FCAC visits the 2018 Festival

Today we had some special guests in the audience: Lionell Thomas and Emmitt Stevenson, directors of long-standing Essential supporting organization, the Fulton County Arts Council.

What a great way to close out the Festival! Today FCAC Directors Lionell Thomas and Emmitt Stevenson joined us for our closing performance of WOKE. (pictured L to R: Essential Artistic Director Peter Hardy, FCAC Director Lionell Thomas, WOKE director Ellen McQueen, WOKE playwright Avery Sharpe, and FCAC Director Emmitt Stevenson)

The Fulton County Arts Council grant is actually the first grant that Essential ever applied for – and the first grant we ever received,

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Meet the Playwright: Ben Thorpe

Ben Thorpe is the man behind the final Bare Essentials reading in this summer’s festival, Baby Shower for the Anti-Christ, happening this Wednesday August 22 at 7:30pm.

Hi Ben! We’re looking forward to your upcoming reading. Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a local Atlanta actor and playwright, originally from Snellville, GA. I went to Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA and lived in New York City before moving back to Atlanta in 2015. I’ve acted in productions around town including ‘Hand to God’ and ‘Candide (Alliance)’, ‘Titanic’ (Serenbe), ‘Nobody Loves You’ (Horizon), and ‘Big Fish’

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August 23 post-show conversation with Unitarian Universalist Revs. Duncan Teague and Jonathan Rogers, and playwright Avery Sharpe

Join us after the August 23rd performance of Woke for a post-performance talkback featuring Rev. Duncan Teague, Rev. Jonathan Rogers, and playwright Avery Sharpe!

Unitarian Universalists have explicitly committed for over 20 years on a national level to the work of anti-racism. One of the ways Unitarian Universalists honor this commitment is when we heed the voices of non-male, non-white, disabled, poor, and queer leaders within and beyond our faith movement in answering the calls of love and justice.

WOKE by Avery Sharpe is a story that follows two young men who are best friends. Even though one is black and the other is white,

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Meet the Playwright: Courtney Earl

Courtney Earl wrote tonight’s Bare Essentials reading, Aposteriori. Read on to learn a little more about tonight’s playwright and play!

Hi Courtney! Can you tell us a little about yourself, both personally and professionally?
I got hooked on playwrighting in college when I entered Kennesaw State University’s “Ten Minute Play Festival.” I have been submitting my work to festivals at professional theatres ever since then. I graduated with a BA in Philosophy and a BA in theatre. I got the philosophy degree to improve my writing, and through the marriage of these two degrees I have tried to produce meaningful work.

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Suryana Cuisine + Essential Theatre July 27

This Friday,  July 27,  join Essential Theatre as we kick off opening weekend of the 20th Essential Theatre Play Festival right, with a special preshow reception provided by Suryana Cuisine.

Join us at 6:00 for a half-hour presentation and update about the Syrian Refugee Theatre Project we started this past spring thanks to a grant from Turner Voices, and use promo code TEN to stay and see the opening night performance of Built to Float for just $10! Enjoy great food and conversation; hear about this exciting new project Essential has under way;

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What’s Essential in July 2018?

The 2018 Essential Theatre Play Festival opens THIS MONTH!

The twentieth annual Essential Theatre Play Festival is almost here! Festival passes and individual tickets are now on sale. Get yours today!


Essential Artists Onstage

Are you an Essential artist? Would you like us to feature your work in our email newsletter? Let us know! Email [email protected] with details about projects you’d like us to share.

In Atlanta:

The latest scripted show at Dad’s Garage, Black Nerd opens Friday July 13 and runs through August 4.

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A Message for Mother’s Day, from Essential’s Artistic Director Peter Hardy: 

My mother, Martha Nell Hardy, was an actress, educator and producer, with a lifelong passion for the theatre. For twenty years now I’ve been producing the annual Essential Theatre Festival, and that’s one of the ways in which I’ve tried to honor her memory.

Last year the Martha Nell Hardy Memorial Fund was established by an anonymous donor, with a gift of $10,000, to honor my mother and to provide financial stability and resources to the Essential Festival, a project that she supported and deeply believed in.

If you have a love of theatre and believe in our mission to develop and produce new plays by Georgia writers,

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