In the wake of Goodspeed Theatre’s announcement that it will no longer produce a subscription series of new works at its Norma Terris Theatre, playwrights across the country are bemoaning what appears to be the increasing lack of venues willing to produce new plays and musicals. But while one light appears to be dimming, another is just beginning to shine. The National New Play Network, an alliance of twenty-one mid-sized professional theatres from all regions of the United States, is quickly becoming America’s preeminent champion of original work.
Since 1999, “NNPN has fostered the work of dozens of new voices in the American theatre and its unique network has created a longevity most plays never find.” Seth Rozin, president of the National New Play Network and founder and producing artistic director of Philadelphia’s Interact Theatre Company, says, “NNPN member theatres have generated dozens of quality plays for several years.”
Perhaps the most innovative initiative of the NNPN is its Continued Life of New Plays Fund (CLNPF). The CLNPF is “a cooperative venture designed to [ensure] that new plays will see future productions beyond [their] initial world premiere. Partnerships of three or more theatres, including at least two NNPN members, are eligible to receive funds in support of multiple productions of the same new play.”
The participant partners are obligated to produce the chosen play prior to the opening of its initial production, thereby “negating the impact of critical reviews.” Thus, each theatre takes part in a “rolling” world premiere, ensuring an opportunity for the play to be nurtured through extended and repeated contact with a wide national audience—an opportunity the piece would not likely otherwise enjoy.
The first play to be chosen for The Continued Life of New Plays Fund was Thomas Gibbons’ Permanent Collection. The piece premiered at Philadelphia’s InterAct Theatre Company, which as mentioned previously, is directed by NNPN president Seth Rozin. Productions of Gibbons’ play soon followed at both Florida Stage and the Unicorn Theatre, of Kansas City, MO.
The second round of The Continued Life of New Plays Fund took place in the spring of 2005, with the world premiere of Hazard County, by Allison Moore at the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival, followed by productions at Kitchen Dog Theatre in Dallas and Atlanta’s Actor’s Express.
This season’s selection is Rising Water, by John Biguenet, which will premiere at Southern Rep (New Orleans, LA)
In addition to the Fund, NNPN sponsors a number of other initiatives to bring new voices to the American stage.
The National Showcase of New Plays (NSNP) is a trade show of sorts where new plays by new playwrights are presented for theatres from across the country in a staged reading format. According to an the network, “NSNP creates a unique and invaluable opportunity for dozens of production-ready new plays to be viewed by artistic directors, literary managers, literary agents, publishers, and independent producers from around the country.”
To stimulate further industry awareness and interest within the playwrighting community, NNPN has also administered its first new play prize. Auspiced by a group of “socially conscious” donors, The Smith Prize will be awarded to a play that “illuminates issues that can only be dealt with at the national or global level, even if the story is told from an individual perspective.” The Prize carries a $5,000 cash award, which will be split between the playwright and the NNPN member theatre that first mounts the winning play.
The winner of the first annual award will be announced in December 2006.
Other specific playwright support arrives in NNPN’s awarding of bi-annual commissions to playwrights nominated and selected by member theatres. In return, “commissioned playwrights agree to grant right of first refusal to produce their play to all NNPN members in their respective markets,” and “both NNPN and the nominating theatre participate in the subsidiary royalties from the commissioned play.”
And not forgetting National New Play Day, an NNPN initiative that engages companies and audiences around the country.
Given the incredible geographic diversity of the network’s member theatres, specific company mission statements vary considerably. However, each boasts a shared “commitment to discovering and fostering new voices for the American theatre.”
Among their number: Denver’s Curious Theatre Company, Florida Stage, New Jersey Repertory Company, Denver’s Curious Theatre Company, and Washington DC’s Wooly Mammoth Theatre Company. (For a complete listing, visit the NNPN web site, www.nnpn.org).
To create a sense of community and to foster communication among its diverse members, NNPN hosts an annual conference of its member theatres as well as monthly, online meetings. During these monthly meetings, “literary managers from NNPN member theatres…exchange information on plays and playwrights in an effort to help identify, cultivate, develop and produce promising new plays. Further, NNPN is in the process of compiling a comprehensive database for its members to “track the history of thousands of American plays and playwrights.”
“It is rare for theatres to actively seek and foster new works,” says one playwright of the organizations many activities.
“That the National New Play Network appears to be increasingly vital—with a seemingly endless supply of innovative initiatives—should be cause for great celebration for America’s playwrights.”
