, Chicago, Age 16; DOESN’T THAT SOUND LOVELY? by Gabrielle Poisson, Boonton Township, NJ, Age 17; OVEREXPOSURE by Lani Kording, Costa Mesa, CA, Age 18; and STICK AND POKE by Johanna Stone, Altadena, CA, Age 17.

A panel of theatre professionals chose from 200 plays submitted by young writers across the nation. Winning playwrights are next assigned a mentor, and then a professional director who will help them hone their scripts for four public performances with professional actors. This year’s mentors include David Rambo (Revolution, Empire, CSI), Dave Holstein (Weeds, Raising Hope), Ellen Byron (Just Shoot Me, Wings), Gary Tieche (Medium), Kit Steinkellner (four-time YPF winner), Beth Bigler (The Real Housewives of Atlanta and three-time YPF winner), Bert V. Royal (Dog Sees God), Austin Winsberg (five-time YPF winner), Adam Lapidus, Robert L. Freedman, Scott Damian, and Adam Belanoff. This year’s directors are (in alphabetical order) Barbara Bain, June Carryl, Guillermo Cienfuegos, Warren Davis, Bjørn Johnson, Doug Oliphant, Loni Peristere, Christopher J. Raymond, Michael A. Shepperd, Laura Stribling, Richard Tatum, and April Webster.

Over the past 23 years, The Blank has produced 272 plays by young playwrights. Eleven of those plays or playwrights have gone on to be presented on The Blank’s mainstage. Additionally, many of the plays have been nominated for LA theatre awards, including an Ovation Award for Best Writing—World Premiere, and an LA Weekly Award for Best One-Act Playwriting. Other alumni playwrights are populating the nation’s theatres and sound stages with their work. Many YPF winners have gone on to successful writing careers on Broadway, are filling regional stages, and have created network TV shows. Alumnus winner Stephen Karam has been a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is currently Tony Award-nominated for Best Play for The Humans, a hit on Broadway this season.

This year’s YPF is made possible in part by The Bloomberg Philanthropies, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Rosenthal Family Foundation, The Plum Foundation, and the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

The Blank Theatre’s 24th Annual Young Playwrights Festival runs June 2—26 at the Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood. The performance schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Each week’s program includes three plays, and admission is $20 for adults and $14 for students. Festival passes, which are good for one ticket each week of the festival, are $68 for adults and $48 for students. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.TheBlank.com, or via phone by calling (323) 661-9827.

# # #

05-03-16

NEWS RELEASE — THE BLANK THEATRE LAUNCHES CROWDSOURCING CAMPAIGN AT GENEROSITY.COM ON MONDAY

THE BLANK THEATRE
LAUNCHES CROWDSOURCING CAMPAIGN
AT generosity.com
TO BENEFIT THE THEATRE’S
LIVING ROOM SERIES

The Blank Theatre (Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director; Noah Wyle, Artistic Producer; Heather Provost, Producing Director), a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, has announced a first ever generosity.com crowdsourcing campaign to raise funds for its Living Room Series play development program. With a goal of raising $10,000, the campaign begins on Monday, April 11.

Now in its 24th year, the Living Room Series is a New Play Development program which embodies The Blank’s commitment to developing new work by both established and emerging writers. The Living Room Series takes place on Monday evenings between Labor Day and Memorial Day at The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre. This program offers a week-long rehearsal process for the playwright, director, and actors to explore and refine the play before presenting it to an audience. The performances are minimally staged with actors carrying scripts and are a wonderful opportunity for the playwright to get a sense of the play’s full potential.

The Living Room Series develops and produces approximately 30 new plays each year. Many of these plays have later received productions at venues including Manhattan Theatre Club, Transport Group, Laguna Playhouse, Malibu Playhouse, The Colony Theatre, Primary Stages, Vineyard Theatre, LaMaMa ETC, and Brideswell Theatre in London. In 2014 The Explorer’s Club by Nell Benjamin (twice developed in the LRS) was produced by Manhattan Theatre Club where it won the NY Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off Broadway Play.

Generosity is a fundraising community built for personal and social causes. Generosity is about compassion — not fees. The Generosity community is free of the fees common to most fundraising platforms, which means users keep more money for their causes. Generosity was built to give Indiegogo users a new community for showing and sharing their compassion through personal fundraising. Generosity helps cancer patients with bills and students with tuition. It boosts humanitarian efforts into new countries and helps nonprofits move quickly with their causes. It fills the gap at the end of a tough month and supports the village after the storm. Generosity is human goodness on a grand scale. To learn more, visit https://www.generosity.com.

Started in 1990 by Founding Artistic Director Daniel Henning, The Blank Theatre is Hollywood’s resident theatre, consistently offering some of the most high quality and entertaining productions in the area. In its 26-year history, The Blank has won hundreds of awards including every major award in Los Angeles for Outstanding Production (LA Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly, NAACP, and Back Stage Garlands). The Blank has been at the forefront of providing high quality productions with a risk-taking sensibility and entertaining experiences. With programs such as its Living Room Series and its annual nationwide Young Playwrights Festival, The Blank Theatre is committed to developing excellence in artistic talent and providing the opportunity for artists to take bold risks. For more info, please visit www.TheBlank.com.

# # #

04-06-16

NEWS RELEASE — HEATHER PROVOST NAMED PRODUCING DIRECTOR OF HOLLYWOOD’S BLANK THEATRE

HEATHER PROVOST
NAMED PRODUCING DIRECTOR
OF HOLLYWOOD’S BLANK THEATRE

Heather Provost has been named The Blank Theatre’s new Producing Director, it was announced today by Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director and Noah Wyle, Artistic Producer.

Heather Provost is a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Award-nominated producer. Critically acclaimed hits on Broadway include Reasons To Be Pretty by Neil LaBute (three Tony nominations including Best Play), and the musical [title of show] (Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical). She produced the hugely successful Under My Skin segment of ‘The Pink Campaign’ on Broadway for which all proceeds went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation and she also produced and directed the California Theatre’s acclaimed productions of Driving Miss Daisy and Love Letters. Provost produced the short film Harmony starring Jason Alexander and just wrapped the feature film Racing Colt which she produced and co-directed. She is currently producing the Broadway-bound play Coffee Stains and the musical V-V-Voice. Current feature films include Among, Harmony, and A December Destiny. Other credits include Page To The Stage, History of Musical Theater, Reality Check, Who Knew?…The In-the-Know Travel Show, and Chix 6. She is founding partner at Provost Entertainment Inc., and was on the faculty at The Commercial Theater Institute in New York City.

Said Founding Artistic Director Daniel Henning, “I am so looking forward to beginning this new journey with Heather as the Producing Director of The Blank. She is the perfect fit for our cutting-edge new work. Her sensibilities and experience will help The Blank reach new heights and new audiences. We are lucky to have her on our team for this exciting time in our history.”

“We are thrilled to have Heather joining us at The Blank,” said Artistic Producer Noah Wyle. “Her energy, creativity, and experience make her a perfect fit for The Blank’s numerous programs. I’m really excited to see what we can create together in the coming years.”

The Blank’s upcoming world premiere production of A Singular They by Aliza Goldstein begins previews on March 19. Directed by Christopher J. Raymond, the cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Nick Ballard, Lily Nicksay, and Hannah Prichard. Preview performances begin on Saturday, March 19 at 8pm and continue on Sunday, March 20 at 2pm, and Tuesday through Friday, March 22—25 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, March 26 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule will be Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through May 1. Tickets are $25 for previews and $30 for regular performances and may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com or via phone at (323) 661-9827. The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (on Theatre Row at Wilcox), in Hollywood, 90038.

# # #

03-08-16