The Mission of the Humble Play is to promote the art of playwriting while introducing the process of play development to an audience. This is achieved by inviting playwrights to submit their new plays to a committee of judges. These judges chose plays to be produced as staged readings by theater companies for the general public as a once a year,  festival.

The theme of the 2011 Humble Play is “Before the Ink is Dry” The theme speaks to the process through which a new play is developed. We asked ourselves the following questions when selecting these 4 plays: are the characters seeking redemption, is the main character of the play seeking forgiveness, acknowledgment or the power to set something right before it’s too late?  Do they achieve their goal?  Do they learn something along the way? You can tell us what you think by attending one of the festival readings this year!

Our playwright mentor for 2011 will be Raymond Hardie.
Raymond Hardie knows well the quirks of the arts world. It has given him a richly serendipitous acting and writing career, with Shakespearean drama, soap opera, a seven-month Broadway run—and seven years as senior editor of STANFORD—just part of the mix. Born in Northern Ireland, Hardie received his BA in English from Queen’s University Belfast in 1968. After graduate work at the University of Connecticut, he studied acting at the Bristol (England) Old Vic Theatre School, performed with the Liverpool Playhouse, co-founded a touring company and spent six years with Dublin’s Abbey Theatre. His roles have ranged from the Duke in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure to Lenin in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties to Cliff, opposite Malcolm McDowell, in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger. Hardie also has written plays produced in Ireland and England; his most recent were workshopped last year at the Ashland (Ore.) Theater Festival and the Director’s Company in New York. He has sold numerous TV scripts to the BBC, turning one series (which the BBC failed to produce) into his second published novel. Settled in California for more than a decade, Hardie is now working on a play set in a Maryland hunting lodge.

• Oct. 6, 2011 7:00pm- The Charity Fish Fry Tinikling Show by K. Biadaszkiewicz
• Oct. 7, 2011-7:00pm- What Ever Happened to Baby Abby by Merri Biechler
• Oct. 7, 2011- 11:00pm- The Ohio University School of theater presents Midnight Madness
• Oct. 8, 2011- 7:00pm- An Unlikely Hero by Lawrence DuKore
• Oct. 9, 2011- 2:00pm- Death Squad by W.R. Smiddie will be presented as a workshop production

Each selected play will be presented as a reading.  A reading is defined as actors presenting the words of a script, using scripts-in-hand. Each reading will be kept extremely simple so that the playwright’s words may be the focus of the event.  All readings will be followed by a moderated talk back session where audience members are invited to give their feed-back on the plays.
All events are free and open to the public.  Donations are encouraged.
Many thanks to the Humble Play Committee for making this festival possible.

In the mid 1800s, the radical idea that women might vote, hold public office, or own property was unthinkable. This new musical, based upon real people and events, explores what happened when the territory of Wyoming instituted woman suffrage, attracting independent women to the wild frontier.

The inevitable collision of old expectations and beliefs with the irresistible forward movement of human progress affects a whole community, the territory, and eventually, the nation.

Whatever the century, the path to equality is fraught with obstacles. . .and blessed with pioneers.

Find the event page on Facebook by clicking HERE:

The mission of the Corporation for the Performing Arts is to include professional performing arts, and provide access to the professional level performing arts and artists in the South East Ohio Region.

The Corporation for the Performing Arts in partnership with ARTS/West, 132 W. State St., Athens, OH will hold open auditions for a reading of a new musical: NOT WITHOUT OUR WOMEN on January 8, 2010 from 2:00-4:00pm.

On March 13, 2011, The Corporation for the Performing Arts will partner with ARTS/West to present a reading of the new musical: NOT WITHOUT OUR WOMEN. Book by Andrew Black and Patricia Milton, Music by Caroline Altman, Lyrics by Altman/Black/Milton.  Auditions for the reading will be held at ARTS/West, 132 W. State St., Athens, OH January 8, 2011.

In the mid 1800s, the radical idea that women might vote, hold public office, or own property was unthinkable. This new musical, based upon real people and events, explores what happened when the territory of Wyoming instituted woman suffrage, attracting independent women to the wild frontier.  The inevitable collision of old expectations and beliefs with the irresistible forward movement of human progress affects a whole community, the territory, and eventually, the nation. Whatever the century, the path to equality is fraught with obstacles. . .and blessed with pioneers.

Auditionees should prep 32 bars each of two contrasting songs from standard musicals.  Sides will be available from the script. Auditionees will be allotted 10 minutes for each audition.  Accompanist will be provided, please bring sheet music in the appropriate key.  Call backs will be held on January 9, 2011.

Requests for further information and requests to sign up should be addressed to Ashley Johnson; artswestathens@gmail.com; 592-4315.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

Abigail Bardette- Female lead, ingénue with great inner strength and sense of purpose, legit soprano to high B flat with pop capabilities.

Beau Montgomery- Romantic male lead, slightly dreamy, searching, good-hearted, but can be swayed, tenor or high baritone.

Benjamin Sheeks- Strong willed, slightly damaged, clever, stuck in his ways, bass-baritone.

William Bright- Congenial fellow, strong leader in society, tenor or high baritone.

Julia Bright-  Practical, hospitable, smart wife to William, warm and congenial, mezzo-soprano to high G.

Esther Morris-  Tough but sincere, suffragette, mezzo with belt.

Charlie Johnson- Store keeper, in relationship with Earl, somewhat optimistic, baritone.

Earl Johnson- Owns store with Charlie, a bit cynical, tenor.

Leah Cohen-  Tomboy, slightly rough, strong-willed, alto.

Golden Feather- Native American, wise, witty, observer and ultimately friend to Abigail, mezzo-soprano.

Thomas Jefferson Howard- African American, friend to Beau and Abigail, wise about human nature, baritone.

Clancy Holmes- Trapper, a bit clumsy and awkward, rough around the edges, tenor, aged.

Farley Jee-Homesteader, looking to start a family, baritone.

Brett Walker- Cowboy, earnest, very masculine, baritone.

Sarah Bardette- Abigail’s younger sister, very conservative and old-fashioned, falls for Brett, soprano.

Pandora Vincent- Romance Writer, practical woman of the world with romantic edge, blousy, dramatic, mezzo-soprano.

Eve Winthrop—Religious reformer, seemingly straight-laced, prohibitionist, mezzo-soprano.

The mission of the Corporation for the Performing Arts is to include professional performing arts, and provide access to the professional level performing arts and artists in the South East Ohio Region.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program or organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Highlights include: a workshop production of Death Squad by W.R. Smiddie  in February, a reading of Son of a Preacher Man by Milt Greek and a reading of the musical Not Without Our Woman Book by Andrew Black and Patricia Milton, Music by Caroline Altman, Lyrics by Altman/Black/Milton in March.

If you are interested in participating in one or all of our new play and musical series please contact Emily Prince at ARTS/West, 740/592-4315 or eprincecpa at gmail dot com.

The Humble Play: New Play Festival of Appalachia Ohio invites you to its opening reception on Monday, October 4, 2010 at 7:00 PM.  The reception will feature Appalachian cuisine, the music of Charlie and Celia Lewis, and a lecuture on ‘How New Plays Get Done’ presented by Veronica Bainbridge.  All Humble Play performances and activities are held at ARTS/West, located at 132 W. State St. in Athens, Ohio.

Veronica R. Bainbridge is a fundraising consultant and producer in New York City. Most recently, she was Director of Development at LAByrinth Theater Company (under Artistic Directors Philip Seymour Hoffman & John Ortiz) for four years, where she produced a wide range of special events and raised more than $500,000 in contributed income annually towards new plays.  She was also Business Manager at The Directors Company (Michael Parva, Artistic/Producing Director) for four years.  Her producing credits include projects at the Midlands Arts Centre, in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the New York Fringe Festival, as well as the short film Nothing Happened which is now featuring in its 17th festival.
The schedule for the festival is as follows:

• Oct. 4, 2010 7:00pm- Opening reception with home cooked Appalachian cuisine, music from Charlie and Celia Lewis and a lecture on “How New Plays Get Done” presented by Veronica Bainbridge.
• Oct. 5, 2010-7:00pm- Table reading of The Dying Words of Edison Strange by Nicholas Gray from Wilmington, NC produced by The Corporation for the Performing Arts and The Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble
• Oct. 6, 2010- 7:00PM-Staged Reading Fuel House by Linda Felton Steinbaum from Encino CA produced by ABC Players
• Oct. 7, 2010- 7:00pm- Staged Reading Born Lucky by Chris Pomeroy from Chicago, IL produced by The Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble
• Oct. 8, 2010- 7:00pm- Staged Reading Her Summer Fling by Merri Biechler, Stuart, OH produced by The Corporation for the Performing Arts
• Oct. 9, 2010- 7:00pm- Staged Reading Quit the Road Jack by Jerry Polner, Brooklyn, NY and Last Call and Squirrelly by James McLindon, Northampton, MA produced by The Lost Flamingo Company and A/W intern company

Each selected play will be presented as a reading.  A reading is defined as actors presenting the words of a script, using scripts-in-hand. Each reading will be kept extremely simple so that the playwright’s words may be the focus of the event.  All readings will be followed by a moderated talk back session where audience members are invited to give their feed-back on the plays.

All events are free and open to the public and begin at 7:00 PM.  Donations are encouraged.

Many thanks to the The Ohio Arts Council and the Humble Play Committee for making this festival possible.

Playwright Bios:

Playwright Bios

Nicholas Gray- The Dying Words of Edison Strange

Nicholas Gray is an alumnus of the Emerson College Honors Program.  His first venture as a writer was Pedestrian, the feature script that has since partnered him with Southern Gothic Productions.  Pedestrian is currently in preproduction.  His union with Southern Gothic (www.sogopro.com) has afforded him the great opportunities of drafting a graphic novel, creating the web pilot Friendship Union Community Theater, and helming the short film the true-love tale of Boyfriend and Girlfriend.  His first play, Population: 8, world premiered at the 13th Annual New York International Fringe Festival.  The Dying Words of Edison Strange is his second play.

Linda Felton Steinbaum- Fuel House

Linda Felton Steinbaum is an award winning, produced and published Los Angeles playwright. In 2007, her drama MUSTANG SALLY, published by Samuel French, was performed at The Whitefire Theatre in Los Angeles. Her play FAT CHANCE has been produced in North Hollywood as well as Sierra Madre, California where it was extended. Her award winning one-act play SHIFTING GEARS has been produced in various theatres in California, as well as Maryland and Oregon. In December of 2008, Linda received a fellowship award for her play, FUEL HOUSE. She is a member of ALAP, the Dramatists Guild, and WGA, West.

Chris Pomeroy- Born Lucky

Chris Pomeroy is an actor and writer, based in Chicago.  His plays include Courting the Wild Man, My Affair with Lady Macbeth, and Born Lucky.  Favorite recent projects include playing Wotan in a six-hour adaptation of Richard Wagner’s The Ring Cycle (The Building Stage), and a short film called Faster, which will premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2010.  He can be seen onstage until Oct. 30 in a new play called The Franklin Expedition at The Building Stage in Chicago.  Much love to Melissa.

Merri Biechler- Her Summer Fling

Merri Biechler’s plays include Bombs, Babes and Bingo (New Orleans Fringe Festival, November 2010) and Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver (Princess Grace Playwriting Award finalist; WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory participant).  Merri acted Off-Broadway in “Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding,” and on “E.R.,” “Judging Amy,” “Murphy Brown,” and in the film “Trailerpark.”

Jerry Polner- Quit the Road Jack

Jerry’s full-length play FIX NUMBER SIX was chosen by the Boomerang Theatre Company for its First Flight reading series in 2009.  His short plays FLORENCE FAREWELL, GONE WITH THE MASHA, and THANK YOU FOR APPLYING were produced by the Brooklyn Playwrights Collective at Manhattan Theatre Source, Brecht Forum, and Galapogos Artspace.  Included in his full-length plays are HALF BAKED, produced by the Story People, MAN OVERBOARD, produced by High Five Productions, and WEATHERMAN, published by Samuel French and produced by high schools around the country.  His political comedy sketches, and still more, are at RadicalGags.com.

James McLindon- Squirrelly and Last Call

James McLindon’s play, Comes a Faery, was developed this summer at the 2010 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. He is currently in residence at CAP21 in New York developing his play, Salvation, which will be produced at the Hudson Stage Company in October. His other plays have been developed and/or produced at theaters such as the Abingdon, hotINK Festival, Irish Repertory, Lark Play Development Center, the Estrogenius Festival, Penguin Repertory, Emerging Artists Theatre, and Love Creek Productions; Crossing the Divide Festival in the West End of London; Victory Gardens in Chicago; Lyric Stage and Boston Playwrights Theatre in Boston; Colony Theatre, Theatricum Botanicum, Grove Theatre Center, and Circus Theatricals in Los Angeles; PlayPenn Conference, Telluride Playwrights Conference and the Arkansas Rep in Little Rock.

3 Old Men By W.R. Smiddie

3 Old Men tells the story of Appalachian, Hobart Mullins who considers searching for justice for a medical mistake, while his two friends seek to be of help.

W.R. Smiddie was born in 1931 in Harlan County, Kentucky during the Great Depression. From Kentucky, Mr. Smiddie’s family moved to Tennessee. While in Tennessee, his father, a union man, would not take work because there were no unions. This sort of thing has influenced him greatly. During his first job at a DuPont plant, Smiddie was drafted to serve in the Korean War. Back in the states, a veteran on the G.I. bill, he went to college at Tennessee State University. Smiddie also attended graduate school at Iowa State where he is still one course short of the much sought after M.F.A. While working in the welfare department in Nashville he had the privilege of participating in the Civil Rights struggle by preparing used cars with Tennessee tags to be used to enter the deep South. While in Tennessee, Smiddie also had a play produced in NYC, which allowed him to meet Tom Hayden in New Jersey. At this point in his life, it seemed to Smiddie that he could control his own life, which had finally begun. After turning down an organizing job with the Highlander Folk School, he moved with his wife and kids to Cleveland, Ohio to work with S.D.S. in the inner city. Welfare Rights, Free Clinics, and helping to organize the 1968 police riot in Chicago. From there to the street demonstrations against the only war America has ever lost. Older, quieter, he now lives in Southern Ohio where he makes pottery, writes unfinished plays, sleeps a lot and dreams of Alaska.

3 OLD MEN A New Play by W.R. Smiddie. Directed by George Sherman with Ron Luce, Richard Dean, Lonny Fraze. Production Manager – Hilary Post. Stage Manager – Lisa Ahman. Lighting Designer – Marc Mixon. Costume Designer – Rebecca Whittington.
Thursday May, 13th 8:00pm, Friday May, 14th 8:00pm, Saturday May, 15th 8:00pm, Sunday May, 16th 2:00pm.
FREE ADMISSION!!

The mission of the Corporation for the Performing Arts is to include professional performing arts, and provide access to the professional level performing arts to artists in the South East Ohio Region.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

1) You are not required to pay a fee for our Humble Play new play festival.  You may submit 7 copies of your play instead.

2) We average about 20 submissions a year, average 65 pages a script, average 7 characters per play and it costs about $500.00 for copying just for reading (at .08 cents a page).

3) Each selected play earns the playwright a small fee- $50.00

4) One play a year is selected for a workshop where we pay the playwright $1,000.00.

5) Administrative time: to log in and copy each play, 7 readers on the script committee, sending notifications to all of the playwrights, not included in the copy fee.  We absorb that cost.

I close with, is it fair?  No, probably not and we are actively fundraising to find a better way but unfortunately for now a copy fee is just the cost of doing business.

It is the mission of Humble Play: New Play Festival of Appalachia Ohio to promote the art of play writing while introducing the process of play development to an audience.   This is achieved by inviting playwrights to submit their new plays to a committee of judges.  These judges chose plays to be produced as staged readings by theater companies for the general public as a once a year, week long festival.

The Corporation for the Performing Arts and ARTS/West announce applications for HUMBLE PLAY: new play festival of Appalachian Ohio

ARTS/West, Athens community gateway to the arts, 132 W. State St., is partnering with the Corporation for the Performing Arts and the Athens Community to present the 5^th Annual HUMBLE PLAY: NEW PLAY FESTIVAL OF APPALACHIAN OHIO, this coming October 5-9, 2010, and they are pleased to invite submissions from playwrights.

Acknowledging gifted writers with new plays that speak to a regional audience, ARTS/West will open its doors for these new works October 5-9, 2010.

The 2009 Festival featured: Romeo and Juliet; there Hasn’t Been a Rap Song Yet! by Rheal Radwany (Athens, Ohio) A Case Is Never Closed by J. Boyer (Tempe, AZ) Touch by Drew Larinore (Brooklyn, NY) An Elegant Solution by Celeste Parsons (Athens, Ohio), Apologia by Katharine Bolger (New York, NY), Japanese Schoolgirl Night and Knuckleheads by James McLindon (Northampton, MA).

PARTICIPATION: We are seeking plays that will highlight the work of playwrights from across the nation and will, in turn, highlight the actors and directors of Appalachia generally and Southeastern Ohio specifically through play development/production in our area, at the ARTS/West facility during the festival.

APPLICATIONS: Applications will be accepted from March 18 to June 28, 2010

Outside Ohio University’s teaching mission, there were little or no opportunities for the development of new performing art works and until the inception of the Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble (BMTE), no opportunities existed for members of the professional theater unions to work at their trade in our geographic region. Both companies wish to expand on what we are growing here-an opportunity for new play and professional development in a small Appalachian town.