rpdolan

Formby Named National 10-Minute Play Winner

Third year MFA Dana Lynn Formby has been named the 2009 National 10-minute Play Award-winner for her play Armed with Peanut Butter by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. The play received a staged reading at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC during the national festival on April 18th. Formby’s accomplishment marks the third time in five years that an OU playwright has been selected as a national finalist.

Formby Invited to 2009 WordBRIDGE Playwrights Lab

Third year MFA Dana Lynn Formby has been invited to workshop her play “Corazon de Manzana” at the WordBRIDGE Playwright’s Lab this coming June. During the lab she will have two weeks of rehearsals with professional actors, director and dramaturg. Three OU MFA playwrights were selected as semi-finalists this year — Formby, David Robinson and 2007 alum Merri Biechler. For more on WordBRIDGE: http://wordbridge.org/.

Jacqmin to be Produced at Steppenwolf

2007 MFA Alum Laura Jacqmin’s new play SKI DUBAI will be produced in Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 5th Annual First Look Repertory of New Work this summer, directed by Lisa Portes. The play will receive four and a half weeks of rehearsal followed by 9 public performances. (http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2009/03/26/announcing-the-5th-annual-first-look-rep-2/) Additionally, her short play SPACE appears in 24 x 24: The 24 Hour Plays Anthology, now available through Playscripts, Inc. Her short play MENUS was just produced by Painted Filly Theatre Company in Dublin, Ireland.

Update: First Year MFA at Capital Stage and Babes With Blades

Current 1st Year MFA Playwriting student Reina Hardy’s full-length play, “Erratica,” will have its professional premiere at Capital Stage Theatre in Sacramento on July 11th, 2009. Capital Stage, which has been called the city’s “Best Professional Theatre,” selected “Erratica” for a full production when it appeared as part of the inaugural Playwrights Revolution Festival in June 2008. For more info: http://www.capstage.org/thePlaysSeason0809.htm andhttp://www.capstage.org/specialProgramsPlaywrightsRevolution.htm. Additionally, Reina’s play “Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” will be workshopped at “Babes with Blades” in Chicago this summer: http://www.babeswithblades.org/plays.htm. (“Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” received honorable mention at the KC/ACTF Region 3 festival this past January.)

2003 MFA Alum Jacquelyn Reingold’s Episodes of HBO Show

The first IN TREATMENT of Season 2 will air on HBO, this Sunday, April 5th, 9:00 pm, written by MFA alumnus Jackie Reingold. The show stars Gabriel Byrne and Hope Davis, directed by Paris Barclay. Reingold wrote the “Mia” episodes, which will air on Sundays at 9:00 for the next seven weeks. If you’re curious about the show, check out the website: http://www.hbo.com/intreatment/. The other writers include: Keith Bunin, Warren Leight, Marsha Norman, and Sarah Treem.

Three OU Playwrights Are Semi-Finalists for WordBRDIGE Playwrights Lab

Third year MFA Dana Formby, 2nd year MFA David Robinson, and alumnus Merri Biechler have all been named as semi-finalists for the renowned WordBRIDGE Playwright’s Lab held each year in June. (Biechler is a former lab participant in 2007 and a semi-finalist this year in the alumni slot.) For more on WordBRIDGE: http://wordbridge.org/.

3rd Year MFAs Invited to Prague Writing Program

Kara Dunn recently received the John Woods Scholarship to attend the 2009 Prague Summer Program held at Charles University and hosted by Western Michigan University. The program offers artists professional mentors in their field, the culture and history of the Czech Republic, and the ambience of Prague. This years theme is “The Nature of Mother Nature: Women, Power, and the Environment” http://www.praguesummer.com/. 3rd year MFA Reginal Edmund will also be attending the summer program in Prague.

3rd Year Is a Finalist for KC/ACTF National 10-Minute Play Award

Third year MFA playwright Dana Formby has been selected as a finalist for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival’s National 10-Minute Playwriting Competition. Formby’s play, “Armed With Peanut Butter” will receive a staged reading at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. during the national festival in mid-April. Only four plays are selected as finalists from the hundreds submitted from graduate and undergraduate playwrights nationwide. Formby’s accomplishment marks the third time in five years that an OU playwright has been selected as a national finalist. (Ryan Dowler, currently a 2nd year MFA, won the award shortly before joing the program; including Dowler, OU playwrights have been at the top of this list four out of the last five years running.)

3rd Year MFA Writing Wins at National Tournament:

Third Year MFA G. William Zorn’s reader’s theatre scripts THE GREAT AMERICAN FREAK SHOW and MAKE VOYEURS OF US ALL took first and second place, respectively, for the Ohio University Forensics Team at the 2009 Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament. Fifty colleges and universities from around the U.S. contributed entries to the tournament, hosted by Louisiana State University. The works were commissioned by OU’s Director of Forensics, Dan West. In addition to writing the works, Zorn also directed.

3rd Year MFA Is Twice Named National Runner Up

Third year MFA playwright Reginald Edmund has been named first runner up for both the 2009 Lorraine Hansberry Award and the 2009 Rosa Parks Playwriting Award for his play “Southbridge”. Reggie will be honored at the National Kennedy Center ACTF Festival in April for his achievements.