Readings and WorkshopsO’Neill Theater Center's 2019 Season Taps New Works by Craig Lucas, Hansol Jung, Charly Evon Simpson, Anna Ziegler, MoreThe 2019 summer season will showcase three new musicals and eight plays.
By
Olivia Clement
April 25, 2019
Craig Lucas, Hansol Jung, Charly Evon Simpson, and Anna Ziegler
The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut has unveiled the lineup for its 2019 summer season of plays, musicals, and other works in development. The new pieces, selected from thousands of submissions from around the country, will be showcased June–August through a series of conferences: National Music Theater Conference, National Playwrights Conference, Cabaret & Performance Conference, and National Puppetry Conference.
Brian Quijada in Ensemble Studio Theatre's Where Did We Sit on the Bus?Gerry Goodstein
The National Playwrights Conference, running July 3–27, will launch with Death of the Republic, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss). Next up will be The Humanities, by The Profane playwright Zayd Dohrn; it's not a trip it’s a journey by Behind the Sheet playwright Charly Evon Simpson; Tender Age by George Brant (Grounded); Antigones by Photograph 51 playwright Anna Ziegler; Black Dick by Tearrance Chisholm (Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies); Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play by Kimber Lee (brownsville song (b-side for tray)); and Winter People by Laura Neill (Don't Give Up the Ship).
“I am excited to welcome these artists to the O'Neill community this summer," says NPC Artistic Director Wendy C. Goldberg. "These storytellers are visionaries and sages for our culture and speak with great relevance to this moment in our nation's history. It is an honor to collaborate with them as we move these plays into the world."
Each play will undergo the O’Neill’s signature development process, employing professional creative team—including directors, dramaturgs, actors, and designers—to bring the new works to life.
The National Music Theater Conference, under the artistic leadership of Tony nominee Alexander Gemignani, will run June 22–July 12. The lineup features three new musicals: Bordeline, with a book by Aryanna Garber and music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez (winner of the 2018 New Musical Award); JEANNETTE, with a book by I And You playwright Lauren M. Gunderson and music and Lyrics by Hamilton alumAri Ayesha Afsar; and Undesirables, with a book and lyrics by Wild Goose Dreams playwright Hansol Jung and lyrics and music by Brian Quijada (Where Did We Sit on the Bus?). The new musicals will be presented June 22–July 12.
The Cabaret & Performance Conference will be headlined by Brad Simmons, with special guest Lennie Watts, Tori Scott, Barb Jungr, Carole Cook, and Daniel J. Watts. Lastly, the National Puppetry Conference will feature artists Tyler Bunch, Melissa Dunphy, James Godwin, Alice Gottschalk, Kurt Hunter, Jim Kroupa, Bobbi Nidzgorski, Jim Rose, Richard Termine, Fred Thompson, and Derron Wood. Guest artists will include Polina Borisova, Tracy Broyles, Dan Hurlin, and Hansol Jung and Lexy Leuszler.
The O’Neill box office opens to the public June 5. Advance ticket sales are available to O’Neill members May 20. For more information, visit Theoneill.org or call (860) 443-5378.
