Julia Fracassi can’t get to sleep. Her insomnia has ruined the relationship with her boyfriend and has made her miserable. With guidance from her friend Dr. Midge, she embarks on a hilarious journey to Venice to find answers. Come along for the journey. Learn More.

Dr. Midge’s recommendations are anything but orthodox. So, we’d like to ask for your help. Please post comments with your suggestions. Dr. Midge will consider all your suggestions and offer two free tickets to any Essential Theatre Festival performance for the best advice. We need your advice prior to July 4th, so we can help Julia get a good night’s sleep.

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One of the more disconcerting recent developments on the Atlanta theater scene is Theroun Patterson’s decision to stop acting, at the relatively prime age of 37. Read More

Video Interview with Essenial Theatre 2011 Playwriting Award Winner, Theroun D’Arcy Patterson

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June 13

“CITATIONS” by Josh Harmon
Directed by Barbara Hawkins-Scott
A famous and successful historian is accused of plagiarism, and all those close to her rally to her defense – except for her teenage son.  By the author of “Bad Jews”, Playwright In Residence at Actor’s Express.

July 20
“A PAIN IN THE NECK” by Rachel Teagle
Directed by Dina Shadwell
Mina thinks her girlfriend might be cheating on her — with a man, which would be bad enough, but he could also be a vampire, which would really suck.  (Sorry.)  This dark comedy was a finalist in the 2011 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award competition.

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Buy your Essential Theatre Flex Pass and Save Even More
Get a Flex Pass between now and June 15th and in addition to the savings up to 50%, we will pay for gas. Enter the code “GAS” when you purchase your Flex Pass and you save $5.

Flex Pass FAQ

How does the Flex Pass work?
When you purchase a three, six or ten ticket Flex Pass, you can use those tickets however you wish. You can bring a big party on one night or divide your tickets across multiple performances.

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CITATIONS by Joshua Elias Harmon, Actors Express Playwright in Residence, reading directed by Barbara Hawkins-Scott
Essential Theatre @ Actors Express, Monday June 13, 7:30pm 

Cooper’s senior year of high school turns chaotic when his mother, a major American historian, is accused of plagiarism. A play about academic honesty, Hamlet, and growing up.

Joshua Elias Harmon (Playwright) His plays include A Boy Named Alice, Bad Jews, Citations, Love in the Time of Channukah, Princess Bubonic, and a new adaptation of Emile Zola’s novel Therese Raquin. His work has been produced and developed by Ars Nova, Hangar Theatre,

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Great Pizza, Great Theatre, It’s What’s Essential. 

 
Print this coupon and take it to DaVinci’s Pizzeria and  20% of your tab will be donated to support this year’s Essential Theatre Festival. 

The term Pizzaiolo originated in Old World Italy.  In the old villages, there were many places to find pizza in the markets.  But every village had one that stood out in a unique way, and generally, the person driving that shop was referred to a Pizzaiolo.  Each Pizzaiolo was considered to be a master pie maker.
     

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Atlanta playwright Gabriel Jason Dean, winner of the 2010 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award for his play QUALITIES OF STARLIGHT, has won the 2011 Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship, given out each year as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for the body of work of a student playwright. QUALITIES OF STARLIGHT was one of the plays he was honored for. The Essential Theatre congratulates Gabriel for another step in what’s sure to be a great career!

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“Assume nothing. Notice everything. Make something… happen.” Playwright of Night Blooms, Margaret Baldwin, shares her creative process while dealing with questions about race, identity and human rights.”

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April 23 (Shakespeare’s Birthday) was the submission deadline for the 2012 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award competition.  This will be the tenth year for this annual contest – the only one of its kind, exclusively dedicated to the work of Georgia playwrights.  The winning play has always received a cash prize (which started out at $300, and has now gone up to $600) and a full production as part of the Essential Theatre’s annual Festival of World Premieres and Regional Premieres, plays that have never been seen in Georgia before.  We’re proud of our long tradition of supporting, developing and producing the work of Georgia writers.

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When I first started reading Melanie Marnich’s A SLEEPING COUNTRY, I knew that we were looking for a comedy to help round out the 2011 Essential Theatre Play Festival – or, at least, something lighter than the two fairly heavy dramas we had already decided to do (Lee Blessing’s GREAT FALLS and Theroun D’Arcy Patterson’s A THOUSAND CIRCLETS).  Right from the start I was pleased with how funny A For the past thirteen years, we’ve been choosing plays to present in the Essential Theatre’s annual three-show Festival.  All we do are World Premieres and Regional Premieres, bringing Atlanta what’s new. 

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