Archived entries for The Blank Theatre Company

NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ THE BLANK THEATRE ACCEPTING SCRIPTS APRIL 15–MAY 15 FOR 2017–2018 LIVING ROOM SERIES

THE BLANK THEATRE ACCEPTING SCRIPTS
APRIL 15–MAY 15 FOR 2017–2018 LIVING ROOM SERIES
Blank Theatre LogoThe Blank Theatre in Hollywood will be accepting script submissions between April 15 and May 15 for its 2017–2018 Living Room Series, which will begin in September.

The Living Room Series (LRS) is a New Play Development program which embodies The Blank’s commitment to developing new work by both established and emerging writers. Submissions by women, playwrights of color, and other under-represented voices are strongly encouraged. The Blank is firmly committed to supporting gender parity and diversity. The LRS takes place on Monday evenings between Labor Day and Memorial Day at The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre. This program offers a week-long collaborative rehearsal process during which the playwright, director, and actors can 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 LRS has developed over 600 new plays. Many 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.
Fifteen plays from the Living Room Series have received mainstage productions at The Blank, including Heads by EM Lewis which won the 2008 Francesca Primus Prize and has had subsequent productions at Theater For A New City and other regional venues. The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) recently awarded Aliza Goldstein its 2016 Ted Schmitt Award for World Premiere of an Outstanding New Play toA Singular They, which was first developed in The Blank’s LRS and received its world premiere on the mainstage in the spring of 2016. The production is currently nominated for seven StageRaw awards, including Outstanding Playwriting.
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04-07-17

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE — FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE BLANK THEATRE’S 24th ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

ANGELIQUE CABRAL, CHRISTOPH SANDERS,
JR BOURNE, SHARON LAWRENCE, SCOTT LOWELL, ANGEL PARKER,
LENNY JACOBSON, JESSY SCHRAM
AND MORE SET TO PARTICIPATE IN
THE BLANK THEATRE’S
24TH ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
JUNE 2—26

Young Playwrights Festival 2016More than 40 actors have been set to participate in The Blank Theatre’s 24th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, including Angelique Cabral (Life In Pieces), Christoph Sanders (Ghost Whisperer, Last Man Standing), JR Bourne (Teen Wolf), Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue), Scott Lowell (Queer As Folk), Angel Parker (Lab Rats, American Crime Story), Lenny Jacobson (Nurse Jackie, Big Time in Hollywood, FL), and Jessy Schram (Nashville, Veronica Mars, Falling Skies). Twelve winning plays by young playwrights aged 16—19 from seven different states will be presented during this year’s festival at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, running from June 2—26.

Other notable performers appearing in Festival plays are (in alphabetical order) Max Adler (Glee), Juliette Angelo, Cole Bernstein, Grace Bethany, Scarlett Byrne (Harry Potter, Falling Skies), Jake Cherry (Night at the Museum), Deborah S. Craig (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Paul Eiding, Jen Eldridge, Chase Ellison, Julie Ann Emery (Fargo, Better Call Saul), Elisha Henig, Eric Ladin (American Sniper, The Brink), Casey McCormick Leach, Ethan Lee, Mackenzie Lintz, Oliviana Marie, Austin Mincks, Amir Mitchell-Townes (Girl Meets World), Eric Nenninger (Wet Hot Summer, First Day of Camp, Generation Kill), Lily Nicksay (Boy Meets World, The Blank’s A Singular They), Tim Peper, Cait Pool, Hannah Prichard (The Blank’s A Singular They), Sarah Jo Provost, Jazz Raycole, Jordan Rivera, Will Ropp, Sloane Morgan Siegel, Ben Stillwell (Teen Wolf, Murder in the First), Jennifer Stone (Wizards of Waverly Place), Kitty Swink, and Joey Voccia.

The Blank Theatre’s 24th Annual Young Playwrights Festival runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm, beginning June 2 and running through June 26 at the Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard (at Highland), in Hollywood. Each week’s program includes three plays. Tickets are $20 for adults and $14 for students. Festival Passes, which include one ticket for each week, are $68 for adults and $48 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at www.theblank.com or by calling (323) 661-9827.

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05-25-16

 

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

Young Playwrights Festival 2016Now 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.

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05-03-16

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