PTNJ & DREW UNIVERSITY PRESENT FREE READING OF NEW PLAY

UNKEMPT by Becca Schlossberg WHEN: March 18, 6:30 PM, followed by a discussion with the playwright WHERE: the Dorothy Young Arts Center at Drew University, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ. ADMISSION: Free To reserve tickets, visit www.ptnj.org/freereadings.php This reading is a joint presentation of Playwrights Theatre’s FORUM new play reading series and the Drew University Theatre Arts Department Plays In Process Series. Ms. Schlossberg is a recent graduate from the Drew Theatre Arts Department. Playwrights FORUM Reading Series brings theatre artists and audience members together to enjoy the process of bringing a play to life. Professional actors and directors from both New York and New Jersey work with the writer in pre-reading rehearsals. Oftentimes, some very well-known performers are able to lend a hand, schedule permitting. Drew Theatre Arts Department Plays in Process is designed to aid student playwrights in the development of new work. Playwrights are given the opportunity to explore how their plays function on stage, while at the same time gaining insight into the production process. Each reading is followed by a discussion, during which the audience is invited to offer comments and constructive criticism to the playwright. “This is a perfect way for Playwrights Theatre to collaborate with the Drew University Theatre Arts Department, through the development of new works,” said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre. “Both Playwrights Theatre and the department share a long-standing commitment to play development. We are looking forward to doing more of this kind of work in the future.” About the Play: After twenty five years of living in the same suburban house, Millie and David are finally moving away. As they are forced to pack up their only son’s room without him, they will discover the truth about their son’s absence and unravel the many secrets of their turbulent marriage. About the Playwright: Hailing from New Jersey, Becca’s plays include: Guidance, All We Are, Cal & Grey, Hands, Punches, 3boys, Just Like I Wanted, The Secrets of Aiden Brooks, Merrily³, The Marvels and Wonders of 1001 Nights (adaptation), and Where Did the Bees Go. She is a three time recipient of the Robert Fischer Oxnam Award in Playwriting in conjunction with Ensemble Studio Theatre. She is also the co-founder and associate artistic director of Sunglasses After Dark Productions (sunglassesafterdark.org). She happily resides in Brooklyn, NY. BA: Drew University; MFA: The New School for Drama.

About Playwrights Theatre: Founded in 1986, Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit professional theatre and arts education institution dedicated to developing and nurturing the dramatic imagination of artists, students, and audiences. Our New Play Program, which includes the The New Jersey Emerging Women Playwrights Program and the Literary Artist Fellowship Program creates development opportunities for professional writers through readings, workshops and productions, and invites audiences to participate in authentic feedback experiences. Our New Jersey Writers Project, Poetry Out Loud, New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest and Festival, and Creative Arts Academy programs provide a comprehensive and hands-on arts education experience to over 31,000 students, Pre-K through adult. Writers in the New Play Program are drawn from across the country, including our affiliation with the National New Play Network, a nation-wide group of theatres dedicated to the development and production of new work. Teaching Artists in our Education Programs are professional artists working in their field in the New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. From 2003-2016, we have been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (along with only five other theatres: The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, George Street Playhouse, McCarter Theatre Center, Two River Theatre and Paper Mill Playhouse) as “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey.” Funding for our activities comes from: the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Community Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., Dramatist Guild Fund, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, The Shubert Foundation, Novartis, The Victoria Foundation, and many corporations, foundations and individuals. Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.