WHAT IS THE SIGNATURE SERIES?
The Signature Series at Town and Country Players is a program created to provide playwrights the opportunity to develop new works in a variety of ways. Staged Readings, Workshops and World Premiere Productions are all part of the overall plan for the program. The Signature Series has also been created for the Town and Country Community to share in the exciting process of new play development, whether it’s as a writer, actor, director or member of the audience.
Playwrights are always looking to hear their written word brought to life for the first time, whether it is in a rehearsal room around a table or on the stage. The process does not end once the first draft of a play is written. It continues to evolve and change and grow. Growth for a piece of art that is meant to be performed needs the energy of the spoken word for it to take its next step in the creative process. Town and Country Players hopes to provide this to new and emerging playwrights. The program hopes to nurture new talent and develop many different kinds of plays, from one-acts to family plays to full-length comedies and dramas.
And while the program’s goal is aimed at writers, it also hopes to bring in members of the community and the theatre to experience the process that goes into the creation of a new play. The evolution of a new play is an exciting one to share and witness. The hope of this program is that this process can be seen and shared by the Town and Country Community at large.
A long-term goal of the program would be the opportunity for anyone who has even entertained the idea of writing but wasn’t sure if they should, if they could or how to even get started. Playwriting is an art form unlike any other, but like all art, it doesn’t happen on its own— it needs that first step to get it up and running. And in the case of playwriting, it’s the first word that is put on that blank page that begins the process. But as noted above, this is a long-term goal of the program.
The first step in the process for The Signature Series at Town and Country Players— letting the playwriting community know that Town and Country Players is a destination for playwrights with an eye on the future.
Playwrights are always looking to hear their written word brought to life for the first time, whether it is in a rehearsal room around a table or on the stage. The process does not end once the first draft of a play is written. It continues to evolve and change and grow. Growth for a piece of art that is meant to be performed needs the energy of the spoken word for it to take its next step in the creative process. Town and Country Players hopes to provide this to new and emerging playwrights. The program hopes to nurture new talent and develop many different kinds of plays, from one-acts to family plays to full-length comedies and dramas.
And while the program’s goal is aimed at writers, it also hopes to bring in members of the community and the theatre to experience the process that goes into the creation of a new play. The evolution of a new play is an exciting one to share and witness. The hope of this program is that this process can be seen and shared by the Town and Country Community at large.
A long-term goal of the program would be the opportunity for anyone who has even entertained the idea of writing but wasn’t sure if they should, if they could or how to even get started. Playwriting is an art form unlike any other, but like all art, it doesn’t happen on its own— it needs that first step to get it up and running. And in the case of playwriting, it’s the first word that is put on that blank page that begins the process. But as noted above, this is a long-term goal of the program.
The first step in the process for The Signature Series at Town and Country Players— letting the playwriting community know that Town and Country Players is a destination for playwrights with an eye on the future.
2018 Submissions
As part of its Signature Series, Town and Country Players is looking to fully stage 4 to 7 one act plays as part of our June 2019 One Act Play Festival .
Thank you for your interest in the 2019 Signature Series at Town and Country Players One Act Festival.
Due to an unprecedented response, we have closed our submission window as of 11:59pm on Sunday, August 26- we have far exceeded our original cap of 75 plays and are no longer accepting submissions at this time.
Please keep an eye out for future submission windows.
In the meantime, thank you to all who have submitted plays- we are excited to now start reading!
As part of its Signature Series, Town and Country Players is looking to fully stage 4 to 7 one act plays as part of our June 2019 One Act Play Festival .
Thank you for your interest in the 2019 Signature Series at Town and Country Players One Act Festival.
Due to an unprecedented response, we have closed our submission window as of 11:59pm on Sunday, August 26- we have far exceeded our original cap of 75 plays and are no longer accepting submissions at this time.
Please keep an eye out for future submission windows.
In the meantime, thank you to all who have submitted plays- we are excited to now start reading!
2018 NEW PLAY READING SERIES
Each of the readings will take place on Sunday afternoons at 2pm in the Holloway Hall at Town and Country Players.
COLD STUN
February 4
Written by Rob Rosiello 
Directed by Sarah LeClair Synopsis A missing matriarch... An unannounced guest... And an unexplained natural phenomenon. As Fall descends on the isolated beaches of the Outer Cape, the Cook Family is confronted with the sins of the past while struggling to hold together any chance at a future. Cast Randall Cook: Ken Stephon Taylor Porter Smith: Jen Newby Marabeth Cook: Valerie Sharper Erin O’Reilly Cook: Danielle Malat |
HEARTS OF STONEFebruary 11
Written by Donna Hoke 
Directed by Jim Moore Synopsis Lydia Stokes is dreaming about dead psych patients--while she’s awake. She believes they need her help; her husband believes she’s out of her mind. Is there any way they can both be right?. Cast Lydia: Meg Waldowski Roy: Jim McIntosh Lizley: Carly Price Doomsday: Rob Rosiello DeGaulle: Michael Schiumo Dummy: Kris Ballerini |
KENTUCKY LEMONADE
February 18
Written by Julie Zaffarano 
Directed by Jean Brenner Synopsis Kentucky Lemonade is the story of two sisters, their mother and their aunt, brought together by the death of Dorothy's husband... Audrey and Marilyn's father. In the midst of their grief and practical need to move on, a family secret is revealed that changes how they define themselves. Funerals often bring out both the best and worst of people in what is said and what is not. This story is no exception. The story is set in Cleveland, Ohio, in the summertime. Cast Dorothy (Mother): Fran Young Jean (Dorothy's Sister): Linda Walsh Audrey: Alana Caraccio Marilyn: Jean Laustsen Narrator: Nancy Vander Zwan |
SAVE THE DATE
T&C's Playwriting Workshop, Saturday, February 10
with award-winning playwright Michael Hollinger. See the flyer.
with award-winning playwright Michael Hollinger. See the flyer.
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Michael Hollinger is the author of more than a dozen full-length plays, four of which will be mounted in the Philadelphia area during the 2017-2018 season: the world premieres of TouchTones (co-authored with composer Robert Maggio) and Sing the Body Electric at Arden Theatre Company and Theatre Exile, respectively; the Philadelphia premiere of Hope and Gravity at 1812 Productions; and a revival of Red Herring at Act II Playhouse. His plays have enjoyed productions around the country, in New York City, London, Paris, Tokyo, Athens, and elsewhere in Europe. Awards include a Steinberg New Play Citation from the American Theatre Critics Association, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, a Mid-Atlantic Emmy, an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award, four Barrymore Awards (including the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Theatre Artist), nominations for Lucille Lortel and John Gassner awards, and fellowships from the Independence Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Michael was Literary Manager/Dramaturg of both the Wilma Theater and Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays in the 1990s, assisting in the development and/or production of dozens of new plays. Currently, he is a Professor of Theatre at Villanova University, where he also serves as Artistic Director of Villanova Theatre. |
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This workshop is provided in part by a grant from the Bucks County Visitors Center. |
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