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ART 2018

Expect The Unexpected

2017 was a year of firsts for Acadiana Rep. We spent our first full season at our new home, Cite’ Des Arts. We inaugurated the ARTPass, our version of a season ticket. We also, for the first time, commissioned a piece that was a completely new concept, with ideas and characters we helped to form. 2017 also saw many new faces join our company members on stage and we continued our commitment to supporting equal opportunities for female playwrights. We even were the first theatre to produce a play by New Orleans playwright Logan Faust. And, most importantly, we saw so many new faces in our audience! And now, the time has come for us to look forward from the season that was to the season that is dawning. New works, new voices and faces, unexpected twits and turns, tons of laughs, maybe a few edge of your seat moments, and a brand new project that we are delighted to bring to Lafayette.

One of the new aspects to our season this year is that the final production of our 2018 season is truly a special event. We decided to take the idea of a commission one step further. Using a classic piece of theatre as the jumping off point, our commissioned playwright wrote a brand new take on the themes and ideas of the classic and we will be presenting both pieces! Acadiana Repertory Theatre is running two shows in rep! Sharing the same stage, the same cast, and the same director, the classic and the commission will be presented on alternating nights with two opportunities for a marathon!

Over 600 playwrights submitted their work to us for consideration. This was narrowed down by our reading committee and, in October, the finalists were all read aloud by our company to help our board make final decisions. And now, here are our 2018 season playwrights and plays.

 
 
In addition to Acadiana Repertory Theatre’s developmental premiere of her comedy, Bad in Bed, Karen Saari’s play In a Clearing will have its own world premiere via Magnetic Theatre Company in Asheville, NC in March. And her one-act play Joyland, has two Minneapolis area productions on the docket. In a Clearing was selected for the 2015 Wisconsin Wrights New Play Festival. The play was also awarded a PlayLab at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, AK in June 2017. Saari was a finalist for the 2017 ATHE (Association for Theatre in Higher Education) Award for Excellence in Playwriting. Her one-act play, A Robot, a Clown and a Turban was chosen for Renaissance Theaterworks' Br!nk Festival (Milwaukee) in September 2017. Karen Saari has many written sketches and one-act plays performed in her home city of Madison, WI. She was also a frequent contributor to Madison’s “That’s What She Said” women’s story-share series. A graduate of Northern Michigan University, Karen Saari is a marketing copywriter, voice talent, actor and mother of two. She’s also a member of Playwrights Center.

In addition to Acadiana Repertory Theatre’s developmental premiere of her comedy, Bad in Bed, Karen Saari’s play In a Clearing will have its own world premiere via Magnetic Theatre Company in Asheville, NC in March. And her one-act play Joyland, has two Minneapolis area productions on the docket. In a Clearing was selected for the 2015 Wisconsin Wrights New Play Festival. The play was also awarded a PlayLab at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, AK in June 2017. Saari was a finalist for the 2017 ATHE (Association for Theatre in Higher Education) Award for Excellence in Playwriting. Her one-act play, A Robot, a Clown and a Turban was chosen for Renaissance Theaterworks' Br!nk Festival (Milwaukee) in September 2017. Karen Saari has many written sketches and one-act plays performed in her home city of Madison, WI. She was also a frequent contributor to Madison’s “That’s What She Said” women’s story-share series. A graduate of Northern Michigan University, Karen Saari is a marketing copywriter, voice talent, actor and mother of two. She’s also a member of Playwrights Center.

Bad In Bed

(A Fairy Tale)

by Karen Saari

February 16th-24th

Charles’ third wife has just left him. As he reels from the news and the reason she gives, he spends a weekend in northern Michigan with his best friend Jack and their college friend Betsy, an up and coming author. Betsy, who dabbled in witchcraft years ago, reveals a secret from their college days that could be the reason for Charles’ failed relationships. With the help of Betsy’s old Finnish coven, they set out to help Charles win back his wife. This wild romantic comedy about old friends, unrequited crushes and a Scandinavian sex curse encompasses themes of female sexual empowerment and personal change.

The Quickening

By Mark Scharf

May 11th-20th

The Quickening tells the story of a young couple moving into their new home on the outskirts of Richmond to start a family. Their burgeoning life is quickly disrupted by a ghost from the Civil War. Can the soon-to-be mother find the courage to learn the truth and face the unknown in order to save the life of her unborn child?

Mark Scharf is an award winning American playwright living in Baltimore, MD whose plays have been published and produced widely in the United States and internationally. Scharf has served as Playwright-in-Residence for Theatre Virginia’s New Voices Program and taught Playwriting at the University of Mary Washington and at Howard Community College. He has also presented Playwriting seminars for the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, The University of Mary Washington, The University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University, the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, and the Maryland Writer’s Alliance. Scharf served three terms as Chairman of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival. He has an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Virginia and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. Scharf believes in the power of the idiosyncratic voice of the playwright to move people to feel, think, remember and understand in a way no other art can. For more information, please visit: www.markscharf.com

Mark Scharf is an award winning American playwright living in Baltimore, MD whose plays have been published and produced widely in the United States and internationally. Scharf has served as Playwright-in-Residence for Theatre Virginia’s New Voices Program and taught Playwriting at the University of Mary Washington and at Howard Community College. He has also presented Playwriting seminars for the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, The University of Mary Washington, The University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University, the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, and the Maryland Writer’s Alliance. Scharf served three terms as Chairman of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival. He has an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Virginia and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. Scharf believes in the power of the idiosyncratic voice of the playwright to move people to feel, think, remember and understand in a way no other art can. For more information, please visit: www.markscharf.com

DAVID HILDER’s plays and musicals include The Moment Before it All Went Wrong (2015 Great Plains Theatre Conference; 2015 Hunter Playwrights Festival); Drown (developmental workshop, Acadiana Repertory Theatre; Holland New Voices Playwriting Award, 2014 Great Plains Theatre Conference; finalist, 2014 Princess Grace Award; semi-finalist, 2014 Bay Area Playwrights Festival and National Playwrights Conference/O’Neill Center; ESPA Drills at Primary Stages 2013); Drop of Kindness (The Blank Theatre’s Living Room Series, 2014; semi-finalist, 2013 National Playwrights Conference/O’Neill Center); The Insidious Impact of Anton (Absolute Theatre, Los Angeles – winner of seven StageSceneLA Awards; Winner, 2010 Ashland New Plays Festival; Finalist, Lark Playwrights Week); Just exactly like (The Flea Theater; Finalist, 2010 Heideman Award); Shake the Santa (GrooveMamaInk); anAtrainmusical (with composer Jess Klein; Neighborhood Playhouse); Gikh-kaa (Raw Impressions); I Have Something to Tell You (with composer Gihieh Lee; Raw Impressions); Maps (with composer Gilles Chiasson; Clear Space Productions; Dixon Place’s WARNING: Not for Broadway Festival; Raw Impression); Leave the Room (Finalist, Lark Playwrights Week and Abingdon’s Wolk Award); Bay Orchard High (Expanded Arts; Cullen/Dumas Productions); Dinner Party! (EST; Smatterfest; Particle Wave Theatre); One for the Books (the intentional theatre group; EST); and, naturally, others. He is also a director and a recovering actor, and an alumnus of Hunter College (MFA), the University of Pennsylvania, and the O’Neill Center’s National Theater Institute. He tweets, too: @hilderthtrguy. www.davidhilder.com

DAVID HILDER’s plays and musicals include The Moment Before it All Went Wrong (2015 Great Plains Theatre Conference; 2015 Hunter Playwrights Festival); Drown (developmental workshop, Acadiana Repertory Theatre; Holland New Voices Playwriting Award, 2014 Great Plains Theatre Conference; finalist, 2014 Princess Grace Award; semi-finalist, 2014 Bay Area Playwrights Festival and National Playwrights Conference/O’Neill Center; ESPA Drills at Primary Stages 2013); Drop of Kindness (The Blank Theatre’s Living Room Series, 2014; semi-finalist, 2013 National Playwrights Conference/O’Neill Center); The Insidious Impact of Anton (Absolute Theatre, Los Angeles – winner of seven StageSceneLA Awards; Winner, 2010 Ashland New Plays Festival; Finalist, Lark Playwrights Week); Just exactly like (The Flea Theater; Finalist, 2010 Heideman Award); Shake the Santa (GrooveMamaInk); anAtrainmusical (with composer Jess Klein; Neighborhood Playhouse); Gikh-kaa (Raw Impressions); I Have Something to Tell You (with composer Gihieh Lee; Raw Impressions); Maps (with composer Gilles Chiasson; Clear Space Productions; Dixon Place’s WARNING: Not for Broadway Festival; Raw Impression); Leave the Room (Finalist, Lark Playwrights Week and Abingdon’s Wolk Award); Bay Orchard High (Expanded Arts; Cullen/Dumas Productions); Dinner Party! (EST; Smatterfest; Particle Wave Theatre); One for the Books (the intentional theatre group; EST); and, naturally, others. He is also a director and a recovering actor, and an alumnus of Hunter College (MFA), the University of Pennsylvania, and the O’Neill Center’s National Theater Institute. He tweets, too: @hilderthtrguy. www.davidhilder.com

The Insidious Impact of Anton

By David Hilder

July 27th-August 4th

Francesca knows what's what, who's who, and where who can put what...until she meets a mysterious Eastern European stranger who is far more than he seems. A romantic comedy about how to be human.

The Classic:

Macbeth

adapted for Acadiana Rep by Vanessa Miller

 The Commission:

A Dagger In His Smile

By Lindsay Joy

Running in Rep November 29th-December 8th

Mack- our all-American football loving protagonist- learns the hard way that ambition can be deadly. A darkly comedic take on Macbeth that delves into the world of local politics populated with nasty women and nastier men. Mack and his wife Lady will do just about anything to make sure he gets to be mayor...and we mean anything.

Vanessa Miller has been working as a Director, Teacher, Actress and Script Doctor for over 20 years. Her edits of Shakespeare’s plays have been produced by Seattle Shakespeare, The Great River Shakespeare Festival, and several area schools in the Seattle area.Past directing credits with Seattle Shakespeare Company include Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar (all female), Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Winter’s Tale. As an actor, favorite roles include Titania, Lady Macbeth, Beatrice, Maria, Kate and Adriana from Shakespeare’s cannon.At Village Theatre, her favorite directing projects are new musicals in development (Fairystories, Sacagawea, ToyMaker and Anne of Green Gables). On the main stage, she has assisted Brian Yorkey on The Who’s TOMMY, The Secret Garden, and To Kill A Mockingbird. In the fall of 2015, Vanessa was the Associate Director on My Fair Lady. Other directing projects include The Birds, Sunlight, and Well (ArtsWest) and The Penelopiad and Giants Have Us In Their Books (Cornish College for the Arts), and English adaptations of Wagner's Ring cycle for Seattle Opera's Education department. Vanessa earned her BA cum laude from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and continued her post graduate studies at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts). She teaches full time at The Evergreen School in Shoreline.

Vanessa Miller has been working as a Director, Teacher, Actress and Script Doctor for over 20 years. Her edits of Shakespeare’s plays have been produced by Seattle Shakespeare, The Great River Shakespeare Festival, and several area schools in the Seattle area.Past directing credits with Seattle Shakespeare Company include Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar (all female), Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Winter’s Tale. As an actor, favorite roles include Titania, Lady Macbeth, Beatrice, Maria, Kate and Adriana from Shakespeare’s cannon.At Village Theatre, her favorite directing projects are new musicals in development (Fairystories, Sacagawea, ToyMaker and Anne of Green Gables). On the main stage, she has assisted Brian Yorkey on The Who’s TOMMY, The Secret Garden, and To Kill A Mockingbird. In the fall of 2015, Vanessa was the Associate Director on My Fair Lady. Other directing projects include The Birds, Sunlight, and Well (ArtsWest) and The Penelopiad and Giants Have Us In Their Books (Cornish College for the Arts), and English adaptations of Wagner's Ring cycle for Seattle Opera's Education department. Vanessa earned her BA cum laude from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and continued her post graduate studies at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts). She teaches full time at The Evergreen School in Shoreline.

Lindsay Joy (Playwright) was born and raised rural New Hampshire and has since become a New York City transplant. She’s a proud member of the all-lady Beehive Collective, and a member of the inaugural year of the Amoralists Wright Club. Recently, her new play "Dad Might've Killed That Girl" was a part of Cherry Lane Theater's Tongue Reading Series. Her short play "The Cleaners" won the Sam French OOB fest and was subsequently published. In the past, she served as Co-Artistic Director to the award-winning LabRats Theater Company. The Rats’ production of her full-length play, "The Rise and Fall of a Teenage Cyberqueen", garnered two New York Innovative Theater Awards, including Outstanding Premiere Production of a Play. She was also commissioned to helm the first College Collaboration project for the Farm Theater. The resulting play, "In the Event of My Death", was produced at Ashland University, Centre College, Clark University and made it's New York premiere at IRT produced by the Stable Cable Lab Company. Her short play, Clinch, was a part of Vertigo Theater Company’s Bareknuckle at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn alongside pieces by Pia Zankel and Lucy Thurber. Her short pieces have been seen all over the country—from the Bowery Poetry Club to the Kennedy Center. She is obsessed with all things true crime and is a life long fan of the Boston Red Sox.

Lindsay Joy (Playwright) was born and raised rural New Hampshire and has since become a New York City transplant. She’s a proud member of the all-lady Beehive Collective, and a member of the inaugural year of the Amoralists Wright Club. Recently, her new play "Dad Might've Killed That Girl" was a part of Cherry Lane Theater's Tongue Reading Series. Her short play "The Cleaners" won the Sam French OOB fest and was subsequently published. In the past, she served as Co-Artistic Director to the award-winning LabRats Theater Company. The Rats’ production of her full-length play, "The Rise and Fall of a Teenage Cyberqueen", garnered two New York Innovative Theater Awards, including Outstanding Premiere Production of a Play. She was also commissioned to helm the first College Collaboration project for the Farm Theater. The resulting play, "In the Event of My Death", was produced at Ashland University, Centre College, Clark University and made it's New York premiere at IRT produced by the Stable Cable Lab Company. Her short play, Clinch, was a part of Vertigo Theater Company’s Bareknuckle at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn alongside pieces by Pia Zankel and Lucy Thurber. Her short pieces have been seen all over the country—from the Bowery Poetry Club to the Kennedy Center. She is obsessed with all things true crime and is a life long fan of the Boston Red Sox.