See it from the start
Attracting theaterlovers from across the country, TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival is the artistic highlight of the summer. An extraordinary opportunity to experience new plays and musicals in their early stages of development, the Festival has launched many new works onto TheatreWorks’ stage and on to productions nationally. The acclaimed Fly By Night and Emma came to life in the Festival, as did Broadway’s Memphis, off-Broadway’s hit Striking 12, the off-Broadway play Equivocation, winner of the 2009 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, and The North Pool, winner of the Will Glickman Award for Best New Play to Premiere in the Bay Area in 2011. For two glorious weeks in August you’ll applaud, debate, and help shape five new shows for America’s future, sharing fine wines and ice cream with their authors in the starlit courtyard of the Lucie Stern Theatre—all for just one low price.
STAGED READING—MUSICAL
Cubamor
Book and Lyrics James D. Sasser
Music and Lyrics by Charles Vincent Burwell
Based on the independent film Cubamor by Joshua Bee Alafia
Diverse paths meet in modern day Havana, where love erupts to an irresistible Latin beat. Here mystical forces scheme and cross-cultural romance fills the American-Cuban divide with the provocative promise of change.
8/10 @ 8pm • 8/14 @ 8pm • 8/17 @ 8pm
STAGED READING—PLAY
A BITTERSWEET COMEDY
THE GREAT PRETENDER
By David West Read
A puppeteer’s passing haunts a children’s TV host in this tribute to the joyous programs that shaped our youth. In this comic tale of love, loss, and friendship, both man and puppet could use a helping hand.
8/11 @ 2pm • 8/17 @ 4pm
STAGED READING—MUSICAL
MRS. HUGHES
Music and Lyrics by Sharon Kenny
Book by Janine Nabers
Fame, family, and desire engulf a tragic love triangle in this stunning contemporary musical about the tangled lives of poets Sylvia Plath, her husband Ted Hughes, and his ravishing mistress, Assia.
8/11 @ 8pm • 8/15 @ 8pm • 8/18 @ noon
STAGED READING—PLAY
A MADCAP COMEDY
LAUGH
By Beth Henley
From the Pulitzer-winning playwright of Crimes of the Heart, this edgy farce evokes the slapstick comedies of Hollywood's Roaring 20s. It’s a tale for the love-struck, told with a touch of melancholy and a wealth of insight.
8/13 @ 8pm • 8/17 @ noon
STAGED READING—PLAY
A CAPTIVATING COMIC DRAMA
GATHER AT THE RIVER
By Laura Marks
On a break from her rocky marriage, a liberal New Yorker volunteers for a non-profit run by a Bible-thumping Kentucky clan. Between red and blue America, this wry drama searches for shared beliefs and common ground.
8/16 @ 8pm • 8/18 @ 8pm
PANEL
MEET THE FESTIVAL ARTISTS
The Festival's featured playwrights and composers share their anecdotes and insights into creating brave new works for the American Theatre. To encourage conversation with New Work supporters around the world, this year's panel will be livestreamed on How|RoundTV with a Twitter feed to capture questions from viewers.
8/18 @ 4pm
