Now thru February 26

New.  Original.  Local.

Developing works by local, regional and national playwrights

"This is an event that now rivals any and all

other artistic festivals held in Jefferson County

in its scope and level of excellence."

-- P T Leader Feb 2011

Regional/National Playwrights Plays-In-Progress

The Odyssey    Charlie Bethel

Diary of a M.A.D. Caregiver    D. Runyon Fleener

Man Catches Fish    Gin Hammond

more...     

Local One-act Productions

Parrot    Sandy Diamond

PRNYC    Mark Rose

The Rug    Richard Weston

more...     

Local One-act Readings

Senior Street Show    Deborah Daline

Delayed For Weather    Steve Fetter

Dream Voyeur    Jack O'Connor

more...     

Special Guest Artist Playwright Event

Acclaimed American playwright Constance Congdon

performs her new one-woman show Is Sex Possible?

more...     

TeenLab at the Festival

more...     

"It's a strong trio [of plays], each entertaining and thought-provoking in its own way...  The dialogue sizzles in PRNYC."

-- The Kitsap Sun says of the one-act productions

"'PRNYC by Mark Rose is a taut well-rehearsed script... easily rivaling the popular TV series 'Mad Men'...  A major triumph."

-- Steve Treacy, posted PT Leader website

Ticket and Pass information        Event Calendar        Festival Accommodations

You can make comments or ask questions about any of our productions on our Facebook page

The Playwrights Festival is generously sponsored by

John L. Scott Real Estate -- Teresa Goldsmith

and by DRG Sound Solutions -- David R. Goldsmith

Winners of the P T Arts Commission's One-Act Play Competition

who are receiving world premiere full productions

(Fri & Sat evenings, Sun matinees)

Parrot  by Sandy Diamond

On the surface -- a slice of life at closing time in a small-town post office.  But when you throw in a woman with a ticking package who doesn't say a word, random poetical out bursts and even some break dancing, it's up to the audience to guess what might happen next.
 

        Girl - Rosa Linda Davies
        Wretch - Hewitt Brooks *
        Old Woman - Marsha Goldman
        Reporter - Peter Wiant
        Psychiatrist - Michael Vicha
        Ticker - Kelly McNees

        Boy - Johnas Jonathan Stocking
        Poet - Caleb Peacock
 

PRNYC  by Mark Rose

A power struggle in a high-pressure PR firm in New York city with the players trying to use free-range chickens, Nelson Mandela and Bono to push a new eco-tourism project.  PRNYC is rated PG-13 for language.

        Myron Mandelbaum - Hewitt Brooks *
        Peter Riley - Michael Vicha
        Wan Dershon - Peter Wiant
        Heather Ingals - Kelly McNees
        Melody Stark - Colleen Dobbin

The Rug  by Richard Weston
 

A Kafkaesque drama about a man who's trying to relax in his apartment when two dysfunctional deliverymen show up with a rug.  Things go from strange to bizarre when they leave and a woman shows up without any clothes on under her coat.

        George - Hewitt Brooks *
        Moving Man 1 - Peter Wiant
        Moving Man 2 - Gary Dobbin
        Woman - Colleen Dobbin

* Performing by Special Appearance Agreement with Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.

One-act productions directed by Angela Amos

Time: Two hours and fifteen minutes, including two brief intermissions.

Ages: One of the plays -- PRNYC -- is rated PG-13 for language.

Winners of the P T Arts Commission's One-Act Play Competition

who are receiving staged readings

(Tuesday evenings)

Senior Street Show  by Deborah Daline

Think grandma's not worth much?  Think again!  Senior Street Show takes the venerable

"Antiques Roadshow" and turns it on it's head, presenting us with a loving satire

on family and the people who buy and sell the ones dear to our hearts.

Ensemble Cast:

Judith Glass Collins
Liz Lindstrom
Maggie Clifford Hastings
David Hundhausen
David H. Schroeder
Sam Cavallaro

Russell Waddell
 

Dream Voyeur  by Jack O'Connor

Jack O'Connor's Dream Voyeur guides us through a twilight zone world

of crime and redemption, with a host of hard-boiled anti-heroes who are doing

whatever they can just to get by -- even when their best isn't quite good enough!

Cast

George: Russell Waddell
Pete: Sam Cavallaro
Davis: Judith Glass Collins
Morrison: David H. Schroeder
Doc: Richard Weston

Delayed For Weather  by Steve Fetter

No bad food, long waits in line or invasive TSA pat-downs in this airport,

where a chance meeting with a kind stranger transforms

just another day of waiting for your flight. 

Come fly to Hawaii with us!

Cast

Robin: David Hundhausen
Madison: Maggie Clifford Hastings
 

One-Act readings directed by Zachary Hewell

"These plays are full of magic for me.  Yes, the magic of the stories, but also the magic in the process of bringing a script to fruition.  In this case, we are in the early days, where a playwright gets to hear the words that they've written -- possibly for the first time -- and suddenly everything changes.  The play coughs, breathes, and comes to life. The play evolves and grows up, and eventually it stands proudly on it's own for all to see.  For me, taking those first steps in helping transition an idea into a script into a living entity on stage is the greatest magic of all."

Plays-In-Progress

by Regional and National Playwrights

The Odyssey  by Charlie Bethel (bio)

(Week of Feb 12-18: Sun & Wed evenings, Sat matinee)

Directed by Denise Winter.  Shipwrecks, cyclopses, sirens and sex goddesses; cannibalism, death, loyalty and revenge. vSolo artist Charlie Bethel unpacks it all for you in this retelling of Homer's epic tale of a crafty hero trying to get home and the circumstances that stretch him to his limit.

This play runs 90 minutes.

This work was originally commissioned last year by The Orlando Shakespeare Theatre for the Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays, receiving a workshop reading in November of 2011.  It is slated for a full production there February 14 thru March 17, 2013.  Bethel and Artistic Director Denise Winter had already been in discussion about this next solo project effort when the commission was announced. This developmental workshop in our festival will focus on incorporating script changes from the November reading and a first look at how it will begin to take shape in its staging.

Diary of a M.A.D. Caregiver  by D. Runyon Fleener (bio)

(Week of Feb 19-25: Sun & Wed evenings, Sat matinee)

Directed by Mara Lathrop

Cast: Erin Lamb

"Diary of a M.A.D. Caregiver" by D. Runyon Fleener began as a blog featuring the funny, sad and sometimes just plain weird.  Fleener took a seven-year journey as the primary care giver to her aging parents.  Fleener performed a monologue based on her blog at last year's "Here, There & Everywhere" program at KCPT.  She's now developing the material into a one-woman show.  This Play-in-Progress features Erin Lamb performing the role Fleener plans to perform herself.  Her approach is to give herself distance from this very personal material and focus on the text.

Man Catches Fish  by Gin Hammond (bio)
(Final week: Thursday and Sunday evenings, Feb 23 & 26)

Directed by Gin Hammond

Ensemble Cast: Michelle Hensel, Eric Ray Anderson, and Melissa Topscher

"Man Catches Fish" is a fishing tale told from a variety of perspectives, (including the bait's), using a multiple performance genres, including burlesque, clown, stand-up comedy, and classic dramatic storytelling. Though we've already had a well-received performance of two of the scenes at The Rendezvous in Seattle, the piece is still in its nascence because it is a highly collaborative piece and it has been extremely challenging for us to gather in one place at the same time to put all of our ideas to the test.  This Festival is our cherished opportunity to do just that, and we can't wait!

By the end of our week at KCPT, our goal is to be able to explore, assemble, and perform each element of the story in sequence, and hopefully have a piece that will be ready to tour to international festivals, including the Adelaide International Fringe Festival in Australia!

------------ Tickets and Passes ------------

Individual tickets are now on sale.  They are available online through our Festival Calendar.

One-Act Productions (Fri & Sat evenings, Sun matinees)... $15.00

Constance Congdon performance... $20

All other Festival performances............ $10.00

Students at all performances.... $10.00

Full Festival Calendar

Attendees of the 2012 Playwrights' Festival can save by getting Playwrights' Festival Passes.

------------ Playwrights' Festival Passes ------------

 Festival Patron Pass — Unlimited admissions to all events including Guest Playwright events — $75

 Behind-the-Scenes Pass — Unlimited admissions to all events (except Guest Playwright events) — $60

New Works Pass — One admission to any five events (except Guest Playwright events) — $50

Renowned playwright Constance Congdon coming to KCPT

Internationally produced playwright and teacher Constance Congdon offers three playwriting workshops in Port Townsend as part of Key City Public Theatre's 16th Annual Playwrights' Festival.

-- The first workshop, Saturday Feb 18, is sponsored by the Port Townsend Arts Commission and is free and open to the public.

-- The second, on Sunday Feb 19, is fee-based and is an advanced follow-up to the first workshop.

-- Congdon will also teach a TeenLab Writing Workshop on Saturday Feb 18, open to teens 13-19.
 

Congdon was last in residence at KCPT during the Northwest premiere of her play "SO FAR: The Children of the Elvi," in 2007.  This play remains a Port Townsend favorite for its post-apocalyptic set mixed with her Shakespearean language.  (Congdon's full bio appears below.)

"I am so excited to have Congdon returning to Port Townsend to share her knowledge and artistry with us," says KCPT Artistic Director Denise Winter.  "Tony Kushner, her friend and fellow playwright, speaks of her 'intuitive understanding of the theatricality of theater.'  Local playwrights who took her workshops in 2007 still talk about how much they were inspired by her process."
 

Free workshop -- Saturday Feb 18

At the February 18 workshop at the city’s Cotton Building from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Congdon uses timed exercises and given circumstances to give the aspiring writer a way to tap into their imagination without the worry. Bring lots of paper, writing implements and a willingness to let go. She emphasizes that the students will come out of her workshops with plays not just "entries in notebook limbo." Her instruction is geared to all skill levels; preregistration is recommended.  (Note that online registration charges a 10% fee.  To avoid this fee, e-mail or call us as shown below.)

 Advanced workshop -- Sunday Feb 19

The 4-hour Advanced Playwriting Intensive workshop on February 19 starts at 10 a.m. at the KCPT office at 1128 Lawrence St. Attending the Feb 18 workshop is a prerequisite for the February 19 event. Congdon will also share advice on getting published and lead a critique of the written exercises. The cost for the advanced workshop is $75 for KCPT members and $85 for non-members.  Space is limited for this advanced workshop.  (Note that online registration charges a 10% fee.  To avoid this fee, e-mail or call us as shown below.)
 

TeenLab writing workshop -- Saturday Feb 18

Congdon will teach a special TeenLab workshop for students aged 13 – 19 on Saturday, Feb 18, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This workshop is part of the KCPT TeenLab program in which student-artists write, develop and perform their own material and is included for any teen enrolled in the Festival TeenLab session which runs Feb 6 – 26. The cost for Congdon’s teen workshop alone is $45 for KCPT members or children of members and $40 for KCPT Key Card holders. Non-members pay $55.  The cost for the full Festival TeenLab session is $85 - $150 on a sliding scale.  (Note that online registration charges a 10% fee.  To avoid this fee, e-mail or call us as shown below.)
 

To register for any of these workshops,

e-mail info@keycitypublictheatre.org or call 360-379-0195.

About Constance Congdon

There can be no greater theatre tribute than to be described as “one of the best playwrights our country and our language has ever produced."   This accolade comes from another of this country’s prominent theater artists, Tony Kushner (“Angels in America”) in his introduction to Ms. Congdon’s collection “Tales of the Lost Formicans and Other Plays.” Her body of work includes more than 30 plays, three opera librettos and eight plays for children, one of which was produced at the Moscow Central Children’s Theatre.

“Tales of the Lost Formicans,” her 1988 tragicomedy, was produced more than 200 times world-wide in cities as disparate as Helsinki, Cairo, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and New York. Ms. Congdon's plays include Casanova and Dog Opera both produced at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York. “A Mother,” starring Olympia Dukakis, and a new verse version of Moliere’s play “The Misanthrope,” were commissioned and produced by American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.

In 1999, her play “Lips” was commissioned by Steven Speilberg's Dreamworks through Playwrights Horizons and was produced at Primary Stages in New York. The Profile Theater in Portland, Oregon devoted their entire 2000 season to her work. In 2007, Key City Public Theatre produced her play “So Far, The Children of the Elvi” for its Pacific Northwest Premiere, for which she received both audience and critical acclaim.

Constance Congdon received her MFA in Playwrighting at the University of Massachusetts in 1981. She is a strong believer in America’s academic and nonprofit theaters, which she says play a crucial role in “keeping new work alive.” She has won grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the W. Alton Jones Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Arnold Weisberger Award, the Berilla Kerr Award and The Helen Merrill Award. She is an alum of New Dramatists, a member of PEN and the Dramatists Guild, and since 1993 has taught playwriting at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

Artistic and Production Staff for the Playwrights' Festival

Director for One-Act Productions:  Angela Amos
KCPT Literary Manager/Dramaturg:  Mara Lathrop

Director for One-Act Readings - Zachary Hewell
Director of The Odyssey - Denise Winter
Director of Diary of a M.A.D. Caregiver - Mara Lathrop
Director of Man Catches Fish - Gin Hammond

Set Designer - Abbie Greene
Scenic Artist - Terry Tennesen
Lighting Designer - Karen Anderson
Costume Designer - Amanda Steurer
Sound Designer - Adam Matthew
Choreographer - Kelly McNees
Stage Manager - Kana Okabe
 

About our visiting Plays-in-Progress playwrights

Charlie Bethel -- The Odyssey
 

Charlie Bethel is a New York City actor and writer was most recently in residence at KCPT last season to direct “Macbeth" for Shakespeare-in-the Park. His theatre career has included work as a director, producer, stage manager, electrician, milliner and properties and set dressing artist all over the United States.

Theatres include: Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Trinity Repertiry Company, Trinity Ensemble, Cape May Stage, Utah Shakespeare Festival, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Econo-Art Theater Company, Red Bones, Next Theater Company, Apple Tree, The Jungle Theater, The Children’s Theatre Company, Hey City Stage, Minnesota Opera, Guthrie Theatre, Opera Memphis, and Caliban Co. Mr.

Bethel is the creator and solo performance artist of four critically acclaimed versions of “Beowulf,” “Gilgamesh,” “Seven Poor Travelers” and “Tom Thumb or the Tragedy of Tragedies.” He was recently featured in the History Channel series, “Clash of the Gods,” as an expert on the Anglo-Saxon epic poem “Beowulf.”
 

He is a native southerner and is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

D. Runyon Fleener -- Diary of a M.A.D. Caregiver
 

D. Runyon Fleener debuted an excerpt from her “Diary” for the “Here, There & Everywhere” program of monologues by contemporary women playwrights on KCPT's stage in March of 2011.

She was seen in performance on KCPT's mainstage as Olimpia in "The Soup is Served," for which she received a "Best Actress" honorable mention in the Kitsap Sun A & E Theatre Awards. A veteran performer of new works and plays-in-development, she appeared in the 15th Annual Playwrights’ Festival as Susan in “Antarktikos,” in "Amusing Frieda" for the 9th Annual Playwrights' Festival, and starred in KCPT’s Pacific Northwest premieres of Gip Hoppe’s plays "Boyce & Melinda’s Investment Strategies for the Post-Money World" and "A New War."

Her most recent Seattle appearance was in Macha Monkey Productions world premiere of "Thebes.” Other KCPT appearances include "What the Butler Saw," "Working: The Musical," "Where’s My Money," "Tartuffe," "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe."

She has also appeared at The Paradise Theatre School in productions of "Don Juan", "Ivanov", and in "The Exonerated." By day, Denise is a textbook writer/editor and voiceover artist.

Gin Hammond -- Man Catches Fish
 

Gin Hammond directed the Footlight-Award winning play “The Westerbork Serenade” which later traveled to the Netherlands, as well as “Subprime! Inside the Heart of the Mortgage Meltdown,” a Seattle Weekly "Pick of the Week." She received her MFA from the A.R.T. at Harvard University/Moscow Art Theatre.

Ms. Hammond was last seen in the 15th Annual Playwrights' Festival as Mary in “The Martyrdom of Washington Booth.” She has performed nationally at The Guthrie, Arena Stage, The Longwharf Theatre, Seattle’s ACT, The Pasadena Playhouse, the ART, The Berkshire Theatre Festival and The Studio Theatre in Washington D.C., where she won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance of "The Syringa Tree."

Internationally, she has performed in Russia, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and England. Her voice(s) can be heard on World of Warcraft, Halo 3 ODST, Super Granny, Cake Mania, Westward, and Nancy Drew video games, a wide range of industrials, audiobooks produced by Redwood and Cedar House Audio, and Jim French’s Imagination Theater.

She currently resides in Bellevue with her husband, where she writes, directs, teaches and performs.

Winning playwrights honored by PT Arts Commission

A ceremony to honor the winning playwrights of the 2011 One Act Play Competition was held Friday, January 27 at 5:30 p.m. at Key City Playhouse. The ceremony, hosted by the Port Townsend Arts Commission, honored (from left to right in the photo)  Mark Rose, Steve Fetter, Sandy Diamond, Deborah Daline, and Jack O'Connor. (Winning playwright Richard Weston not in photo.)

 
Kris Nelson made presentations to the writers, all of whose works will be presented at the 16th Annual Playwrights’ Festival produced by Key City Public Theatre. 

Short excerpts from selected plays were performed at the ceremony, providing a sneak preview of the Festival, which runs February 9 - 26.

This event was free and open to the public.  Light refreshments were served in the Playhouse lobby at an informal reception for the playwrights.

The Playwrights’ Festival will include the six winning one-act plays, workshop productions of three developing full-length plays by Charlie Bethel, D. Runyon Fleener and Gin Hammond and the Arts Commission’s annual playwriting workshops with visiting national playwright Constance Congdon. Congdon will perform her one-person play “Is Sex Possible?” at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday February 16.

Playwrights' Festival Accommodations:  Special lodging prices are available

by mentioning 'Key City Public Theatre' at the following three hotels,

all centrally located to the Playwrights' Festival events:

Bishop Victorian and Swan Hotels -- http://www.rainshadowproperties.com or 800-824-4738
The Old Consulate Inn -- http://www.oldconsulate.com or 800-300-6753
The Commanders Beach House -- http://www.commandersbeachhouse.com or 888-385-1778