(BLOOMINGTON) – The Bloomington Playwrights Project, the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center, and the Indiana University Department of Theater, Drama, and Contemporary Dance, along with a group of local professional playwrights, have combined forces to bring you the best new plays Bloomington has to offer.
This Sunday reading series will feature the work of local professional playwrights, read out loud in the cozy lobby of the Bloomington Playwrights Project. We will offer a virgin Bloody Mary Bar with all the fun toppings, as well as complimentary bagels and cream cheese. After the reading, there will be space for a talkback and discussion with the writer.
“This collaboration was born out of the desire to showcase Bloomington’s diverse local talent,” said program liaison, and playwright Karina Cochran. “Many of our local writers have had work produced in New York or L.A, but lack opportunities here in their own hometown. Hopefully, this will help change that.”
This bi-monthly series will begin Feb. 24 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ted Jones Playhouse at Bloomington Playwrights Project, at 107 W. 9th Street. The first featured play will be ‘The Space Between Us’ by Peter Gil-Sheridan, who is currently the head of the MFA Playwriting program at Indiana University. His work has been produced and developed at The Guthrie Theatre, The Sundance Institute, The Pool, Soho Rep, the Cherry Lane Theatre, and the New York Theatre Workshop.
‘The Space Between Us,’ is a comedy about Americans of very different experiences inhabiting one country together. It was written at the Silverton Theatre Mine in Silverton, Colo.
The reading will be directed by Jonathan Michaelsen and will feature actors Aaron Ricciardi and Jenny McKnight, among others.
The following reading will take place on Sunday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m, with a reading of the play, ‘Dancing to Birth’ by Karina Cochran, which was inspired by the author’s pregnancy dance class.
Local authors wishing to submit a play may email questions and queries to: kcochran30@ivytech.edu
ABOUT THE BPP:
As the only theater in Indiana dedicated to the production of new plays, the Bloomington Playwrights Project (BPP) has brought high-quality, original works from page to stage for nearly four decades. Founded in 1979 by Tom Moseman (SVP, Envirosell) and Jim Leonard ( The Diviners, Skin, Close to Home ), the BPP provides script development, high-quality educational programs, and full productions for promising and established writers and theater artists in a professional environment. In 2017, the BPP was able to purchase its building at 107 W. 9th Street, and renamed it the Ted Jones Playhouse, in honor of his patronage.
Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Chad Rabinovitz, the BPP has grown into a nationally-recognized, successful theater with shows consistently selling-out. The nonprofit organization’s board of directors and volunteer force remain integral to the success of the BPP – where theatre is born.
ABOUT IVY TECH:
Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.
ABOUT IU DEPARTMENT OF THEATER, DRAMA & CONTEMPORARY DANCE:
The mission of the Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance is to advance the art, scholarship, and appreciation of theatre and dance and its place in society. We pursue this mission collectively and as individuals through theatrical productions, scholarship and publication, presentation of our work in national and international venues, formal instruction, and individual mentoring.
