New Plays And New Musicals Performance Schedule at the O’Neill 2014 Theater Conference

July 7, 2014

Following are the six new American plays and two musicals scheduled for workshop readings at this year O’Neill Playwrights Conference from July 2- July 19, 2014.

Editor’s Note: The O’Neill Theater Center provided the blurbs for the plays.

Tiger Style by Mike Lew Directed by Jaime Castaneda July 2 at 8:15pm July 3 at 8:15pm Play blurb: “Albert and Jennifer Chen were at the pinnacle of academic achievement, but now they suck at adult life. Albert’s just been passed up for promotion, and Jennifer’s just been dumped by her loser boyfriend. So they do what any reasonable egghead brother and sister would do and go on an Asian Freedom Tour!

From California to Shenzen, Tiger Style! Examines the successes and failures of tiger parenting from the point of view of a playwright who’s actually been through it.”

I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard by Halley Feiffer Directed by Trip Cullman July 4 at 7:15 pm July 5 at 8:15pm

Play blurb: “ Ella is a precocious and fiercely competitive actress whose sole aim in life is to make her famous playwright father David proud. Over the course of a boozy, drug-fueled evening, Ella and David deliberate over whether to read the reviews of her Off-Broadway debut.

But when David finally hurts Ella so badly that she refuses to crawl back to him, she decides to strike out on her own, abandoning her biggest fan and harshest critic in order to write her own play… about her father.”

Ugly Lies the Bone by Lindsey Ferrentino Directed by Gaye Taylor UpChurch July 9 at 8:15 pm July 10 at 8:15pm

Play blurb: “Jess returns from war severely burned, only to find her Floridian hometown in a state of decay. With the use of virtual reality video game therapy, she desperately tries to restore her relationships, her home, and all that was lost.”

The Imaginary Music Critic Who Doesn’t Exist by David Mitchell Robinson Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg July 12 at 8:15pm July 13 at 7:15 pm

Play blurb: “Lacey runs what’s like, probably the most influential music site on the internet-a site that can determine whether an act pops off or becomes an endnote in pop history. But when she uses the site’s clout to hype a gifted but controversial MC, it threatens to unravel everything she’s built.

The Imaginary Music Critic Who Doesn’t Exist, a play with endnotes, is about aging out, authenticity, and what we’re willing to do to stay relevant.”

A Power Play; Or, What’s-Its-Name by A. Rey Pamatmat Directed by May Adrales July 16 at 8:15pm July 17 at 8:15pm

Play blurb: “After State Assemblywoman Alex Hathaway’s district suffers a violent and heart-wrenching tragedy, she goes to great lengths to capture a House seat in the next election. She even employs a strange, nameless thing to gain victory over her enemies through supernatural practices.

But with all that determination and those ancient powers on her side, how did Alex end up with a community in shambles and a gun pointed at her head?”

Bright Half Life by Tanya Barfield Directed by Giovanna Sardelli July 18 at 7:15pm July 19 at 8:15pm

Play blurb: “A kaleidoscopic love story, Bright Half Life collides an ever-shifting present with fragments of the past. Erika and Vicky are hurled through 25 years of love and heartbreak in a collection of the moments that make up a life.”

New Musicals Performance Calendar at the O’Neill 2014 Conference

The War Dept. Libretto, Music and Lyrics by Jim Bauer; Libretto, Art, & Video Direction by Ruth Bauer.

June 28 at 8pm June 29 at 3pm July 2 at 8pm July 4 at 7pm

The White City Words by Julia Gytri Music by Avi Amon July 5 at 8pm July 6 at 3pm July 9 at 8pm July 11 at 3pm.

Tickets to the readings are available by calling the O’Neill Box Office at 860-443-1238

For more information about the 2014 National Playwrights and Music Theater Conference, check: http://www.theoneill.org/tickets-and-calendar/2014-conference1/