New Works 19 LAUNCH!

Lincoln High School Drama

in association with

Playwrights West

presents

The 19th Annual New Works Festival

Times Two

written by Lincoln High School Students

directed by Matthew B. Zrebski

December 1 - 3; 8-10

Black Box Theatre

The Lincoln Drama New Works Festival enters its 19th year and in a brand new facility! This annual production always offers a unique opportunity for young writers to pen plays about teenaged themes with all teenaged characters to be played by teenaged performers. Emphasis is placed on highly theatrical scenarios and style so as to separate theatre from other media like film and television. There is also the allowance for mature content and bold exploration of difficult subject matter in order to allow a responsible dialogue to take place amongst the young artists with the guidance of responsible adults. In this way, theatre transcends entertainment and provokes important conversations within the community of Lincoln students, their families, their teachers, and friends. It is one of the only festivals of its kind in the entire country and remains a highlight of the Lincoln Drama Theatre Season. 

In this season’s festival, five playwrights investigate: when stripped of identity, how does one consider their full capacity…to promote joy, to cause sorrow, to commit atrocities, to heal, to be many things, to be nothing… What lies within each of us? What is nature? What is nurture? Where is cause? What is the effect? 

A lone teenager, named 1, awakes in an empty, blank room…a canvass on which to paint their life… Before they know it, their consciousness begins to double – over and over…until the room is flooded with the many facets of human nature…

The festival will feature 16 roles. Many of them will be written to be played by an actor of any gender. The conceit of the show is that with each new play (“part”), the cast doubles in size, with the characters from the previous play continuing on (with the same actors) to the next. The roles are all “numbers”. The character breakdown is, therefore, like this. 

Part 1 (approx. 10 minutes) 

1 

Part 2 (approx. 10 minutes) 

1, 2 

Part 3 (approx. 15 minutes) 

1, 2, 3, 4 

Part 4 (approx. 15 minutes) 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 

Part 5 (approx. 25 minutes) 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 

The plays will be written in order, with each playwright delivering their “part” to the next playwright. That playwright must work to continue the characters’ journeys while introducing the new characters. 

The style of the piece is full surrealism. The tone may alternate wildly between comedy, tragedy, suspense, romance, etc… The writing process will be fast paced. Two of the pieces won’t even be completed until after rehearsals begin. Rewrites will occur throughout the entire process.

General Information for Interested Writers

-Writer Applications will be available 8/31

-They will be due on SA 9/10 at 10:00a

-Writers may also audition

General Information or Actors

-Auditions are 10/3, 10/4, 10/5

-Audition packets will be available 9/26

-IMPORTANT!!! - Note that tech rehearsals for this production are the weekend prior to Thanksgiving Week. Some families choose to leave the weekend before Thanksgiving for travel. Unfortunately, any student in this situation will not be considered for the show - as either an actor or technician. The entire company is required to be present on SA 11/19 and SU 11/20. The show then takes a week off from 11/21 - 11/27 and resumes with Dress Rehearsals on 11/28.

Information about Stage Management and other Tech positions will be coming within the next two weeks.

If there are any questions, you may always reach me at:

teen.west.project@gmail.com