Imagine Shakespeare without the Globe Theatre.
Even the most talented and prolific playwright needs a venue—the lack of one may be the most-frequent complaint of writers for the stage.
Central Pennsylvania theaters are increasingly answering the call by encouraging the creation and production of original works.
This year, Theatre Harrisburg launched a New Works Festival competition. It coincided with the hiring of a new artistic director/executive director, Brett Bernardini, who had directed new works and run a theater company that fostered them.
“Because of his background and the fact that this was not a common practice in the area, he was very interested in [new works] being part of a new face of the theater,” said Leslie Gulden, festival coordinator. “We’re hopeful this will be well received, but we haven’t made a commitment beyond this year’s festival.”
By mid-March’s deadline, Theatre Harrisburg had received 137 new works. Six finalists—four plays and two musicals—will be selected. Each playwright will win $500 and transportation to attend the festival in September.
“Each winning play will have a reading and be evaluated by the audience, with a chance of being produced in the following season,” Gulden added.
Unrealized Resource
One of the “veterans” of original productions regionally is Gretna Theatre, a professional summer theater based in Mt. Gretna. For about a decade, Gretna has presented five hour-long, original children’s musicals during its regular season as part of its “Theatre for Young People” series.
“The series started when writers started getting in touch and pitching ideas, “ said Larry Frenock, former artistic director.
Gretna offers the playwrights production photos and a DVD, so they then can pitch their work to other theaters.
“Once two theaters produce a play, the playwrights are more likely to get other live productions, because they have much more credibility,” Frenock explained.
Harrisburg’s Gamut Theatre Group isn’t about original works per se, though its Popcorn Hat Players retell classic fairy tales, and its Stage Door Series offers adaptations of classic works in streamlined productions.
In 2011, “Sonnet Inspirations” broadened the theater’s mission, with several playwrights taking Shakespeare’s poems and looking at them in a new way.
Karen Ruch directed the program, and, in August, she returns, taking on “As She Likes It,” original works by area playwrights involving some of the Bard’s female characters.
“We ask what we can learn about these characters by putting them in a different venue,” said Ruch.
Sean Adams, Gamut’s resident playwright, has authored short plays for Popcorn Hat. He also has written full-length works that incorporate large casts for the Young Acting Co., which presents one original production a year.
Other theaters are following suit.
In 2015, Oyster Mill Playhouse, a community-based venue in Camp Hill, established the “Not the Run of the Mill” festival, one-act works by local playwrights that were part of the theater’s “Spotlight Series.”
“At this time, Oyster Mill isn’t soliciting original plays for our mainstage productions,” said Keith Bowerman, public relations manager. “However, this is something we’ve discussed looking into when our financial house is a little more in order.”
Bowerman has reviewed scripts from “several extremely talented local playwrights” he’d love to see in production.
“I really believe our local playwrights are an extremely unrealized resource in the capital theater community,” he said.
The current plan is to mount a new play every other year, alternating with a series of radio plays, in the “Spotlight Series,” beginning next year.
Stuart Landon, associate artistic director of Open Stage of Harrisburg, said the professional theater is doing some initial work to create more opportunities “for actors and works” of color.
Go to PAPA
A driving force behind original works is the Playwrights’ Alliance of Pennsylvania. A nonprofit, PAPA hosts monthly meetings for area playwrights and promotes their work, said Marjorie Bicknell, secretary/treasurer.
Members’ short plays were presented at Theatre Harrisburg years ago and, more recently, at Hershey Area Playhouse. PAPA does an annual group production at the Cicada Festival in Mt. Gretna in August.
President Kevin Pry is in discussions with Open Stage about presenting one PAPA member’s full-length play, with Gamut about an evening of plays in the spring, and with Ephrata Area Playhouse about a reading.
“We are definitely interested in increasing interest in presenting new plays in the area,” said Bicknell. “Theaters have learned that they can make money with new plays, while also bringing in new actors.”
Hershey Area Playhouse, a regional community theater, has presented evenings of four or five short plays as part of its “Dark Night” non-mainstage events. It just solicited one-act plays, with special encouragement for central Pennsylvanians.
“We give writers the opportunity to direct their own shows and select casts,” said Mark Douglas Cuddy, artistic liaison of the theater and a board member. “We hope this will become an annual event.”
The evenings are less about “competition” and more about trying to see what local playwrights are “up to and giving them good exposure,” Cuddy added.
To learn more about the New Works Festival competition, visit www.harrisburg-new-works-theater-festival.com.
