Featuring Works by M.F.A. in Playwriting Candidates
Steven Dietz, Curator
Holli Gipson, Assistant Curator
Jen Ash, Production Manager
White Tie Ball Written by Martin Zimmerman
February 12, 13 at 8:00 PM and February 13, 14 at 2:00 PM
Lab Theatre
Blue Point Written by Kyle John Schmidt
February 19, 20 at 8:00 PM and February 20, 21 at 2:00 PM
Lab Theatre
The Tides of Aberdeen Written by Erin Phillips
February 26, 27 at 8:00 PM and February 27, 28 at 2:00 PM
Lab Theatre
Admission: $10, limited seating. Tickets available at the Winship Box Office 1.5 hours prior to each performance. Map of the area.
White Tie Ball
Written by Martin Zimmerman
Directed by Steve Moulds
Scene Designer Jennifer Singletary
Lighting Designer Victoria Hendrix
Costume Designer Polly Veltchev
Stage Manager Cate Eby
Media and Resources:
Synopsis:
Born to a mestiza mother who illegally immigrated from Mexico and a white father from the United States, Edward looks just like his mother and Beto just like his father. And despite the two of them being raised by their mother in an impoverished Latino neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona, Edward works his way through law school to become an Arizona County Attorney. Beto, however, falls in with a Latino gang and is convicted of armed robbery at age nineteen.
At the start of the play, Beto has recently been paroled from prison, Edward has recently been elected to office, and the bond between the two brothers is the strongest it has been in years, largely due to Edward's tireless efforts to help re-build Beto's life. But when Alberto Jimenez, one of Beto's former friends from his gang, kills an on-duty Latina police officer as she breaks into his home without identifying herself, Edward has to prosecute the case. The decisions Edward faces about what charges to pursue put both his career and his relationship with his brother in jeopardy.
Playwright: Martin Zimmerman
Martin Zimmerman is a third-year M.F.A. Candidate in Playwriting at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a graduate of Duke University where he received degrees in Theater Studies and Economics. His play White Tie Ball will receive a workshop production in the New Stages Marfa Festival in May 2010, was workshopped at The Kennedy Center this past July, and was a semifinalist for The WordBridge Playwright's Laboratory. Seven Spots on the Sun received a Core Apprentice Workshop at The Playwright's Center this past May and was a finalist for the 2009 Bay Area Playwright's Festival. Three Movements received a workshop production on Theatre Row (NYC), was a finalist for The Drama League's New Directors/New Works Grant, a semifinalist for The Eugene O'Neill Playwright's Conference, and received The Dasha Epstein Award in Playwriting. Martin has also assistant directed for Steven Dietz at Austin's Zach Scott Theatre.
Director: Steve Moulds
Steve Moulds is a second-year graduate playwright at UT's James A. Michener Center for Writers. At UT, his play Problem Box appeared in the University Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival. His plays Buyer's Remorse and Killer Smile both premiered at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. In addition to writing plays, he has directed numerous premieres in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN and Louisville, KY, for such companies as Walking Shadow Theatre Company, History Theatre, and the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Cast:
- Diego Larrea-Puemape as Edward
- Joey LePage as Beto
- Lesley Gurule as Spencer
- Aly Del Cueto as Jimenez
Blue Point
Written by Kyle John Schmidt
Directed by Charles Otte
Scene Designer Jackie Acker
Lighting Designer Kate Leahy
Costume Designer Polly Veltchev
Stage Manager Ana Lozano
Media and Resources:
Synopsis:
When two teenage boys abandon the simplicity of sleepovers, Little League, and paper routes, they enter a parentless world of alienation and self-destruction. As their lives fall apart, the boys hold desperately to one another acting out fantasies of domination and humiliation over their schoolmates, a meth addict, and each other. Blue Point is a story of secrets held tight, violence let loose, and teenage terror reigning free in Middle America.
Playwright: Kyle John Schmidt
Director: Charles Otte
Cast:
- Will Brittain as Chad
- Andrew Hlinski as Blake
- Jon Cook as Lance
- Samantha Wiley as Jill
- Smaranda Ciceu as Rhonda
The Tides of Aberdeen
Written by Erin Phillips
Directed by Courtney Sale
Assistant Director Kassie Crawford
Scene and Costume Designer Rowan Doyle
Lighting Designer Victoria Hendrix
Sound Designer Paul Bolinger
Stage Manager Denise Saenz
Media and Resources:
Synopsis:
Set in the dreary Northwest town of Aberdeen, two kids endeavor to break the world record for holding their breath under water. When a drifter resurfaces in town, the kids's plans and lives transform. Tides… is a mysterious story dealing with the rise and fall of small town perceptions and dreams.
Playwright: Erin Phillips
Erin Phillips is originally from the bay area and holds a B.F.A. in acting from Cornish College of the Arts. She was the 2006 joint recipient of the Corwin Award for best One Act Play, and the 2007 recipient of the Corwin award for best full-length play. She received a meritorious achievement award from the Kennedy Center for The Well. Erin holds a Masters degree in Dramatic Arts from The University of California at Santa Barbara. She is currently working on her M.F.A. in Playwriting at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also her Mom's favorite Playwright.
Director: Courtney Sale
Courtney joins the UT community by way of New York City, where she spent five years as Co-Artistic Director of The Management. Directing credits with The Management include Bruecklen, The Chalk Boy (Co-Production in Los Angeles), Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls, and The Well written by UT M.F.A. Playwright Erin Phillips. Her production of Kristen Kosmas's The Scandal! was nominated for a New York Innovative Theater Award and featured in American Theatre Magazine. Seattle directing credits include Bright Room Called Day (Strike Anywhere Productions), Henry VI Part 1 (Babes with the Bard), and Singer Stories (Seattle Children's Museum). She assistant'directed Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith's Seattle premiere of Monster at A Contemporary Theater. She was also selected as one of fourteen emerging directors to participate in Peter Brook's workshop in conjunction with his tour of Hamlet. As an actor Courtney has worked with San Francisco's Crowded Fire, The Jewish Theater of New York and Seattle's ArtsWest. She holds a B.F.A. from Cornish College of the Arts.
Cast:
- Stevi Baston as Abigal
- Mark Scheibmeir as Truck
- Sydney Andrews as Ginger
