The annual event offers writers an eight-week residency to develop new works with professional artists. Johanna Pfaelzer serves as artistic director, with producing artistic directors Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer, Leslie Urdang and Vassar's Ed Cheetham. Performances and public readings will continue through July 31.
Launching the season is a reading of Joanna Murray-Smith’s Day One, A Hotel Room, Evening, starring Laila Robins (Heartbreak House, Frozen) and Samantha Mathis (33 Variations, The Man Who Had All the Luck) at 8 PM on June 24 as part of Powerhouse's Readings Festival I.
Festival I will also include Ben Snyder's Rivers of January (June 25 at 4 PM); Daniel MacIvor's Rising Returns (June 25 at 8 PM); Matt Witten's Drones (June 26 at 2 PM); and Mattie Brickman's Playground: The Hallie Flanagan Project.
Readings Festival II programming (running July 29-31) includes Ed Hime's The Public; Mona Mansour's The Hour of Feeling, starring Tony Award winner Andrea Martin; Frank Pugliese's Matty's Place; Jennifer Robbins, Michael Biello and Dan Martin's Marry Harry; and Shanley's Sleeping Demon.
A production of Spring Awakening writers Sheik and Sater's The Nightingale will be directed by Moisés Kaufman (33 Variations). Tony winner Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd), Tony winner Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Michael Esper (American Idiot) will lead the cast (July 8-10). The new Public Theater commission February House, by composer Gabriel Kahane and book writer Seth Bockley, will feature Santino Fontana (Importance of Being Earnest, Billy Elliot), Cristin Milioti (That Face, Coram Boy) under the direction of Davis McCallum (July 14-16).
The Bert Berns musical Piece of My Heart, based on the songs of the late 1960's songwriter, will feature de'Adre Aziza (Passing Strange), Linda Hart (Catch Me If You Can, Hairspray) and Jarrod Spector (Jersey Boys). Leigh Silverman (Well) will direct the musical that has a book by Daniel Goldfard, Brett Berns and Cassandra Berns (July 20-31).
Powerhouse plays will include performances by Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot, Passing Strange), Daniel Oreskes (Billy Elliot: The Musical, Aida) and Austin Lysy (Macbeth, The American Plan) in Rob Handel's A Maze (July 20-31); and Rob Morrow (The Exonerated) in Seth Zvi Rosenfeld's Handball (July 15-17).
Also planned is F2M, a new play by "thirtysomething" and "Brothers & Sisters" actress Patricia Wettig, starring Harriett D. Foy, Talia Balsam, Keira Keeley, Ken Olin, Deirdre O'Connell and Phoebe Strole (June 29-July 10).
Phone (845) 437-5599 or visit Powerhouse.Vassar.edu.
