Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Founder and Artistic Dir; Martin Giannini, Executive Dir) has announced the winning selections for Red Bull’s ANNUAL SHORT NEW PLAY FESTIVAL. Six brand new 10-minute plays of heightened language and classic themes inspired by this year’s theme, “Renewal,” have been selected through an open submission process. These selections will premiere alongside commissions from Madeleine George and Robert O’Hara. The festival will be held on Monday June 24th (7:30 PM) at CSC's Lynn F Angelson (136 East 13th St.)
This year’s winning playwrights, selected from hundreds of open submissions from playwrights across the country, are Luke Brett, Amy Jo Jackson, Fleurette Modica, Paloma Nozicka, Emma Schillage, and Madison Stranahan. The premieres will be directed by Evan Yiounoulis and this year's Drama League Directing Fellow, Irvin Mason Jr. Casting will be announced shortly. This year's selected plays are "The Skull of Elizabeth Bathory" by Luke Brett. Whispering to her keeper, the long dead skull of Elizabeth Bathory convinces a Restoration era actress in 1664 to lure trusting colleagues back to her home where they will be sacrificed in a ritual to eventually reanimate the horrifying Hungarian countess. In exchange, the actress has been promised the secret to eternal beauty. "You Know What They Say About Scorned Women" by Amy Jo Jackson. A modern-day Helen of Sparta has fled captivity and come home to Menelaus...but after a decade of being reviled and misunderstood, how can she return to the life she thought she knew? After Menelaus decides they should renew their marriage vows, Helen takes an unconventional path towards reclaiming renewal for herself; "daphne and laurel" by Fleurette Modica. The campers at Diana's Camp for Wholesome Teenage Girls have been told that if they explore their sexuality in any way, they will turn into a tree. When Daphne returns from a late-night encounter with a boy, she and her roommate Laurel must confront whether everything they have been told is a lie; "Semillas" by Paloma Nozicka. "Antigone meets" "Fleabag." With Mexicans. Or something. A short play about honoring our dead, no matter what; "The Purgatory for Women Who Commit Suicide" by Emma Schillage. Ophelia has lost someone. But before they can move on to whatever is next, the women must find closure. And how do they do this? By casting spells of course!; "Lady Macbeth's Hand Soap" by Madison Stanahan. Lady Macbeth finds herself in the middle of a commercial for handsoap. For more information, visit www. redbulltheater.com. Press contact: David Gersten & Associates (917/576-7655)...