Paving the Way for New Work

Dallas — Nouveau 47 Theatre's second annual New Works/New Voices festival kicks off on Thursday, and like last year, it features readings of new scripts, followed by audience talk-backs and panels of writers, critics and other guests.

Last year's inaugural event led to two new full productions by emerging playwrights in Nouveau 47 Theatre's second season, of works by writers introduced to us in the first festival. Both of those playwrights, Jonathan Kravetz and Kevin Kautzman, will be represented in this year's readings, too. You can see more of Kautzman in this series of videos on new plays, hosted by TheaterJones.

New work was championed by Margo Jones, the regional theater pioneer whose Fair Park theater, now called the Magnolia Lounge, is where Nouveau 47 is housed. 

Below is the schedule, which includes five full-length plays, and begins with a night of 10-minute works. The featured playwrights this year are Kautzman and Christina Cigala; and the showcase event is a benefit for the locally born musical On the Eve.

On the Eve features original music by local band Home by Hovercraft, and is written by the group's Seth and Shawn Magill, with Michael Federico. The show tells the "almost entirely true story of Marie Antoinette and the first time-travelling hot air balloon."

On the Eve will have its world premiere in December 2012, and the kick-off party is May 12 at the Magnolia Lounge, featuring live music from Gallery Cat and Home by Hovercraft, plus a Great Big Wig Contest and more. You can learn more about the May 12 happening here.

The New Works/New Voices schedule is:

Thursday, April 26, 8:00 pm: Six short plays followed by kick-off party.

• Mondays at 2:15 by Mike Moroz (dir. by Mark Guerra) Therapy is difficult enough, but what happens when the voices in your head hijack your session? 
• The Divine Visitation of Joel Pickleseimer by Micah McCoy (dir. by Mark Guerra) God goes Old-Testament on a young man who refuses to do anything but get high and watch TV. 
• Mother, mother by Lacy Lalene Lynch (dir. by Diana Gonzalez) A mother shows up on her daughter’s doorstep with an agenda, a secret, and some southern things to say. The question is who is manic and who is mother? 
• Perfect Love by Jonathan Kravetz (dir. by Brian Witkowicz) It's love American style:  like a drive-in, they fall in and out at light speed. 
• You Meet Such Interesting People in the Library by Brad Kramer (dir. by Brian Witkowicz) Two women meet and get to know each other through kidnapping, murder, and a national security emergency in a public library.
• The Last Time Cooper Took Midge Fishing by Vicki Cheatwood (dir. by Diana Gonzalez) A fish-out-of-water story about relationships, the perils of settling, and beer (laced with CIA-grade acid).

Friday, April 27, 8:00 pm: Full Length

• Universal Robots by Mac Rogers (dir. by Donny Covington) The Great War has just ended. Czechoslovakia is a republic with an elected president and a thriving artistic community that includes celebrated playwright Karel Capek. But history cracks wide open when a young woman walks into Karel's life with a strange mannequin in a wheelchair… a mannequin that gets up and moves all by itself. A science fiction thriller, love story, political allegory, redemptive tragedy and fast-paced entertainment, Universal Robots is freely adapted from Czech playwright Karel Capek's seminal 1921 play R.U.R., which introduced the word "robot" to the world. Universal Robots departs significantly from Capek's script, offering a meaty and riveting story of war, love, faith, technology and the power of art to change the world, for both good and ill.

Saturday, April 28, 8:00 pm: Full Length

• If You Start a Fire [Be Prepared to Burn] by Kevin Kautzman (dir. by Michael Federico) An Internet sex comedy for the Recession Generation!  Lucy and Chris are typical American twenty-somethings struggling to survive the Great Recession with their dignity intact.  They hate their jobs like most everybody else, but they need the insurance, and at least they have each other.  Right?  When Chris loses his job, he convinces Lucy they should launch a boutique sex website and sell the idea of her as an all-American girl next door, somehow both pure and hedonistic at the same time. Playwright will be in attendance from Austin.

Thursday, May 3, 8:00 pm: Full Length

• The Hundredth Monkey Effect by Christina Cigala (dir. by Drew Wall) The folks in this show are mad scientists. They've got some songs to sing and stories to tell, and did I mention the most important scientific experiment of all time? If you've got a wild side, or just like getting blazed while watching episodes of Quantum Leap, join the scientific research team of the The 100th Monkey Effect.

Friday, May 4, 8:00 pm: Full Length

• Messages from the Bottle by Jim Kuenzer (dir. by Jonathan Taylor) In the style of David Sedaris or Spalding Gray, Jim embarks on a one man show telling the true tale of one man's journey from the wasteland of alcoholism, through the perils of recovery and on to the dream of one day becoming a nice guy. Written in the always-popular first person, Messages attempts to answer many of life's most pressing questions with even more questions, creating an endless loop of drama, crisis and hilarity. Kuenzer, a Dallas playwright and performer, will be in attendance.

Saturday, May 5, 8:00 pm: Full Length

• Orphan Echoes by Bezachin Jifar (dir. by Christopher Eastland) It's 2012 and Jade is about to leave for work when her husband Amsalu calls to tell her he's stuck in a cave on top of the Half-Dome in Yosemite. When, why and where plays out through pivotal conversations they've had over the phone jumping back and forth in time. Playwright will be in attendance from New York.

Sunday, May 6, 5:00 pm: Full Length

• Freezing Point by Yuliya Tsukerman (dir. by Matt Tomlanovich) In the home of her estranged father, Winnie finds a woman locked in a menagerie of domestic objects and a secret hidden in the ashes of the family dog. The freezing point of tears is where it all collides. Playwright will be in attendance from NY

Sunday, May 6, 7:00 pm: Sketch Comedy

• Performance by The FTP Comedy Troupe and Festival closing party