DON'T MISS THE 2009 EMERGING WRITERS GROUP SPOTLIGHT SERIES

BE THE FIRST TO SEE FREE READINGS OF THE PLAYS WRITTEN IN THE PUBLIC'S EMERGING WRITERS GROUP PROGRAM!

The Public created The Emerging Writers Group to target playwrights at the earliest stages in their careers and to create an artistic home for a diverse and exceptionally talented group of up-and-coming playwrights. The nine writers of the 2001 group were chosen from a pool of over 400 applicants. Through the Spotlight Series, we are delighted to share their full-length plays with you. 

 

Monday, March 1
PLUCKER
Written by ALENA SMITH
Directed by SAM GOLD
Ever since Alexis moved in with her boyfriend, her pet parrot has developed a problem. What’s worse, Lee, the girl she’s been flirting with, just showed up uninvited to the couple’s first dinner party. And Lee might have bedbugs. And a secret past. Plucker is an old-school farce about a new generation dealing with the anxieties of commitment and co-habitation.

Monday, March 8
MAN BOOBS
Written by J. JULIAN CHRISTOPHER
Directed By STEPHEN BRACKETT
Two men begin to share a night of passion until issues of obesity and self-esteem overpower their sexual and emotional connection.

Monday, March 15
HIDING IN THE GARDEN
Written by BRIDGET KELSO
Directed by KENT GASH
Fifteen years ago, Cassie's son was sold away. Now that the Civil War is over and freedom has come, Cassie sets out with her husband to find him, picking up friends and strangers along the way. But everyone soon discovers that freedom means different things to different people.

Monday, March 22
ASHES, ASHES
Written by KEVIN CHRISTOPHER SNIPES
Directed by PETER DUBOIS
When Jeremy informs his wife that her best friend’s husband might have made a pass at him, he sets off a sexually charged chain of events that threatens to tear both marriages apart. A biting dark comedy, Ashes, Ashes gives new meaning to the phrase “with friends like these, who needs enemies?”

Monday, April 5
THE FUNNY PAIN
Written by JORDAN SEAVEY
Directed by MAY ADRALES
Unable to feel pain due to a congenital disease, Mary Rochelle Douleur doesn’t earn the nickname “Roach” for nothing – despite bumps and bruises and breaks, she’s practically indestructible. She’s Southern to be sure, but a belle… maybe not. When she and her sister become rival stand-up comediennes, they learn just how fine the line is between laughing and crying.

Monday, April 12
THE HOUR OF FEELING
Written by MONA MANSOUR
Directed by MARK WING-DAVEY
In 1967, fueled by a love of English Romantic poetry and Wordsworth in particular, a young Palestinian academic, Adham, and his new wife, Abir, take a trip to London, where he will deliver a career-defining lecture. While the situation in his home “country” deteriorates and his marriage threatens to dissolve, Adham confronts his fear of failure and the reality that he may be an outsider no matter where he goes.

Monday, April 19
DRAW THE CIRCLE
Written by DEEN
Directed by CHAY YEW
As Deen struggles to come to terms with being a transgender man, those who love him most find themselves struggling as well in this unique solo show, told entirely from the from the point of view of Deen’s family, friends and partner, yet performed by Deen himself. Laid bare is one family's struggle with a child who continuously defies their most basic expectations of what it means to have a daughter... and one woman's commitment to unconditional love.

Wednesday, April 21
ASHES
Written by VICKIE RAMIREZ
Directed by BETSY THEOBOLD RICHARDS
When the boys were born, the Clan Mothers decided that Gary and Brewster both had the qualities to be great Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee people. Thirty years later, Brewster is a disappointment and Gary is in crisis. When their predicament catches the attention of Sky Woman and the Thunderers, the mischievous spirits decide to entertain themselves by betting on the results. As the Great Beings start interfering on behalf of their favorites, it’s anyone’s guess which candidate will prove himself a great leader.

Monday, April 26
APPROPRIATE
Written by BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS
Directed by JO BONNEY
Raymond Lafayette has died and his progeny have returned to the family homestead – a former plantation in southern Arkansas – to settle his financially-fraught estate. But a gruesome discovery among Grandpa’s belonging forces an already-estranged family to the brink of becoming a family of strangers when no one can agree on how it got there – or how to get rid of it.



CLICK HERE to read bios of the 2009 Emerging Writers Group.

Time Warner is the Founding Sponsor of the Public Writers Initiative.

The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater's year-round activities.