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| photo courtesy of the Utah Shakespeare Festival |
The Independent
The 23rd annual New American Playwrights Project will take the stage at the Utah Shakespeare Festival from Aug. 7 to Aug. 28. Three plays will be presented as staged readings in the Auditorium Theatre on selected dates. Chosen from hundreds of plays submitted, this year’s lineup includes “Affluence” by Steve Peterson, “Caesars Blood” by Rich Rubin, and “Closure” by James McLindon. Audience members will have the unique opportunity to see a staged reading of these new pieces and take part in a discussion with the playwright, director and actors.
Tough times have hammered the once-wealthy Woodley clan in “Affluence,” yet the week after Christmas, hope is restored. Grandmother is dying and will leave them a bundle. However, there’s a problem: Inheritance tax rates surge at the stroke of midnight, and the old gal isn’t gone yet. What does a desperate family do? And who else is at risk on the slippery slope of murder? It’s a dark comedy indeed, written by Chicago native Peterson, a two-time winner of the Julie Harris Playwright Award and the Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition. Directing “Affluence” is Frank Honts, and it plays Aug. 7, 8, and 26.
The Civil War is raging in the play “Caesars Blood,” and President Lincoln has just been reelected. In New York, “Julius Caesar” is being performed, starring the famous Booth brothers—Edwin, Junius Brutus, and John Wilkes. John is a believer in the Confederate cause; his older brothers are supporters of the Union. Before and after the play, the three spar about politics and so much more. “Caesars Blood” is a play based–as the saying goes–on true events. Rubin’s plays have been produced throughout the United States and internationally in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, and Mexico. Directed by Joshua Stavros, “Caesars Blood” plays Aug. 14, 15, and 27.
As Brian lies dying, he is desperate to reconcile with his estranged children in “Closure.” His only hope is the somewhat askew, sweet, and profane Virgin Mary, who appears to him in a Percocet haze, dispensing advice about children, salvation, and Hieronymus Bosch. “Closure” is a drama with comedy about the endgame of a dysfunctional life and a broken family trying desperately to mend itself before its last chance is gone forever. McLindon’s plays have been produced at theaters across the nation, including the Samuel French Festival, the Ashland New Plays Festival, the Boston Playwrights Theatre and the Arkansas Rep. “Closure” is directed by Drew Shirley and plays Aug. 21, 22, and 28.
The plays in this series are written for contemporary adult audiences and may occasionally contain themes and language not appropriate for children and that some may find offensive. Tickets are $10 each and are on sale now at (800) PLAYTIX and www.bard.org.
