Essential Theatre owes a lot to one very special mother: Martha Nell Hardy, the mother of our founder and artistic director, Peter Hardy. Though she passed away in 2005, she still has a tremendous presence. For those of you who never met Martha Nell, here are some of Peter’s reflections on her life and her influence on Peter and Essential:

I was blessed to have remarkable people for my parents – Bill and Martha Nell Hardy. Two great people of theatre , winners of numerous awards and honors.  I’ll be lucky to achieve a quarter of what they did. 

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Piano player needed for the play The Old Ship of Zion, premiering this summer at the West End Performing Arts Center from July 24-August 21 (14 performances in all). We need someone familiar with gospel and church music and available to record rehearsal tracks for the cast as well as attend rehearsals the week before the July 24 opening night. All rehearsals are evenings and weekends. $200 stipend. Please contact Peter Hardy if interested.

To see more summer employment opportunities with Essential, click here.

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The latest from Paris Crayton III’s Rising Sage Theatre, Crazyanity opens May 7 at the West End Performing Arts Center — and includes, among others, a familiar face from Essential’s stage: Kenneth Camp II, from our 2010 production of Darker Face of the Earth by former poet laureate Rita Dove.

Named one of the 30 Under 30 by ArtsATL in 2013,  in addition to running his own theatre company and being a prolific playwright and performer in his own right, Crayton is active with Working Title Playwrights and also joined Essential and West End Arts Center as the drama instructor for WEAC’s summer camp last year.

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We’ve got terrific casts for both our shows this year, and we are very happy to welcome the acclaimed Shannon Eubanks to our directing team as well! We’re still looking for a few good company members, if you’re a stage manager or piano player and are interested in joining our team this summer. Check out this great lineup of artists you’ll get to work with!

Old Ship of Zion, written by Natalia Naman

directed by Peter Hardy, Elin Rose Hill asst director
cast: James G. Smith, Jimmica Collins, Sharan Mansfield, Lydia Frempong,

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There’s no doubt that getting your play produced is one of the most challenging tasks of a playwright, and we at Essential are proud of our role as facilitators in this pivotal part of the development process for Georgia playwrights.

But there’s a lot that goes into developing a play before it gets its first production. Atlanta boasts a diverse but supportive network of individuals and organizations that offer opportunities for readings and play development, and our Bare Essentials play reading series is part of that tapestry. Traditionally taking place on “dark” nights during our festival, in 2015 Bare Essentials is breaking free of the festival and taking place year-round.

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CANCELLED:
Essential Theatre Celebrates Fun, Food & the Afterlife
Sunday May 17 @ 5 pm

Heaven or Hell? Will you inhabit the afterlife as an artificial intelligence crafted by culling your social media posts? Join Essential Theatre 2015 Playwriting Award Winner, Joshua Mikel for an evening of fun, food and a discussion of the afterlife. His play, Lillian Likes It, and the BBC hit show Black Mirror, “Be Right Back” question whether it’s possible to have a meaningful relationship with a cyber-re-creation of a deceased love one.

Wine will be served during the video “Be Right Back”,

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Join us Sunday afternoon,  April 19 at Atlanta StreetsAlive: West End!

Sign up here to volunteer, or just to get more information about what we’ll be up to and where we’ll be so you can come by and say hello while you’re there! There will be face painting, activities and information about our playwriting contest (deadline: April 23) and this summer’s festival, and more!

For more information about Atlanta StreetsAlive, read here.

We hope we’ll see you on the 19th!

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-by Artistic Director Peter Hardy

Some years ago, Phillip DePoy provided music for one of the early Essential Festival shows, and here’s the program bio I composed for him:  “Phillip DePoy is a celebrated man of letters, notorious for far too many things to go into here.”

Phillip’s a musician, playwright, author, director … and an old friend, who’s worked with most of the theaters in Atlanta at one time or another.  (And his lovely wife, Lee Nowell, directed five productions for the Essential Festival, including a play by the then 18-year-old Lauren Gunderson).

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The Essential Theatre is accepting headshots and resumes for non-Union performers interested in auditioning for a role in our upcoming production of THE OLD SHIP OF ZION by Natalia Naman, a play about the members of an African-American church adapting to changing times..   The character is Darryl, the choir director for the church.  African-American, ideally in the 30-40 age range, but we’d consider someone outside of that.  Flamboyant — everyone knows he’s gay, but they don’t talk about.  IDEALLY WE’D LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE FOR THIS ROLE WHO PLAYS THE PIANO WELL.  The production will be part of the 2015 Essential Theatre Play Festival,

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We are now accepting headshots and resumes for non-Union performers interested in auditioning for a role in our upcoming production of THE OLD SHIP OF ZION by Natalia Naman, a play about the members of an African-American church adapting to changing times.  The character is Quincy, a college-age African-American who is an enthusiastic member of his chuch but is beginning to question his sexuality.  The production will be part of the 2015 Essential Theatre Play Festival, running from July 24-August 23 at the West End Performing Arts Center in Atlanta.  We’re hoping to read people for this role on April 12 and 13,

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