BAT-HAMLET by Jordan Pulliam, directed by Peter Hardy 2012 Essential Theatre Festival

Brother, can you spare two minutes to help a playwright?

Don't Put It Off Any Longer

If you keep meaning to come see "Next Fall" at Actor's Express, but have been putting it off, keep in mind that this time next week, THEY WILL HAVE CLOSED.  

Twentysomething Luke, who believes in God, is deeply in love with the slightly older Adam, who believes in everything but. When a tragic accident interrupts their perfect New York life, Adam must turn to Luke's friends and deeply religious family for support - and answers. This runaway New York hit began off-Broadway in 2009 and transferred by popular demand to Broadway in 2010. The New York Times called Next Fall "smart, sensitive and utterly contemporary...the funniest heartbreaker in town."

Written by Geoffrey Nauffts; Directed by Kate Warner and featuring Mitchell Anderson, John Benzinger, Patricia French, Jennifer Levison, William S. Murphey and Joe Sykes.

Lionheart Premieres James Beck's BLEACH

The Essential Theatre congratulates James Beck on the World Premiere of his dark comedy BLEACH at the Lionheart Theatre in Norcross, running Feb. 10 – 19.  (Visit http://www.lionhearttheatre.org for details.)  Essential did some development work with James on this play, part of our ongoing mission of supporting new work by Georgia playwrights.  Here’s what James had to say about working with us:  “Peter led the group in a constructive feedback session that allowed me as the playwright to experience my play, to question it and to gather new creative energy to apply in crafting the work. Peter did a great job of understanding that the playwright has to solve the riddle of the play but offered, through open discussion, some really great reflection about the piece.”

GO LOCAL, We are still looking for short pieces for this years

Just a reminder -- the Essential Theatre is accepting short plays to be considered for this summer's THE LOCAL project.  We want plays set at specific locations in Atlanta, and we're accepting submissions through Jan. 15.  You can e-mail submissions to pmhardy@aol.com.  The plays can be in any style, can be realistic or not, and be set in the past or the present.  We're hoping to get submissions about as many different real places in Atlanta as possible.  This project is meant to about Atlanta, the place we live, written by the people who live here.

AND -- because we want this project to be open to as many people as possible -- and some people hesitate at the thought of writing a play -- we invite people to just write down stories or memories you may have about places in the city and just send them in, and we may find a way to make use of them.  If you have questions about any of those, feel free to call director Ellen McQueen at 404-378-9817.

You can be an Essential GRAPHICS DESIGNER!

Essential Theatre seeks a talented graphics designer who enjoys theatre and is able to work for a small stipend and tickets.

The Essential Theatre has long been the leading champion of Georgia playwrights, producing and developing many new plays by local writers.  Coming up in 2012, we’ll be celebrating the 25th year of our existence by presenting our first-ever ALL GEORGIA PLAY FESTIVAL!
 
EVELYN IN PURGATORY by Topher Payne
World Premiere!
Five public school teachers are caught in the limbo of the disciplinary “Rubber Room”, waiting for their cases to be heard and their fates decided.  Poignant and funny, it’s like The Breakfast Club for teachers, as they share secrets with each other and begin to look into their own hearts.  Winner of the 2012 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award.  
 
BAT-HAMLET by Jordan Pulliam
World Premiere!
What if Shakespeare had conceived the melancholy Dane as a costumed crimefighter?  The worlds of comic books and the Bard of Avon come together in this hilarious mash-up, a tale of murder and revenge, poetry and BAM!  SOCK!  POW! 
 
THE LOCAL by Local Authors
World Premiere!
A collaborative theatre project about the City of Atlanta, by the writers of Atlanta, to be developed and directed by Ellen McQueen, award-winning director of Ice Glen and Sally and Glen at the Palace.  A similar project is happening in Tampa, Florida, and we hope to reach out to theatres around the country to eventually make this a nation-wide phenomenon. 

If you are interested, please email mperloe AT EssentialTheatre.com or post a comment. We can provide more information about the plays as well as graphics required. Thanks.

Essential Theatre Seeks Play Submission for THE LOCAL

The Essential Theatre invites Georgia writers to submit short plays to be considered for THE LOCAL, a collaborative theatre project about the City of Atlanta to be developed and directed by Ellen McQueen, for production in the next Essential Theatre Play Festival (coming up in the summer of 2012).  A similar project is currently in development by Stagewrights, a company in Tampa, Florida.

All plays must be set at a specific location in the Metropolitan Atlanta area, and all of them must, in some way, touch upon the subject of homelessness.  The scripts do not have to be about the homeless (although they can be) and do not have to have homeless characters onstage (although they can).  The idea is to have homelessness be the thread connecting all the pieces, but the subject may be treated glancingly (even a single sentence or image), be absolutely central or anything in between.  Writers may also interpret their definition of “homelessness”.  We hope to receive submissions with a wide variety of styles and tones, set at many different locations around the city, and we’re open to the possibilities of incorporating music and movement in the submitted material.

Scripts can have running time of anywhere from two to twenty minutes, and should feature small casts of no more than five.  The submission deadline will be on January 15, 2012.  Multiple submissions are allowed.  All writers will retain the rights to their own work.  All writers will be paid something; the budgeted royalties for this piece will be $30.00 per performance, so how much individual writers will be paid will depend on how many pieces are chosen. 

Submissions can be e-mailed to pmhardy@aol.com, or sent to

The Essential Theatre

1414 Foxhall Lane #10

Atlanta, GA  30316

For more information about the Essential Theatre, to read about our 25-year history of bringing new plays to Atlanta audiences, please visit our website at www.EssentialTheatre.com.

MAT Awards

We're proud and happy to announce that the Essential Theatre's production of Rita Dove's THE DARKER FACE OF THE EARTH, directed by Betty Hart, has won the Metropolitan Atlanta Theater Award for Best Ensemble In A Play.  This is the thirteenth MAT Award that the Essential Theatre was won in the past four years.

Sally and Glen Return to the Palace

SALLY AND GLEN AT THE PALACE, written by Essential's Artistic Director Peter Hardy, will be given a staged reading at the Tallapoosa Theatre Festival (located west of Atlanta) on August 27.  For more information
SALLY AND GLEN was a big hit with both critics and audiences when it was produced as part of the 2010 Essential Theatre Play Festival, ending up on "Best of the Year" lists for both The Sunday Paper and Atlanta Theater Buzz, while Hardy was Creative Loafing's Critic's Pick for Best Atlanta Playwright.

The 2011 Essential Theatre Play Festival has one more week!

The 2011 Essential Theatre Play Festival has one more week!  We close July 31.  Visit www.EssentialTheatre.com for tickets.
 
“I wish everyone in the Atlanta theatre scene would come out and see Essential's fine work."
Yolanda Asher (Founding Member of the Suzi Awards)

“I am so impressed with the amazing season you have put together.”
Paul Holly (Founding Member of the Suzi Awards)

“Congratulations on assembling another three diverse, thought-provoking and entertaining plays, wonderfully directed and acted by some of Atlanta's best talent.”
Bill Murphey (Suzi Award-Winning Actor)

Monday, July 25 - A SLEEPING COUNTRY (Industry Night) 8 p.m.
Tuesday, July 26 – “My Brother’s Knife” Play Reading, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 27 – “The Spins” Play Reading, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 28 - GREAT FALLS 8 p.m.
Friday, July 29 - A THOUSAND CIRCLETS, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 30 - A SLEEPING COUNTRY, 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 31 -- GREAT FALLS, 2 p.m.

GREAT FALLS - An Atlanta Theater Fans Critique

"Confessions are good for the soul – so they say. For many people, and families, bringing a secret into the light of day is a healing process. Like any family, the one in Essential Theatre’s Great Falls, holds its share of baggage and secrets."

 

"The play takes the audience on a parallel emotional journey to the characters’ own trip through the scenic west. A play this emotional requires a talented cast and well-crafted dialogue. If a play is poorly written, great acting can save it and vice-versa. Audiences seeing Great Falls don’t have any worry; it excels in both."

"Both Emmett Furrow and Ashleigh Hoppe bring emotional depth and a genuine sense of humanity to each of their characters to win the audience over. Great Falls takes us on a journey to discover ourselves and confront our own hurts and fears as we watch two characters fall apart and heal onstage. If nothing else, the acting alone makes this play worth seeing." Kenny Norton

READ MORE

Why haven't you seend "A Thousand Circlets" yet?

There are a limited number of performances remainging to see Essential Theatre's world premiere production of Theroun Patterson's prize winning play, "A Thousand Circlets". You don't want to miss this one. 

"Essential Theatre's production of Theroun Patterson's A THOUSAND CIRCLETS is wonderful. Theroun Patterson's writing is smart, funny, tender, painful, and absolutely real."

Jo Howarth Noonan

“A Thousand Circlets is powerful and well played. The complex family dynamic reminds me of Long Days Journey into Night."

Rebecca B. Rogers

“Theroun Patterson’s A Thousand Circlets is another artistic coup for the Essential Theatre’s Play Festival. Theroun’s writing is both poetic and pure.  It evokes both tears and joy, sometimes simultaneously. The cast of strong actors is made even stronger by Betty Hart’s direction. I am going back. You should come too. “
Sarah Emma Hall

"A Thousand Circlets was stellar in writing and production. Thank you all!"

Valetta Anderson

“Saw The Essential Theatre production of Theroun Patterson's A Thousand Circlets. Enjoyed it. Two more plays to see. This festival is a great event for Atlanta."

James Beck

"Exceptional work -- all around. We saw A Thousand Circlets and Great Falls this past weekend. Dynamic, thought-provoking stagecraft."

Ralph Caldwell

“Saw a really great play yesterday evening, A Thousand Circlets by Theroun Patterson at Actors Express...wonderfully written, staged and performed!!”

Sherry Lee

Audience Speaks Out About Essential's GREAT FALLS

"So enjoyed Great Falls last night. Ellen McQueen's superb direction led two very talented, "new on the Atlanta scene" actors down the road to discovery. Thanks for the trip! Great work!" Paul Holly


"People! Go see GREAT FALLS and all the wonderful plays at Essential Theatre! GREAT FALLS is amazing! Ashleigh Hoppe rocked it!" Bree Dawn Shannon

"Saw Great Falls tonight. Not to be missed. Great story great characters wonderful performances and as usual inspired directing. See it. " Jayson Smith

"Congrats on the Great Falls emotional roller coaster, it's an intense ride, the actors did a wonderful job and the directing and scene design really capture the glorious melancholy of vast spaces and journeys into the past." Karla Jennings 

"Another incredibly strong performance of the Essential Theatre Festival.  Great Falls is a lovely play that is directed and performed beautifully. Kudos to Mr. Hardy and the entire production team and cast. The Essential Theatre Festival has become one of my favorite events of the summer. I can't wait to see the rest of the plays!" Amanda Cucher
 

"A Thousand Circlets" Audience Comments

"Essential Theatre's production of Theroun Patterson's A THOUSAND CIRCLETS is wonderful. Theroun Patterson's writing is smart, funny, tender, painful, and absolutely real. The performances are honest. Betty Hart's direction is spot on. It's hard for me to watch anything about Alzheimer's as it always hits a little too close to home. This production was no exception but the relationship between husband and wife was one of the more honest depictions I ever seen of the pain, anger, and confusion that rains down in the early days of diagnosis. I will be seeing it again...as soon as I see the other two shows in the festival -- A SLEEPING COUNTRY & GREAT FALLS." Jo Howarth Noonan