August 22, 2022 (MILWAUKEE) – Renaissance Theaterworks (RTW), “theater by women, for everyone,” presents the ninth annual “BRINK New Play Festival” on Saturday, September 10, and Sunday, September 11, 2022, at their new performance space at 255 South Water St. The readings are open to the public for a donation at the door ($20 suggested) and seating is general admission.
“BRINK” is a much-needed development opportunity for women playwrights living in the Midwest. The scheduled readings are “Sunny Days” by Reina Hardy on Saturday, September 10, at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m.; and “Running With Coffee” by Eileen Richards on Saturday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, September 11, at 2:00 p.m. (See playwrights’ biographies, synopsis and production team information below.)
Since 2013, RTW has put out an annual call to Midwestern women playwrights to submit their work. Two playwrights are selected to receive the “BRINK Residency Award” — the opportunity to develop and advance their scripts during a week-long workshop with a director, cast, and dramaturg. Following the workshop week, the plays are presented as staged-readings for the public at the “BRINK New Play Festival.”
The “BRINK New Play Festival” is unlike a traditional theatrical evening. The staged-readings are focused on the playwrights’ work and audience members are encouraged to provide feedback during guided talk-back sessions.
Suzan Fete, artistic director, shares, “I’m so happy to bring our full ‘BRINK’ festival weekend back. This year’s plays are funny, thoughtful and heartbreaking. Everything ‘BRINK’ should be!”
“Contemporary playwrights do not have many opportunities to introduce new work to audiences and statistically, women playwrights have even fewer. I have participated in many readings and performances of my plays in the past. I have never had a better experience than I did at Renaissance,” Gwendolyn Rice, 2014 “BRINK” Playwright, said.
Philana Omorotionmwan, 2016 “BRINK” Playwright, commented, “I know that my play is much closer to being production-ready because of ‘BRINK’.”
Submissions for the 2023 “BRINK New Play Festival” are accepted from September 1, 2022 until November 30, 2022 at 11:59PM. Eligibility and submission guidelines are available at R-T-W.com/BRINK.
Celebrating their thirtieth anniversary in the 2022-23 season, RTW is Milwaukee’s professional theater company founded and led by women and the nation’s second-oldest professional theater devoted to gender equality.
