The five-day festival pairs playwrights with a randomly selected director and cast. In the week leading up to the festival playwrights were asked to pen a play for a specific cast of actors. The fully staged productions are presented off-book for Oct. 21-25.
"This is basically a big birthday party for us," said Youngblood co-artistic director RJ Tolan in a statement. "With 42 plays in five days, and almost 200 people involved, it's a chance for us to celebrate the membership and the artists we've worked with over the years while continuing to do what EST does best, which is to give new talent a chance."
Set to take part in Asking for Trouble are playwrights Zakiyyah Alexander, Lucy Alibar, Jesse Cameron Alick, Robert Askins, Nikole Beckwith, Delaney Britt Brewer, Eliza Clark, Emily Conbere, Joshua Conkel, Jihan Crowther, Sharon Eberhardt, Sam Forman, Amy Fox, Edith Freni, Mira Gibson, Graeme Gillis, Ann Marie Healy, Amy Herzog, Mrinalini Kamath, Jon Kern, Courtney Lauria, Michael Lew, Patrick Link, Ross Maxwell, Anna Ouyang Moench, Erin Murtaugh, Qui Nguyen, Daria Polatin, Sharyn Rothstein, Erica Saleh, Matt Schatz, Phil Schmeidl, Michael Sendrow, Crystal Skillman, Maggie Smith, Jeremy Soule, Lloyd Suh, Daniel Talbott, Lucy Thurber, Emily Chadick Weiss and Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder.
Directors for the series include Sherri Eden Barber, Abigail Zealey Bess, Michole Biancosino, Isaac Butler, Evan Cabnet, Amanda Charlot, Michelle Crouse, Shoshona Currier, Tamara Fisch, Adam Fitzgerald, Steve Fried, Barrie Gelles, John Giampetro, Graeme Gillis, Michael Goldfried, Andrew Grosso, Kel Haney, Melissa Kievman, Laura Konsin, Kitt LaVoie, Jeff Lewonczyk, Larissa Lury, Sarah Malkin, JV Mercanti, Alexa Polmer, Jamie Richards, Colette Robert, Debbie Saivetz, Erica Saleh, Marc Santa Maria, Giovanna Sardelli, R.J. Tolan, Birgitta Victorson, Kim Weild, Tom Wojtunik and Jordan Young.
Set to perform the freshly penned works are Polly Adams, Ali Ahn, Jessica Andres, Jake Aron, Anna Aronson, Rob Askins, Alana Barrett, Katie Barrett, Emily Bennett, Kate Benson, Kit Bihun, Pepper Binkley, Steve Boyer, Havilah Brewster, Lucia Brizzi, Stefanie Bubnis, Kelly Anne Burns, Raul Castillo, Chris Ceraso, Jackie Chung, Matt Conlon, Paul Coffey, Curran Connor, Helen Coxe, Kibibi Dillon, Chelsey Donn, Sarah Hayes Donnell, Bjorn DuPaty, Stephen Ellis, Dana Eskelson, Helen Farmer, Christine Farrell, Eric Feldman, Nancy Franklin, Sharon Freedman, Abigail Gampel, Enzo Gentile, Graeme Gillis, Jenny Gomez, Kristen Hansen, Kristen Harlow, Delphi Harrington, Kelli Lynn Harrison, Sarah Nina Hayon, Mattie Hawkinson, Helen Highfield, Birgit Huppuch, Dave Hurwitz, Debbie Lee Jones, Mary Joy, Simon Kendall, Jenny Kirlin, Julie Kline, Natalie Knepp, Courtney Brooke Lauria, Matt Lauria, Diana LaMar, Mordecai Lawner, Fay Ann Lee, Polly Lee, Julie Leedes, Josh Lefkowitz, Nancy Lemenager, Jay Liebman, Jodi Lin, Tom Lyons, Maya MacDonald, Tara MacMullen, Jared McGuire, Lori McNally, Erin Mallon, Ellen Marenek, Sarah Matthews, Erin McMonagle, Bobby Moreno, Melanie Nicholls-King, Annie O'Sullivan, Noelle Parker, William Peden, Jane Pfitsch, Johnny Pruitt, Mary Quick, Shawn Randall, Patricia Randell, Nathan Robinson, Justin Reinsilber, David Rispoli, Delilah Rivera, Thom Rivera, Jamie Rose, Lance Rubin, Michael Rudko, Diana Ruppe, Marc Santa Maria, Ted Schneider, Katie Schorr, Tommy Schrider, Claire Siebers, Michael Smith-Rivera, Scott Sowers, Amy Staats, Teresa Stephenson, Marguerite Stimpson, Caroline Strong, Ann Talman, Caroline Tamas, Gordon Tshjian, Cori Thomas, Candace Thompson, Jacquelyn Todie, Max Van Bel, Naomi Warner, Johanna Weller-Fahy, Chris Wight, Susan Willerman, Janet Zarish and Dan Ziskie. The works of Youngblood members have gone on to productions at the Royal Court Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Mark Taper Forum, the New York International Fringe Festival, the Vineyard Theater, the Atlantic Theater Company and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and have been optioned by film and television companies, including the recent release of Youngblood alumna Amy Fox's "Heights" as a feature film from Merchant-Ivory.
For tickets, priced $10, and more information, visit www.youngbloodnyc.org.
