Last year’s festival culminated in a production of Gifted by Carrie Printz that “was well received and really opened up a lot of enthusiasm among local writers,” says Yaconis. As a result, the theater received more than forty submissions this year. These were workshopped and evaluated, and six were selected for further consideration. “They had the most relevance to what we do; they were a bit more edgy,” explains Yaconis. The six were winnowed to three: Exit Strategies, by Jeffrey Neuman, about a playwright returning home for his father’s funeral who is drawn to his family’s explosive dynamics; Italy, a “sanguine romantic comedy” by Michele Berdinis; and Frank Oteri’s Tales From the Peacetime Army, which explores a soldier’s experience in a mental hospital. These will be viewed at the festival, and one will receive a full production in December 2015.
The Festival of New Plays runs today through August 3 at the Edge, 1560 Teller Street in Lakewood. Tickets are $10 per play or $25 for a festival pass. Call 303-232-0363 or go to theedgetheater.com for tickets, a schedule and more information.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 6 p.m. Starts: July 18. Continues through Aug. 3, 2014
