Eugene O’Neillillustration by Bill Evaul
The O’Neill Festival of New Works
a new festival for dramatists created by
Provincetown Dramatic Arts
Provincetown has a new theatre festival in town and unlike the other festivals, this one is devoted to the development of new dramatic works written by the Cape’s most promising playwrights.
The festival is the brainchild of Margaret Van Sant, the Producing Artistic Director of Provincetown Dramatic Arts. The O’Neill Festival of New Works is named after Eugene O’Neill, the Nobel-prize-winning dramatist who got his start in Provincetown with the original Provincetown Players.
A New Theatrical Approach on the Outer Cape
The seven dramatists Van Sant chose to participate in the festival all have connections to Provincetown and Cape Cod and have had success with producing their work on the national - and in some cases international - stage. They are Alan Frank Cancelino and Jenne Wason, Meryl Cohn, Jim Dalglish, Susan Lumenello, Lynda Sturner and Margaret Van Sant herself.
Engaging Dramaturges
Each playwright will work with a dramaturge to help them examine and explore their plays. Theatres and playwrights have used dramaturges since the 1700s. Dramaturges are often seen as the scientists of the theatre world. They examine multiple aspects of a play - the thematic underpinnings, the writing style, the historical background of plays based on real characters, the accuracy of the play’s setting, the overall context from within the play is written, etc.
The opportunity for playwrights to explore their plays and musicals with a dramaturge is another unique characteristic of The O’Neill Festival of New Work. The festival features some truly gifted and well-established dramaturges - with regional and national prominence. They include: Gary Garrison, Len Berkman, Howard Karren, Dan Lombardo, and Susan Kosoff.
How It All Works
The playwrights will work with their directors and dramaturges prior to the festival to discuss and make refinements to their scripts.
Each play/musical will hold two rehearsals with the actors. To explore how to get the play up on its feat - scripts in hand - in front of an audience.
Each playwright will be given two opportunities to present their plays/musicals in front of a live audience.
The public performances will be script in hand, with minimal blocking, followed by an audience discussion lead by the dramaturges.
Playwrights will have the opportunity take advantage of the audience feedback to re-write and refine scenes and present their fresh takes for their second readings.
One of the plays, Jim Dalglish’s “Lines in the Sand,” will be read as a standard theatre play script for its first reading. The second reading will be a new screenplay Dalglish has adapted from the original play script.
Directors
The directors who have been chosen for the festival reflect the same high calibre as the dramaturges. They include both Cape Cod favorites and directors from further abroad: Jessica Ellis-Wilson, Marty Arnault, Frank Vasello, Susan Kosoff, and Nina Schuessler
Reading Details
Venues - Staged readings will take place in Provincetown at St Mary’s of the Harbor Church, The Red Room, and WOMR.
Admission Price - The price to attend individual readings will be $20.00. A festival pass to attend all the readings will be $40.00.
Tickets - Tickets and passes may be purchased at the door or online at www.ptowndramaticarts.org.
Festival Schedule (by play)
The Final Say
by Meryl Cohn
Directed by Jessica Ellis-Wilson
Dramaturge: Len Berkman
When an idealistic playwright loses the opportunity for a major production of her play, she seeks the truth about whether her story was stolen.
Sat., Oct. 7 at 7pm, WOMR
Sun., Oct. 8 at 4pm, WOMR
Lines in the Sand
by Jim Dalglish
Directed by Jim Dalglish
Dramaturge: Howard Karren
A 15-year-old boy escapes the homophobic bullies at school and the home of his drug-addicted mother by hitting the road in a dilapidated pickup driven by an ex-con on the run.
Fri., Oct, 6 at 1pm, Red Room(Play Script Version)
Mon. Oct. 9 at 3pm, St. Mary’s of the Harbor (Screenplay Version)
Write Now
A new musical by Alan Frank Cancelino & Jenne Wason
Directed by Mary Arnault
Dramaturge: Gary Garrison
A frustrated lyricist has her composer hypnotized in order to get their show to Broadway. But when the hypnotist has an evil plot all her own, the writing team’s marquee dreams turn into a nightmare.
Sat., Oct. 7 at 1pm, Red Room
Dreamsville
by Susan Lumenello
Directed by Frank Vasello
Dramaturge: Dan Lombardo
Sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll … and Gloria! The true-life rollicking adventure of the pop pioneer who brought 16 magazine’s teen idols and teen fantasies to millions - for 25 cents an issue.
Sat., Oct. 7 at 4pm, WOMR
Sun., Oct. 8 at 7pm, WOMR
No Show Baby
by Lynda Sturner
Director / Dramaturge Susan Kosoff
An adopted woman’s world explodes when a DNA test exposes secrete and lies.
Fri., Oct. 6 at 7pm, WOMR
Sat., Oct. 7 at 2pm, St. Mary’s of the Harbor
Portraiture
by Margaret Van Sant
Directed by Nina Schuessler
Dramaturge: Dan Lombardo
When you blow up the art world, how do you protect your legacy from attack? A humorous look at Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein, and Mabel Dodge Luhan.
Sun., Oct. 8 at 2pm, St. Mary’s of the Harbor
Mon., Oct. 9 at 2pm, WOMR
Festival Schedule (Sequential)
Friday, October 6
Lines in the Sand by Jim Dalglish (Play Script Version)
Fri., Oct, 6 at 1pm, Red Room
Press Reception
Fri., Oct, 6 at 5pm, Gabriel’s
No Show Baby by Lynda Sturner
Fri., Oct. 6 at 7pm WOMR
Saturday, October 7
Write Now by Alan Frank Cancelino & Jenne Wason
Sat., Oct. 7 at 1pm, Red Room
No Show Baby by Lynda Sturner
Sat., Oct. 7 at 2pm, St. Mary’s of the Harbor
Dreamsville by Susan Lumenello
Sat., Oct. 7 at 4pm, WOMR
The Final Say by Meryl Cohn
Sat., Oct. 7 at 7pm, WOMR
Sunday, October 8
Portraiture by Margaret Van Sant
Sun., Oct. 8 at 2pm, St. Mary’s of the Harbor
The Final Say by Meryl Cohn
Sun., Oct. 8 at 4pm, WOMR
Dreamsville by Susan Lumenello
Sun., Oct. 8 at 7pm, WOMR
Monday, October 9
Portraiture by Margaret Van Sant
Mon., Oct. 9 at 2pm, WOMR
Lines in the Sand by Jim Dalglish (Screenplay Version)
Mon. Oct. 9 at 3pm, St. Mary’s of the Harbor
Provincetown Community Compact
Provincetown Dramatic Arts is a project of the Provincetown Community Compact.
Sponsors
The O’Neill Festival of New Works is sponsored by the following: WOMR Radio, Mass Cultural Council, Red Room, Harbor Hotel, Provincetown Dental Arts and Dr. Scott A. Allegretti, D.D.S., St. Mary’s of the Harbor, Provincetown Economic Development Committee, Visitor’s Services Board Office of Tourism, and Gabriel’s Provincetown Hotel.
Illustration Credit
Poster image used with permission of the illustrator - Bill Evaul.