2010 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Winner

The Essential Theatre is proud to announce that the winner of the 2010 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award competition is Gabriel Dean's Qualities of Starlight, a modern southern family comedy. Gabriel Dean has been working for some years on the Atlanta scene as an actor and playwright, and is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in the Playwriting Program at the University of Texas in Austin. His play Buy My House - Please! recently completed a run at the Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville. Mr. Dean will receive a cash prize of $600.00 and Qualities of Starlight will be produced as part of the 2010 Essential Theatre Play Festival, running at the Actor's Express space in July and August of next year.

2010 Festival Lineup Qualities of Starlight by Gabriel Dean, directed by Peter Hardy The World Premiere of a twisted family comedy about a successful young astronomer who brings his wife home to the north Georgia mountains and the simple country household in which he grew up. And where his parents are now addicted to crystal meth. Winner of the 2010 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award.

Watch Interview

Sally and Glen at the Palace
by Peter Hardy
The Georgia Premiere of a comic drama about the growing friendship between two very different college students working together in the lobby of a 1970s movie theatre in a southern university town.  Winner of a New Southern Theatre Festival Playwriting Award.

Darker Face of the Earth
by Rita Dove, directed by Betty Hart
The Georgia Premiere of a stunning tragic drama by a Pulitzer Prize-winning African-American poet (and former Poet Laureate of the United States). The classic story of Oedipus is re-imagined on a slave plantation in the American South.

Read our blog and follow us on Twitter

For the latest information about the Essential Theatre and to take part in the conversation, please visit our blog and follow us on Twitter.

Essential Theatre News

It's been a great year for this years playwriting award winner Vynnie Meli. Her musical PLAGUED, A LOVE STORY completed a successful run at the 2009 NY Musical Theatre Festival. Congratulations Vynnie.

The Essential Theatre also wants to congratulate Atlanta playwright Karla Jennings on winning the Pillars Playwriting Prize for her script THE SMILES. This award is sponsored by the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English, Speech and Journalism at Georgia College and State University.  Karla will receive an honorarium of $2,000.00 and her play will be produced at the College.

The Essential Theatre chose Karla's play IMAGES IN SMOKE for production in 2000, making it the second winner of our annual competition for Georgia playwrights (though we weren't officially calling it the Essential Theatre Playwriting Award yet).  That production was named by Creative Loafing's Curt Holman as being one of the fifteen best shows of that year.

Karla went on to win the Playwrights First Award (given by New York's National Arts Club) for her play THE RUBY VECTOR   We wish her all the best in her continued success.

In more good news for Essential Playwrights, Lauren Gunderson (winner of the 2001 and 2004 Essential Theatre Playwriting Awards, for PARTS THEY CALL DEEP and BACKGROUND) just had the World Premiere of her play EMILIE at the very prestigious South Coast Repertory in California.  Congratulations to Lauren as well!

On Feburary 5, Essential Theatre's Artistic Director Peter Hardy took part in a panel discussion on new play development, along with celebrated national authors Thomas Gibbons and Joseph Skibell.  This was for a theatre class at Emory University and was connected to Brave New Works, a new play development program that is presented by Theatre Emory every two years, bringing in playwrights from around the country.

Artistic Director Peter Hardy's play FLOOR PILLOWS was recently performed in the Nantucket Short Play Festival.  Both that play and Hardy's MOON ACTION were finalists in that Festival's Short Play Competition.This past fall his play LUBRICANT was produced in New York City, while COUPLES THERAPY premiered at the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.

Essential Theatre Playwriting Award-winner Lauren Gunderson has a play running through Nov. 3 at Atlanta's Dad's Garage Theatre.  "Class" is a different kind of political comedy, about high school students running for Class President at a Christian high school.

A Decatur native, Lauren won the Essential Theatre award for "Parts They Call Deep", when she was just eighteen years old.  Since then she's gone on to win awards and be produced around the country.  She's currently in the M.F.A. playwriting program at New York University.  She says: "Essential Theatre is the future of southern writing. I speak from experience when I say that I will always credit them with my early success and confidence."

With strong reviews and great audiences, things got even better when we were awarded Theatre Emory's $2,000 Pat Miller Playmaking Award for our work to develop and produce new plays by Georgia writers! We've also received a grant from Fulton County - the first government funding we've ever applied for.

In 2007, the Essential Theatre was selected to become a client of Community Consulting Teams-Atlanta ("CCT").  CCT is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization of Atlanta area MBAs and senior professionals whose purpose is to help nonprofit and public sector organizations in our communities address some of the strategic issues they encounter in furthering their missions.  CCT is currently reviewing the Essential's strategic and marketing initiatives.  The Essential awaits CCT's recommendations, which will be finalized in Summer 2007.

Essential Multimedia

Visit The Essential Theatre Photo Gallery

ACPA Arts Podcasts with artistic director, Peter Hardy

Part I
Part II

WMLB Voice of the Arts' Larry Larson interviews "Jim Crow & the Rhythm Darlings" playwright Vynnie Meli & director Betty Hart

Essential Theatre Festival YouTube Videos

	Ice Glen 2009
	Food for Fish 2009
	Jim Crow and the Rhythm Darlings Video 1 Video 2 2009
	Valhalla: a behind the scenes look 2008
	Before After Ashley 2008
	West of Eden  2008 Playwriting Award
	Mrs. Bob Behind the Scenes 2007
	Fix Me So I Can Stand 2007 Playwriting Award
	Night Travels 2007

Become part of the Essential Theatre
Get involved. The Essential Theatre is looking for volunteer board members with event planning, marketing, public relations, fundraising, grahpic design and sales experience. We are also seeking a volunteer coordinator to assist in recruiting and scheduling ushers for the 2010 festival. Volunteer or Sign up for Essential Theatre Emails

Wish List
Are you an events planner who knows how to throw a party and enjoys fundraising, please contact Peter Hardy. If you'd like to help the Essential Theatre, there are lots of ways you can get involved! We're always on the lookout for free (or inexpensive) copying or printing services. Free or inexpensive paint, wood and other building materials are needed every year. Free rehearsal space can help us save money and get our productions ready to open.

And, of course, cash donations are always welcome! As ticket prices cover a small fraction of our productoin costs we especially appreciate our donors. Essential Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization so your donations are tax deductible. Please help us to support new work by Georgia Playwrights! Make a donation or become a sponsor today!

The Essential Theatre is a proud member of the

Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts.

Funding is provided by the Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council and the Georgia Council for the Arts

Performance Location:

Actor's Express

King Plow

BOX OFFICE:

404-607-SHOW [7469]

All shows run in repertory. Please check the online calendar for a performance schedule