A team of regional actors on Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28, both at 8 p.m. for Funnie. Women Most Wicked will be workshopped publicly on Feb. 3 and 4. The Sweet Everlasting will be staged on May 5 and 6.
A team of regional actors on Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28, both at 8 p.m. for Funnie. Women Most Wicked will be workshopped publicly on Feb. 3 and 4. The Sweet Everlasting will be staged on May 5 and 6.
MANSFIELD -- The Emerging Artists Festival at The Renaissance Theatre is designed to guide, encourage, support, and advocate for artists of all ages who wish to find their own voice through the creation of original works.
This event will showcase five new works including Trollop: The Trials and Titillations of the Infamous Moll Flanders; Gloria Mundi; Funnie: Or, the Most Lamentable Comedie of Jane the Foole; Women Most Wicked; and The Sweet Everlasting.
Playwrights from as near as Ashland and as far as Belgium have been selected for a week of workshopping their work culminating in two readings that are open to the public.
Over 70 plays were submitted beginning in January of 2022 for the 2023 Festival which resulted in the final five plays. There are comedies, dramas, musicals, all meeting the criteria of never being produced previously.
Playwrights are paired with a team of actors and a director who spend four evenings in rehearsals. Scripts are reviewed, re-written, and perfected in anticipation of the public reading.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, audiences are invited into the creative process with the evening ending with a discussion between creative teams and audience members on how to continue improving the work.
There are three remaining plays to be workshopped.
“I came to the Renaissance Theatre with a play that was good enough, but not complete," said playwright Pamela Morgan. "I met Ryan, Haley, Nik, and Aaron who all had the same unwavering belief that together, we could make it better. And we did.
"This play has transformed into a rich, hilarious, heartbreaking story about love, redemption, faith, and holding on to the people who give your life direction.”
Pamela’s play titled “Gloria Mundi” tells the story of Gloria who is visited by an angel of God with news of the second Messiah.
This week, “Funnie: Or, the Most Lamentable Comedie of Jane the Foole” will take the stage to be workshopped with director Michael Thomas and a team of regional actors on Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28, both at 8 p.m.
Funnie is a hilarious and thought-provoking new play by Julliard-trained playwright Jessica Moss. Set in the court of King Henry the VIII, it tells the story of Jane the Foole, the first and only recorded female jester ever to serve the royalty.
It begs the question: Is it possible to succeed when you live in a world where you’re not seen as a person?
Women Most Wicked will be workshopped publicly on Feb. 3 and 4. The Sweet Everlasting will be staged on May 5 and 6.
Tickets to the festival are $10 for adults and $9 for students with a package option of $35 for attendance to all workshop performances. For more information, visit rentickets.org.
