The poster.

I was a guest responder this year for the annual Playwrights Festival that’s part of the Hollins University MFA playwriting program.

Ten new plays had staged readings over three days and nights; I was able to make four of them and, I hope, offered some constructive feedback. Each one I saw was wonderful in its own way and I hope to see each one produced someday.

* “Independence Day at Happy Meadows,” by Laura King, was a hilarious farce about four women breaking out of a nursing home.
* “Swelter,” by Chad Runyon, was a dark, thought-provoking play about a mother whose 3-year-old son was left in a car on a hot day and died.
* “Decision Height,” by Meredith Dayna Levy, was a wonderful historical play about female pilots during World War II.
* “The Brooklyn Bridge,” by Will Coleman, was a very touching — and contemporary — romantic comedy.

Chad took this very nice picture of me: Read the rest of this entry »