2015 OHIO UNIVERSITY SEABURY QUINN, JR. PLAYWRIGHTS’ FESTIVAL
The Visiting Mentors for the OHIO UNIVERSITY SEABURY QUINN, JR. PLAYWRIGHT’S FESTIVAL are:
Director of the Apprentice Company at Actors Theater of Louisville, Michael Legg.
Steppenwolf’s Literary Manager, Aaron Carter.
Executive Director of Indiana Repertory Theater, Janet Allen.
Michael Legg is in his eighth season as Director of the Apprentice/Intern Company at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where he¹s directed world-premieres of plays by A. Rey Pamatmat, Laura Jacqmin, Dan Dietz, Kyle John Schmidt, Marco Ramirez, Carmen Herlihy, Alison Moore, and many others. Before coming to Actors, he spent three years as a theatrical agent in New York and his former clients can still be seen on Broadway, in television/film, and in regional theatres across the country. Prior to his time in New York, he spent seven years teaching and directing and has recently served as a guest artist at several universities, including the University of Central Florida, the University of Idaho, and Ohio University. He also serves as the Artistic Director of the Wildwind Performance Lab in Texas and has taught for and worked extensively with the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival. He holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is a proud member of Actors Equity.
Janet Allen is currently the Executive Director of Indiana Repertory Theater. Creating world-class professional theatre for Central Indiana audiences of all ages has remained a career-long passion for Janet Allen. She began at the IRT in 1980 as the theatre’s first literary manager–dramaturg. After four years in New York City, she returned to serve ten years as associate artistic director under mentors Tom Haas and Libby Appel. She was named the IRT’s fourth artistic director in 1996. Janet studied theatre at Illinois State University, Indiana University, and Exeter College, Oxford. As a classical theatre specialist, she has published and taught theatre history and dramaturgy at IUPUI and Butler. Janet’s leadership skills and community service have been recognized by Indianapolis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” Award, the Network of Women in Business–IBJ’s “Influential Women in Business” Award, Safeco’s Beacon of Light in Our Community Award, a Distinguished Hoosier Award conferred iby Governor Frank O’Bannon, Girls Inc.’s Touchstone Award for Arts Leadership, and the Indiana Commission on Women’s “Keeper of the Light” Torchbearer Award.
Aaron Carter is currently the director of new play development at Steppenwolf Theater Company where he has served as dramaturg on such projects as The Way West by Mona Mansour, and Airline Highway by Lisa D’Amour. Previously, he served as the Literary Manager at Victory Gardens Theater where he played a key role in the IGNITION Festival, and was involved in the production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, Year Zero, Love Person and Living Green, among others. As a new play developer and dramaturg, Aaron has worked with many theaters and labs including WordBRIDGE, the Kennedy Center, Timeline Theater, Route 66 and Chicago Dramatists. Aaron also teaches courses in playwriting, dramaturgy and dramatic literature at Northwestern University, De Paul University, Roosevelt University and Grinnell College. As a playwright, Aaron’s work focuses on race, faith and obscure performance skills. Aaron’s play Gospel of Franklin was part of First Look 2013 at Steppenwolf. His latest play is Start Fair.
(Some Bio Information pulled from Indiana Repetory Theater’s Website.)
FEATURED PRODUCTIONS*
Presented in the Forum Theater, RTV Building
Dauphin Island
by Jeffry Chastang
Directed by Kerry Glamsch
April 15th, 18th, 23rd
& 24th at 8:00pm
April 18th at 2:00pm
Only Good Things Happen at the Fair
by Neal Adelman
Directed by Shelley Delaney
April 16th, 17th, 22nd & 25th
at 8:00pm
April 25th at 2:00pm
*Tickets for the Featured Productions are $5 general admission or FREE for OU Students (with valid student ID) through Arts for Ohio; available at the Templeton–Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium box office.
STAGED READINGS
Presented in the Elizabeth Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
Thursday, April 23th
Karate Hottie
by Catherine Weingarten
Directed by Ryan Holihan
Dramaturg: Erin Baker
1:00 pm (Free admission)
ChocolateSexPuppyTacos (A Non-Denominational Comedy)
by Tyler Whidden
Directed by Aurora Held
4:00 pm (Free admission)
Fools’ Gold
by Morgan Patton
Directed by Patrick Wagstaff
8:00 pm (Free admission)
Friday, April 24th
The Random House
by Aaron J. Johnson
Directed by Neal Adelman
Dramaturg: Erin Baker
2:00 pm (Free admission)
Saturday, April 25th
Tight End
by Rachel Bykowski
1:00pm (Free admission)
Bait Shop
by Ryan Patrick Dolan
4:00pm (Free admission)
Dauphin Island
by Jeffry Chastang
Directed by Kerry Glamsch
8:00 pm – April 15th, 23rd & 24th;
2:00 pm – April 18th, Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
Suspicion and fascination dovetail when en route from Detroit to a new job on Dauphin Island Selwyn Tate interrupts the self-imposed isolation of Kendra in the Alabama piney woods. DAUPHIN ISLAND dramatizes the risks involved when two displaced souls intertwine.
Tickets for the Featured Productions are $5 general admission or FREE for OU Students (with valid student ID) through Arts for Ohio; available at the Templeton–Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium box office.
Only Good Things Happen at the Fair
by Neal Adelman
Directed by Shelley Delaney
8:00 pm – April 16th, 17th & 22nd;
2:00 pm – April 25th, Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
Sheriff Lonnie Murdock knows that the facts are only ten percent of the truth and the truth is: his son needs to get off his skinny ass and go to the fair. I mean: it’s tradition. But Jason can’t cause he’s a bad man and he knows it, no matter what Heather Ann has to say. Only Good Things Happen at the Fair is a play about the inheritance of masculinity and poorly taxidermied animals.
Tickets for the Featured Productions are $5 general admission or FREE for OU Students (with valid student ID) through Arts for Ohio; available at the Templeton–Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium box office.
KARATE HOTTIE
Written by Catherine Weingarten
Directed by Ryan Holihan
1:00 pm, Thursday April 23rd, Elizabeth Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
When 16-year-old, Dart fell in love with her sexy, manly 37-year-old karate instructor she didn’t know she would engage in something that promises to be way more complicated and way more wrong and way more HOT than she ever thought it could be 😉
Written by Tyler Whidden
4:00 pm, Thursday April 23rd, Elizabeth Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
Chris is the preacher of a failing ministry and Josh is a stand-up comedian who made his name off dick jokes. When Josh rolls into Chris’ chapel, the two brothers find themselves back into their old routine of name-calling and slap-fighting, just in time for the chapel’s five-year anniversary festivities. Can comedy save God?
FOOLS’ GOLD
Written by Morgan Patton
Directed by Patrick Wagstaff
8:00 pm, Thursday April 23rd, Elizabeth Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
Portia is a lawyer with a clear-cut set of morals, but when she realizes that the man she’s falling for is in trouble with the law for doing something he felt was right, it suddenly seems like a moral grey area. She finds herself wondering, perhaps for the first time, whether the ends really do justify the means, or if she’s just compromising her identity because of the feelings she has for him. And if so, is that such a bad thing?
RANDOM HOUSE
Written by Aaron J. Johnson
Directed by Neal Adelman
2:00 pm, Friday April 24th, Elizabeth Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
After her grandparents’ untimely deaths, Rory, and her mother Rose, must settle their estate. To make matters worse, her grandparents were hoarders and there’s piles and piles of junk to sift through. As Rory goes through the remains of her grandparents’ cluttered lives, searching for meaning in her own, her estranged uncle Ryder comes into town also searching for something. Something that Rory and Rose might not be willing to give.
TIGHT END
Written & Directed by Rachel Bykowski
1:00 pm, Saturday April 25th, Elizabeth Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
Ash (believe me, you do not want to call her “Ashley”) Miller’s dream is to catch the winning touchdown pass for the Westmont High Titans’ Homecoming game. Football is in her blood, but in order to make the team, Ash will have to prove she is one of the guys even if that means sacrificing her body for the love of the game.
BAIT SHOP
Written & Directed by Ryan Patrick Dolan
4:00 pm, Saturday April 25th , Elizabeth Baker Theater, Kantner Hall
John, 40, has been working at his bait shop in Northern Michigan all his life. He’s got his fishin’, drinkin’, buddies and is livin’ the good life. He’s also been known to enjoy the company of the college-aged waitresses, who come up during the summer to make money. As he befriends a new waitress, Lauren, he receives startling news about a friend. At the same time, Janet, the first of his life, reappears out of nowhere. As John and Lauren’s friendship grows, John has to come face-to-face with his life choices, and the question: is it too late to change his path?