The three-week festival, running Sept. 9-27, offers short one-act plays by both established and emerging women playwrights of color. The Ensemble Studio Theatre and Going to the River unite to produce the festival.

"The goal, simply put, is to give women playwrights of color the kind of exposure that is provided by the Ensemble Studio Theatre, whose goal is to nurture individual theatre artists and to develop new American plays," said Ensemble Studio Theatre artistic director William Carden in a statement. "The River Crosses Rivers is a stellar lineup of playwrights whose voices add richness and texture to the American Canon."

Series A will include:

Risen from the Dough by France-Luce Benson and directed by Holli Harms
"Two Haitian-American women in a bakery kitchen must grapple with the impending arrival of the health inspector."

The Kitchen or 9 1/2 Minutes of Subcontinental Absurdity by Naveen Bahar Choudhury and directed by Jamie Richards
"Two traditional Indian parents go to absurd lengths to stop their Americanized daughter from making what they believe to be a disastrous mistake." Ladybug Gonna Getcha by Kara Lee Corthron and directed by Pat Golden
"An aging punk queen, furious at being upstaged by Blondie, makes a drastic, last-ditch effort to become an international headline."

The Step-Mother by Ruby Dee and directed by Chuck Patterson
"A young woman struggles to learn compassion for her unhappy, aging step-mother."

Angels in the Parking Lot by N.N. Ewing and directed by Seret Scott
"A woman learns of her husband's unfaithfulness through signs from angels – who also compel him to confess his guilt."

Banana Beer Bath by Lynn Nottage and directed by Talvin Wilks
"The true story of a young woman's narrow escape from marauding rebels in Uganda - and of her mother's ultimate sacrifice."

Rally by Bridgette Wimberly and directed by Clinton Turner Davis
"A young woman and her grandmother, raised in different eras, are inspired with hope at a presidential campaign rally."

Series B:

Truth Be Told by Melody Cooper and directed by Petronia Paley
"An American reporter deals with the kidnapping of her Iraqi news-anchor friend and the dangers that truth-seeking reporters face throughout the world."

Dialectic by Kia Corthron and directed by Chuck Patterson
"After a shocking act of domestic terrorism, two people struggle to come to terms with their own decisions and their new circumstances."

Hot Methuselah by J.E. Franklin and directed by Imani Douglas
"A young man tries to persuade his mother not to walk out on his aged, philandering father."

Jesse by P.J. Gibson and directed by Lydia Fort
"A young woman, surprising her husband on his birthday, almost receives a horrific surprise herself."

Sloppy Second Chances by Mrinalini Kamath and directed by Kel Haney
"A young woman, unimpressed by her slovenly blind date but charmed by his self-deprecating honesty, decides to give him a second chance to make a good impression."

Spirit Sex: a Paranormal Romance by Desi Moreno-Penson and directed by Adam Immerwahr
"A young man calls a paranormal investigator into his house to look into the presence of a beautiful, ghostly intruder."

For tickets visit OvationTix or phone (866) 811-4111. The Ensemble Studio Theatre is located at 549 West 52nd Street.