Roundtable Discussion on Models of New Play Development. Saturday, April 26, 2008 11 a.m.

Rhombus led a discussion about different ways in which new plays are developed. We talked about our own experiences working with theatres across the country, and we talked with some of Boston’s most experienced people in the realm of new play development: Joe Antoun (artistic director, CentaStage), Ilana Brownstein (literary manager, Huntington Theatre Company), Jacqui Parker (artistic director, African American Theatre Festival), and Kate Snodgrass (artistic director, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre). Gary Garrison, the Dramatists Guild’s executive director for creative affairs, also joined us for the discussion.

Six Views, Same Shape
(New Plays, Different Ways)

April 24-27, 2008 Boston Playwrights Theatre

Rhombus presented “Six Views, Same Shape,” a series of six new plays by six of Boston’s most exciting playwrights, April 24-27, 2008 at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre (949 Commonwealth Ave, Boston)–four full days of looking at new plays in different ways.

The plays were:

• Noori and the Imperialists by Joe Byers–Reading. 7pm, Thursday, April 24.
  It’s Christmas Eve. Uptight gay grad student Alex Swank goes to visit his parents, former U.S. Army General Buck Swank and former career diplomat Barbara Swank. They’ve just retired to a palatial new home in Florida. But the home isn’t the only thing that’s new: Mom and Dad have a new live-in servant, Noori, who does all sorts of outrageously personal tasks for them–like blowing their noses and peeling grapes. What the hell is up? Noori doesn’t have much to say, and Buck and Barb are playing cat and mouse games with Alex. Much as Alex wants to keep his mind on his books, he can’t help but notice Noori’s strapping physique and exotic good looks. The fun really starts when Buck and Barb are unexpectedly called away to the Persian Gulf, leaving Alex alone with Noori. Unlimited access to a willing slave! It’s a golden opportunity for Alex to work out all his thorny sexual issues–but must he sacrifice his personal integrity as a good gay political liberal to do it?
• Everloving God by Carl Danielson–Rehearsed Staged Reading. 7pm, Friday, April 25.
  Ambitiously idealistic lawyer Ceren and her cable-guy husband Peter are sitting quietly at home when they receive a message from the Creator: the world will end in 24 hours, and everyone who doesn’t believe in the mystery correct religion will spend eternity in hell. Moments later Jesus Christ arrives, telling them not to believe it. Ceren faces off against ancient beings of questionable sanity, true believers with violent tendencies. and her own husband’s personal betrayal in a quest to save the people of Earth and find the nature of religion, the universe, and the core of humankind.
• Constant State of Panic by Patrick Gabridge–Open Rehearsal. 2pm, Saturday, April 26.
  Dave is afraid of everything. His wife, Sonia, isn’t afraid of anything except losing Dave. When Dave’s fears push him too far, they’re besieged by a government and press determined to drive their anxiety into a living nightmare.
• The Luck of the Irish by Kirsten Greenidge—Staged Reading. 7pm, Saturday, April 26.
  Domestic tranquility gets upended when Hannah and Nessa throw a memorial picnic for their grandmother. First, there is the mysterious visit by Mr. Donovan, an old friend of their grandmother’s who claims the house their family has owned for half a century in the white suburb of “Bellington” is not really theirs to keep. Then there are the four mismatched buttons that seem to have materialized out of nowhere; the presence of which Nessa can’t seem to shake out of her head. Criss-crossing between present day suburbia and mid-twentieth century America at the brink of the civil rights movement, The Luck of the Irish, is a seemingly still play about entitlement and cultural unease and what happens when these collide with gentle, quiet force.
• Benny and Serena’s High-School Graduation by Ginger Lazarus–Workshop Performance. Directed by Fran Weinberg. 3pm, Sunday, April 27.
  It’s graduation day for Benny, Serena’s brilliant son. Math prodigy, star athlete, valedictorian–his mother’s proud and happy, what else? But Serena’s not as serene as she seems, and when she snaps and smacks the math teacher with her camera, her life with Benny flashes before her eyes. Memories flood back: raising Benny on her own, discovering his gifts, struggling to do what’s best, and always hearing a chorus of voices that say she’s not up to the task. Benny’s future awaits him, but is Serena ready to let him go? A bittersweet comedy about one mother’s rite of passage.
• INDIA for the Tuesday Study Club a work in progress by Leslie Harrell Dillen. 3pm, Sunday, April 27.
  Winifred travels to India to meet the Sikh family of her stepdaughter’s fiance and to attend their engagement party. Also along on this twelve-day trip are her husband Fred and his ex-wife Noel and her family. Through Delhi, Chandigarh and the Taj Mahal Winifred grapples with a new culture, an old enemy and finally with the power of love.