This week, the scrappy and ambitious young company, the Rapscallion Theatre Collective will do what many other companies and theatres are doing this season: a short play festival. RTC hopes that their Salute UR Shorts New Play Festival stands out among the crowd as its very existence is meant to fill a void. Christophe Anderson, Reynold Hewitt and Jennifer Cintron (all founding members) saw a hole in the offerings of summer festivals of short new work and set out to develop their own offering that would equally represent dramas, comedies, linear, non-linear and experimental pieces within the short form. “We hope that our festival broadens the theatrical short experience as well as introduces audiences to emerging playwrights, actors and directors” says co-Artistic Director, Christophe Anderson, “Our hope is that we’re passing the theatrical baton off to our audience. That they’ll leave the festival then go to see the next thing our artists do.”
Now in its fourth year, Salute UR Shorts is getting bigger than ever, with the most submissions ever received this year at over 425 from all over the world. Submissions came in from right in their backyard of New York to as far away as Australia and Russia. Though the submission process has become far reaching, Rapscallion has created many recurring artistic partnerships through this yearly festival; possibly the best example being emerging playwright from Seattle, Brett Hursey who has been produced in the festival all four years. According to the RTC audiences can expect a true in depth look at human relationships of all kinds in this year’s festival. Current issues like familial rebuilding after loss in war, miracles, happy endings and messages from beyond. “We hope that a broad spectrum of things are being represented,” Anderson notes, “it’s kind of what we’re about.”
Social and political theatre is at the foreground of all of Rapscallion’s programming, but not just any social and political theatre. The company makes it its business to stay on top of what is on the collective consciousness, there is no better way to do that than to once a year read through 425 global perspectives in the form of short play submissions for this festival. Says Anderson, “The themes that stick out from those submissions tell us what people are thinking about and talking about and what they want to see. That’s how we decide what we want to build our season program around, what people are talking about at the time.”
So what is Anderson’s favorite part about the yearly festival? The people. “We want to create a network that is open and supportive. We believe in a community of fellowship rather than competition. That idea is the backbone of our mission and everything we do in the theatre.”
Rapscallion will present their 4th Annual Salute UR Shorts New Play Festival at the Access Theatre (380 Broadway @ White Street, 4th floor)
Performances:
Thursday July 8th 8pm
Friday July 9th 8pm
Saturday July 10th 3pm & 8pm
Sunday July 11th 3pm
Tickets are $18 and are available via
smarttix.com or 212.868.4444
More information available on Rapscallion Theatre Collective's
Official Website.
Program:
Hiccup by Stacey Lane
Dir. Jennifer Hart
Bridget Ori*
Steve Spera
Mikaela Lynn Johnson
Fireman by Stephen Brown
Dir: Jessy Grossman
Brad Giovanine
Anthony Orneta
Stupid, and Terrible by Shannon Murdoch
Dir. Lauren Reinhard
Jen Danby*
Sarah Louise Burns
Diana DeCarlo
The Growth by Chris Shaw Swanson
Dir. Teff Nichols
Sharon Rowe
Jen Montminy
Ryan Maeker
The Body Washer by Rosemary Frisino Toohey
Dir. Reginald L. Douglas
Trina Mar Shumsonk
Zenzele Cooper
Allison Curran
Wedding Belles by Brett Hursey
Dir. Nick Brennan
Elyse Brandau
Adam Gutbezahl
Mark Lanham
Shot and a Beer by Josh McIlvain
Dir. Christophe Anderson
Jennifer Cintron
Robert Gilbert
Thanks for the Ride by D. Richard Tucker
Dir. Jesse Geguzis
John Graham
Alison Zaleski
The Lady and “The Tyger” or William Blake's “How I Met Your Mother” by Trace Crawford
Dir. Rachel Park
Blair Lewin
Geoff Borman
*These actors are appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association. Equity Approved Showcase.
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