The National New Play Network, a consortium of theaters devoted to developing and producing new work, presents its second biennial festival. Eighteen plays–some previously seen elsewhere, others slated for future production, yet others just waiting for a chance to reach an audience–are performed in concert readings or staged readings. The fest is a joint effort of two local troupes, Prop Thtr and Chicago Dramatists, and two other midwestern companies, Ann Arbor’s Performance Network and the Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis. But the 18 entries come from cities around the U.S., including LA, Dallas, Minneapolis, Denver, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, offering audiences a rare opportunity to sample a lot of regional work in a short time frame.
Julie Jensen’s comedy, submitted by Utah’s Salt Lake Acting Company, is described as “a wacky, tough-love valentine to life and to theater.” Andrea Urice directs. Chicago Cultural Center studio theater, 8 PM.
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SATURDAY, JULY 17
Direct From Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow)
Mike Folie’s romantic comedy, submitted by the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, concerns the relationship between a political lobbyist and her Orthodox Jewish chiropractor. Loop Theater, 4 PM.
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