Award Winning Writers Showcase Their Work

MADISON, N.J. - April 14, 2014 - PRLog -- Playwrights Theatre has partnered with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for prose and poetry readings for the Literary Artist Fellowship Showcases in Long Branch. This is the third set of readings, the first group was presented in October 2013 and the second group was presented in March 2014. All readings will begin at 7:00pm and will take place at New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740. Readings are free with a suggested donation of $10. All tickets will be available at the door on the evening of the readings.

“We are happy to be presenting the works of these excellent artists in a venue close to their homes, partnering again with NJ Rep in their comfortable, intimate theatre,” said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre. “Over the past 18 months, the Literary Artist Fellowship Showcase has presented the works of 30 New Jersey writers of poetry, prose and plays. The readings have delighted audiences statewide. We hope people with come out for some great poetry and stories.”

April 27, 2014 at 7pm
Toni De Palma, Prose (Toms River)
Curt Leviant, Prose (Edison)
Norman Lock, Prose (Aberdeen)

May 4, 2014 at 7pm
Mihaela Moscaliuc, Poetry (Ocean)
Michael Waters, Poetry (Ocean)

Individual biographies and interviews with the writers can be viewed at
http://www.ptnj.org/pages/literary-artist-fellowship.

The Literary Artist Fellowship Showcase began in 2001, with subsequent showcases in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. The State Arts Council and Playwrights Theatre cosponsor the series of readings by the poets, playwrights and prose writers that received Council Fellowships. The Fellowships, which may be used to support the professional development of the artist, are highly competitive. The awards are granted to New Jersey artists in 12 different arts disciplines (offered on a three-year rotation) and are awarded solely on the basis of an anonymous independent peer panel review of artistic quality. The program is carried out in partnership with the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

In the fall of 2001, as part of its overall mission to provide presentation and performance opportunities for Fellowship recipients, as well as other New Jersey artists, the Council partnered with Playwrights Theatre to present the works of the literary fellows.

For the poetry readings, authors will present their own work, for prose writing, authors are given the option of reading their own stories or having them read by a professional actor. Playwrights are provided with staged readings of their scripts, always presented with professional actors and a professional director, with a preference given to the wealth of professional actors and theatre artists living in the Garden State.

This program is made possible with by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State.

About the New Jersey State Council on the Arts:

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts is a division of the New Jersey Department of State. It receives funding through direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Since 1966, its volunteer members and professional staff have worked to improve the quality of life in New Jersey by helping the arts to flourish. For more information about the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov. Further information regarding the arts is found on an interactive web site (http://www.jerseyarts.com) and available on a toll-free hotline (1-800-THE-ARTS).

About Playwrights Theatre:

Founded in 1986, Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit professional theatre and arts education institution dedicated to developing and nurturing the dramatic imagination of artists, students, and audiences. Our New Play Program creates development opportunities for professional writers through readings, workshops and productions, and invites audiences to participate in authentic feedback experiences. Our New Jersey Writers Project, Poetry Out Loud, New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest and Festival, and Creative Arts Academy programs provide a comprehensive and hands-on arts education experience to over 31,000 students, Pre-K through adult.

Writers in the New Play Program are drawn from across the country, including our affiliation with the National New Play Network, a nation-wide group of theatres dedicated to the development and production of new work. Teaching Artists in our Education Programs are professional artists working in their field in the New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. From 2003-2013, we have been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (along with only four other theatres: The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, George Street Playhouse, McCarter Theatre Center and Paper Mill Playhouse) as “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey.”

Funding for our activities comes from: the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., Dramatist Guild Fund, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, The Shubert Foundation, Travelers, The Victoria Foundation, and many corporations, foundations and individuals.

Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.

About New Jersey Repertory Company:
The New Jersey Repertory Company is a professional, non-profit theater founded in 1997 by SuzAnne Barabas (Artistic Director) and Gabor Barabas (Executive Producer). Located in Long Branch, New Jersey, the theater's primary mission is to develop and produce new plays and to make a lasting contribution to the American stage.

In addition, it also seeks to achieve the following:

• To be a catalyst in the redevelopment and revitalization of its surrounding community
• To build and encourage young audiences and inspire interest in theater arts among young people
• To nurture the work of writers from diverse backgrounds and build diverse audiences

In keeping with its mission New Jersey Rep has produced 93 plays in seventeen seasons including 61 world premieres. The theater is committed to nurturing the work of not only established writers but new and unknown playwrights and has maintained an open- submission policy receiving over 750 scripts each year from throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Through its Developmental Reading Series, NJ Rep has presented over 300 script- in-hand readings of new works. The majority of full productions begin as readings, a testimonial to the theater's philosophy of providing a true continuum from play development to full production.