The Playwrights' Center - #NEWPLAY LIVE

Thank you.

What a ride! Thanks to everyone who donated to support playwrights and new plays, and to add their own touch to this madcap experiment -- we've had a wild and crazy time following Tracy, the Doctor, Lisa, Another Lisa, Dark Man, the Waiter, Maeve, Gwen, and Optimus Prime through their many adventures.

If you'd like to make a donation to the Playwrights' Center, please visit our main page on GiveMN.org!

#NEWPLAY LIVE
Nine Playwrights' Center writers wrote the play below LIVE online -- with help from more than 50 people all over the country who contributed lines of dialogue, props, actions, writing styles and more.

Contribute a Word ($10)

For a donation of just $10, you can designate a single word to be incorporated into a character's dialogue in the play.
DONATE NOW »

Jerrie contributed:
"Cloud Nine."

Andrew contributed:
"Munch."

Anne contributed:
"Pugilistic."

Bill contributed:
"Antidisestablishmentarianism [a noun, but if you can use it as a verb...or adverb...]."

Christina contributed:
"Necromancer [a vampire that gives hickies!]."

Christina contributed:
"Santa Claus Machine [a hypothetical machine that is capable of creating any required object or structure out of any given material]."

Sarah contributed:
"Bazooka! [The weapon ... or the bubble gum ... you decide.]"

Erika contributed:
"Platypus [did you know they have a poisonous claw?]."

Erika contributed:
"Cowlick."

Erika contributed:
"Winter."

Mary contributed:
"Moist."

Clyde contributed:
"Marathon."

Adam Sellke contributed:
"F---wad."

Ben contributed:
"Cage [for Bedlam Theatre]."

Helene contributed:
"Deceptive."

Phoebe contributed:
"Mississippi."

Knute contributed:
"YES!"

Joni contributed:
"Herkimer."

Carl contributed:
"Savage."

Carson contributed:
"Remote [either the object, or the state of being. Extra points for the state of being]."

Lisa contributed:
"Superball."

Dan contributed:
"Aurora Borealis."

Victoria contributed:
"Monkey."

Tom contributed:
"Gardyloo."

Nate contributed:
"Boondoggle."

Nate contributed:
"Dillhole."

Mike contributed:
"Bandersnatch."

Susan contributed:
"Reticulated."

Lori contributed:
"Horsefeathers!"

Nels contributed:
"Lemur."

Lucia contributed:
"Inexpressibles."

Erin contributed:
"Pumpernickel!"

Hayley contributed:
"Apology."

Jesse contributed:
"Lambast(ed)(ing)."

Stephanie contributed:
"Sisyphean."

Greg contributed:
"Miasma."

Sarah contributed:
"Ballyhoo."

Sarah contributed:
"Rubbish."

Lori contributed:
"Krautbread. [Basically, hamburger w/cabbage inside a baked roll.]"

Contribute an Action ($20)

A $20 donation lets you designate an action, defined as a single verb, that must be worked into the action of the play somehow. The playwright may interpret this figuratively!
DONATE NOW »

Avi contributed:
"Swizzle."

Leny contributed:
"Pontificate."

Deborah contributed:
"Be awesome."

Sarah contributed:
"Battle."

Tanner contributed:
"Borger [the act of doing really awesome things on computers]."

Erika contributed:
"Google [as in, I'm totally going to Google her]."

Mat contributed:
"Loggerheading."

Shauna contributed:
"Tumble."

Sara contributed:
"Spooning."

Krista contributed:
"Brighten."

Susan contributed:
"Mow."

Janet contributed:
"Self-replicate."

Sarah contributed:
"Squeeze."

Erika contributed:
"Watching."

Tom contributed:
"Escalate."

Contribute a Prop ($40 $30)

A donation of $40 lets you designate an object that must come into play onstage. Toss any concerns about size and feasibility to the wind - that's the director's job. The only caveat is that it must be a single, discrete object. Umbrellas and rhinos yes; marching band no.
DONATE NOW »

Mary contributed:
"A pair of tongs."

Gabe contributed:
"A shakeweight."

Greg contributed:
"A rubber Halloween werewolf mask."

Abby contributed:
"An Optimus Prime action figure."

Andrea contributed:
"Awaken [wake up oneself or wake someone else up or society or the world]."

Barbara contributed:
"Recomier [backless day bed]."

Faye contributed:
"2014 Dog Heroes Calendar."

Ryan contributed:
"Mystical glowing battleaxe."

Hayley contributed:
"A silver linden under which is a box within a box within a box within a box..."

Contribute a Line ($50 $40)

For a $50 donation, you get to designate a single sentence (25 words or less) that the playwrights must incorporate into a character's dialogue. Be creative -- surprise us!
DONATE NOW »

Joni contributed:
"It was ineluctable."

Mike contributed:
"Why didn't you mention what the doctor said? That explains so much about last Tuesday, hell the last 9 years, not to mention that goat!"

Charlie contributed:
"Wait--remember what happened the last time you climbed a watertower!"

Jeremy contributed:
"But, Mama--I love him, Mama--with my whole brave, unabashed heart--I throw sense to the wind, wrapping myself in your faith of the unknown."

Sarah contributed:
"Once I get some more RAM added to my brain I'll go on a social media bender."

Alexandra contributed:
"...and although my hair is pink now, I'm still the same bubbly beauty salon blond I've always been."

Play a WILDCARD ($100 $50)

Enough "What"—the WILDCARD is all about "How." A $100 donation gives you the power to choose the style or manner of an entire page. This could be as simple as "Greek Tragedy" or as mischievious as "Using only song titles." We look forward to seeing some wild ideas here, as long as they don't bring the project to a dead stop, i.e. "Write it in Latin." (Pig Latin would be okay, though.)
DONATE NOW »

Polly contributed:
"Would love a page to be written in Steampunk style..."

Contribute a Setting ($250 $125)

For a $250 donation, you can designate a place and a time that must be used as the setting of an entire scene. (We fully expect time travel to play a role in this new work.)
DONATE NOW »

Jim contributed:
"Autumn, at the base of a Sequoia tree in California."

Add a Character ($500 $250)

If you're going to donate $500 toward playwrights and new plays, we want to make it worth your while. Design a brand new character who will become a leading or supporting role in the play (the playwrights will make sure he or she has more than a walk-on or cameo appearance). You can designate a name (your own?), appearance, and a one-sentence description.
DONATE NOW »

Kill Off a Character ($1,000 $500)

Have a major impact on the lives and careers of playwrights ... and on the plotline of the #NEWPLAY LIVE script. This one's pretty straightforward: choose one character in the play to be eradicated in a manner of the playwright's choosing. If that's a little dark for you, you can always opt to create two new characters instead!
DONATE NOW »

THIS JUST IN:

Jerrie contributed a word: "Cloud Nine."

Andrew contributed a word: "Munch."

Anne contributed a word: "Pugilistic."

Bill contributed a word: "Antidisestablishmentarianism [a noun, but if you can use it as a verb...or adverb...]."

Christina contributed a word: "Necromancer [a vampire that gives hickies!]."

Christina contributed a word: "Santa Claus Machine [a hypothetical machine that is capable of creating any required object or structure out of any given material]."

Sarah contributed a word: "Bazooka! [The weapon ... or the bubble gum ... you decide.]"

Erika contributed a word: "Platypus [did you know they have a poisonous claw?]."

Erika contributed a word: "Cowlick."

Avi contributed an action: "Swizzle."

Erika contributed a word: "Winter."

Mary contributed a prop: "A pair of tongs."

Mary contributed a word: "Moist."

Clyde contributed a word: "Marathon."

Jim contributed a setting: "Autumn, at the base of a Sequoia tree in California."

Adam Sellke contributed a word: "F---wad."

Ben contributed a word: "Cage [for Bedlam Theatre]."

Helene contributed a word: "Deceptive."

Phoebe contributed a word: "Mississippi."

Knute contributed a word: "YES!"

Joni contributed a word: "Herkimer."

Joni contributed a line: "It was ineluctable."

Carl contributed a word: "Savage."

Carson contributed a word: "Remote [either the object, or the state of being. Extra points for the state of being]."

Lisa contributed a word: "Superball."

Dan contributed a word: "Aurora Borealis."

Victoria contributed a word: "Monkey."

Tom contributed a word: "Gardyloo."

Leny contributed an action: "Pontificate."

Nate contributed a word: "Boondoggle."

Deborah contributed an action: "Be awesome."

Nate contributed a word: "Dillhole."

Gabe contributed a prop: "A shakeweight."

Mike contributed a word: "Bandersnatch."

Sarah contributed an action: "Battle."

Mike contributed a line: "Why didn't you mention what the doctor said? That explains so much about last Tuesday, hell the last 9 years, not to mention that goat!"

Tanner contributed an action: "Borger [the act of doing really awesome things on computers]."

Greg contributed a prop: "A rubber Halloween werewolf mask."

Susan contributed a word: "Reticulated."

Lori contributed a word: "Horsefeathers!"

Nels contributed a word: "Lemur."

Erika contributed an action: "Google [as in, I'm totally going to Google her]."

Mat contributed an action: "Loggerheading."

Abby contributed a prop: "An Optimus Prime action figure."

Lucia contributed a word: "Inexpressibles."

Charlie contributed a line: "Wait--remember what happened the last time you climbed a watertower!"

Jeremy contributed a line: "But, Mama--I love him, Mama--with my whole brave, unabashed heart--I throw sense to the wind, wrapping myself in your faith of the unknown."

Erin contributed a word: "Pumpernickel!"

Sarah contributed a line: "Once I get some more RAM added to my brain I'll go on a social media bender."

Andrea contributed a prop: "Awaken [wake up oneself or wake someone else up or society or the world]."

Barbara contributed a prop: "Recomier [backless day bed]."

Faye contributed a prop: "2014 Dog Heroes Calendar."

Shauna contributed an action: "Tumble."

Ryan contributed a prop: "Mystical glowing battleaxe."

Hayley contributed a word: "Apology."

Sara contributed an action: "Spooning."

Krista contributed an action: "Brighten."

Jesse contributed a word: "Lambast(ed)(ing)."

Susan contributed an action: "Mow."

Stephanie contributed a word: "Sisyphean."

Hayley contributed a prop: "A silver linden under which is a box within a box within a box within a box..."

Polly contributed a WILDCARD: "Would love a page to be written in Steampunk style..."

Alexandra contributed a line: "...and although my hair is pink now, I'm still the same bubbly beauty salon blond I've always been."

Greg contributed a word: "Miasma."

Janet contributed an action: "Self-replicate."

Sarah contributed an action: "Squeeze."

Erika contributed an action: "Watching."

Tom contributed an action: "Escalate."

Sarah contributed a word: "Ballyhoo."

Sarah contributed a word: "Rubbish."

Lori contributed a word: "Krautbread. [Basically, hamburger w/cabbage inside a baked roll.]"

OFF THE AIR ... THANK YOU FOR CONTRIBUTING!

EXPAND READER

Embedded Google Docs make some browsers grumpy. You can also watch the play here!

The Writing Team Click icon to see bio
			Gregory Moss 8:30 - 10 a.m. Gregory Moss is a writer and performer from Newburyport, Massachusetts. His plays include The Destroyed Room, Good and Services, Billy Witch and punkplay. His work has been developed with and produced nationally and internationally by A.R.T., Atlantic Center for the Arts, The Empty Space, Playwrights Horizons, PlayPenn, New York Theatre Workshop and others. Gregory is the recipient of a 2006-07 Lucille Lortel Playwriting Fellowship, a 2009 Eugene O'Neill Center National Playwrights Conference residency and a 2010-11 Jerome Fellowship. His play punkplay was produced in February 2010 at the Steppenwolf Garage, where it was named one of Time Out's Top Ten Plays of 2010. Recent productions include Orange, Hat & Grace (Soho Rep, Sarah Benson, dir.), House of Gold (Woolly Mammoth), and The Argument (Attic Theatre Company, NYC). Upcoming productions include House of Gold (EST LA), The Argument (Interrobang, Chicago), and Billy Witch (Studio 42, NY). Writing, video and audio are archived at www.gregorysmoss.com. Qui Nguyen 10 - 11:30 a.m. Qui Nguyen is a co-founder and Co-Artistic Director of the OBIE Award-winning Vampire Cowboys of New York City. Some of his recent scripts include the children's play Aliens versus Cheerleaders (Keen Teens); Trial by Water (Ma-Yi Theater); and the Vampire Cowboys productions of The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G; Alice in Slasherland; and Fight Girl Battle World. His plays Bike Wreck, Soul Samurai, and Krunk Fu Battle Battle were recently produced at Ensemble Studio Theatre in NY, InFusion Theatre in Chicago, and East West Players in Los Angeles, respectively. Along with his Core membership at the Playwrights' Center, Qui is also a proud member of New Dramatists, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and The Ma-Yi Writers Lab. Joe Waechter 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Joe Waechter's plays include Lake Untersee, Good Ole Boys, The Strangler, The Hoot Owl (an opera for headphones), and The Memory Library. His work has been developed or produced at Playwrights Horizons, Ars Nova, American Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Perishable Theatre, The Inkwell, The 25¢ Opera of San Francisco, 24Seven Lab and Electric Pear. Joe is the recipient of a 2008-09 Lucille Lortel Playwriting Fellowship, the 2010 Weston Award in Playwriting, a Jerome Emerging Artist residency at Tofte Lake Center and a research travel grant to Iceland. His play Dragonflies is available from Dramatics Publishing, and his articles have appeared in The Dramatist magazine. He holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Brown University. Christina Ham 1 - 2:30 p.m. Christina Ham's plays have been developed both nationally and internationally with the Center Theater Group, the Goodman Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Penumbra Theatre, Off-Broadway at the SPF Summer Play Festival, SteppingStone Theatre, and the Tokyo International Arts Festival among others. Christina is the recipient of a McKnight Advancement Grant and Jerome Fellowship from the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, the Marianne Murphy Women & Philanthropy Award in Playwriting, and a 2006 MacDowell Residency. She has received commissions from the Guthrie Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and REDEYE among others. Her feature-length screenplay Booker was a finalist for Tribeca Film Institute's All Access program. A graduate of the University of Southern California and UCLA's M.F.A. Playwriting program, Christina is a Core Writer of the Playwrights' Center, a member playwright of the Workhaus Collective, and The Dramatists Guild of America. Victoria Stewart 2:30 - 4 p.m. Victoria Stewart graduated from the Playwrights' Workshop at the University of Iowa. Her most recent play Rich Girl has had readings at City Theater, Tennessee Rep and Broken Watch and was nominated for a Susan Smith Blackburn Award. Her other plays include Hardball (Live Girls Theater, SPF), 800 Words (Workhaus Collective, Hourglass Group, Live Girls! Theater), LIVE GIRLS (Urban Stages, WHAT, Stage Left), Leitmotif (South Coast Rep, Page 73), Nightwatches (Overlap Productions), The Last Scene and an adaptation of Henry James' The Bostonians. She was one of the collaborators on Fissures (lost and found), presented at the 2011 Humana Festival. She is currently working on a screenplay for HBO and on a collaborative piece with Cory Hinkle and the Wilhelm Bros. Her adaptation of Mercy Watson to the Rescue recently premiered at the Children's Theatre Company. Jessica Huang 4 - 5:30 p.m. Jessica Huang writes plays cross-legged on the kitchen floor, often wearing one sock and chewing her cuticles. She and her laptop have survived higher education at the University of Missouri, a melodramatic stint in Phoenix and now write together in assorted Minneapolis diners and bars. Jessica used 10 of her 15 minutes on her short play Mermaids, which won the regional KCACTF ten-minute play award and was performed at the Kennedy Center at the national festival. Mermaids manifested most recently at 2G's Free Range festival in New York City, now a creature of its own free will. Jessica co-founded the Unit Collective to contend with her multicultural confusion; she is a Jerome Many Voices Fellow and punch-pleased to call the Playwrights' Center home. Cory Hinkle 5:30 - 7 p.m. Cory Hinkle's plays include Little Eyes, SadGrrl13, Phosphorescence, and Cipher. The Killing of Michael X was featured in the 2010 Bay Area Playwrights' Festival in San Francisco. Little Eyes was produced in February 2011 in a Workhaus Collective production at the Guthrie's Dowling Studio. Cory is a co-creator of Fissures (lost and found), which was co-commissioned by Actors Theater of Louisville and the Playwrights' Center and premiered at the 2010 Humana Festival. He has been commissioned twice by the Guthrie to write Tiny Disasters in 2010 and Until We See Three of Everything in 2011 for their graduating class of B.F.A. students. He has also been produced or developed at the American Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theater Festival, SPF Summer Play Festival, Ars Nova, Illusion Theater, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Salvage Vanguard, P73 Productions, Hangar Theater, and Red Eye Collective, among others. He is a former MacDowell Colony fellow, a former resident at the Hermitage Artists Retreat and the Tofte Lake Center, and a recipient of a Jerome Travel and Study Grant. He received two Jerome fellowships through the Playwrights' Center where he is a Core Writer and a member playwright of the Workhaus Collective. His work is published by Heinemann, Playscripts Inc. and Dramatic Publishing. He earned his M.F.A. in Playwriting from Brown University. Joe Luis Cedillo 7 - 8:30 pm Joe Luis Cedillo is a left-handed Chicano Playwright-Director. Currently based in Los Angeles, he has been a Core Member Apprentice and is a Co-Founder of the Unit Collective at the Playwright's Center. He's been a two-time Runner-Up for the Kennedy Center ACTF Latino Playwriting Award, an Alliance Theatre Kendeda Finalist, and Oregon Shakespeare FAIR Fellow. Minnesota credits: zAmya Reality Road Show: Or Who Wants To Be A Homeless Millionaire?(zAmya Theatre Company - Playwright); Ewoc's Do It In 10 Minutes, Sum of Sand (The Unit Collective - Playwright) and Good vs. Evil Superheroes (Chicago Ave. Project @ Pillsbury House Theater - Director). In LA, he's Artistic Director/Co-Founder of Company of Strangers Performance Collective and Artist-in-Residence with Theatre Unleashed. Next up: Directing 7 Days: A Fantasia on the Life of Miles Davis for Company of Stangers and working as Dramaturg for Watts Village Theatre developing a piece on the Watts Riots. Rachel Jendrzejewski 8:30 - 10 p.m. Rachel Jendrzejewski (yen-shzay-EFF-skee) has written, performed and/or otherwise collaborated on theatre, film, music, and public art projects throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her plays include Meronymy; Encyclopedia; Grace Note; Bacteria; Bluebird; and Harpsichord Capable of Playing at the Normal Level, and More Strongly. Her work has been developed or produced by Padua Playwrights/ArtShare L.A., Playwrights Horizons, American Repertory Theater’s New Voices Series, Rhode Island School of Design, Pell Chafee Performance Center, Granoff Center for Creative Arts, Theater Masters, the Conflux Festival, and the Listening LabOratory, among others. She has worked closely with Cornerstone Theater Company and Padua Playwrights in Los Angeles since 2004 and 2007, respectively; and from 2008-2009, she served as Assistant Coordinator of the UNESCO-declared Grotowski Year 2009 through the Grotowski Institute in Wroclaw, Poland. Honors include a Lucille Lortel Playwriting Fellowship, a residency at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Theater Institute, two residencies with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (Poland), and travel/project grants from the Brown University Graduate School and Creative Arts Council. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Brown, where she studied with Erik Ehn and Lisa D'Amour. http://rachelka.com