NEWPORT, R.I. – Salve Regina University’s theatre arts program will sponsor a New Play Festival from June 14-17, during which 13 short plays and one full length play – in addition to workshops conducted by professional playwrights – will be presented at the Casino Theatre.
All performances and workshops are free and open to the public. The Casino Theatre is located at 9 Freebody St.
Over the course of four days, local actors will perform in thirteen 10-minute plays and the full-length play, “Deconstruction,” by Rhode Island playwright Christopher Davis.
The 10-minute plays will be performed on Thursday, June 14 and Friday, June 15 at 8 p.m. The plays were chosen by a committee of readers from submissions made by playwrights from around the country. The plays will be divided between the two nights, offering the audience the opportunity to see different plays over the course of two nights. The plays will be acted and directed by local artists.
“Deconstruction” will be given a workshop production on Saturday, June 16 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 17 at 2 p.m.
Davis’ play, chosen by a panel of readers from submissions made by exclusively Rhode Island resident playwrights, is about a genetics lab at a university that is thrown into controversy when a gene related to race is discovered.
Davis, who writes stage plays, screenplays and young adult fiction, has had his work produced and read at Lesley University and Boston Playwrights Theatre. His play, “The Door in the Oak,” was read at the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education as part of the Young Actor Series. He is a member of Boston-based Proscenium Playwrights and has a MFA in Creative Writing.
The production will be directed by James Phillips, who has a MFA in directing from Catholic University and currently teaches theatre at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y.
Workshops taught by professional playwrights will be offered during the afternoon on Saturday, June 16. Each session will last two hours and focus on a specific aspect of the playwriting process. These workshops are open to aspiring playwrights and anyone interested in learning how the process of playwriting works.
A full list of workshops and playwrights will be published on the SalveTheatre Facebook page. The New Play Festival will be presented to the community free of charge. For more information, contact 401-341-2250.