And yet another new opening for Essential Theatre playwright Lauren Gunderson: SILENT SKY at South Coast Repertory in California:

“She stared at the heavens, and what she saw there changed the course of astronomy. But when Henrietta Leavitt arrives at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or even express an idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for an astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for Henrietta’s probing theories. But as she measures the light of distant stars,

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Essential Theatre playwright Karla Jennings (we produced the World Premiere of her play IMAGES IN SMOKE in 2000) has a new play that will be opening up Northern Kentucky University’s Y.E.S. Festival on April 7. MONSTROUS BEAUTY is about the Teutonic drama queen and saint of Nazi kitsch, Leni Riefenstahl, one of the scariest artists of our time, who surged from dancer to Third Reich Uberfrauline to prisoner to American cultural icon. Co-starring Marlene Dietrich as the good twin, the play explores the labyrinth of personal morality and America’s disturbing embrace of an exceptionally disturbing artist.
Congratulations to Karla!

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For information on 2011 Essential Theatre Festival, check out www.EssentialTheatre.com. For questions regarding internship and employment opportunities, contact production manager Jennifer Brown at [email protected].

Internships

Internships for all positions are now available for Essential Theatre’s 2011 New Play Festival! Opportunities are available in marketing, fundraising, all areas of design production, and running crew. Customizable internships are also available upon request. Contact production manager Jennifer Brown at [email protected]. Please send a resume if you have one, and indicate your area of interest. Please also list your general availability between May and July,

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Access Atlanta has an article on Decatur-born playwright Lauren Gunderson, whose new play “Exit, Pursued By A Bear” is currently being produced by Synchronicity. Lauren’s a two-time winner of the Essential Theatre Playwriting Award. http://bit.ly/hPHGFF

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Date: Saturday, March 19, from Noon to 3 p.m.

Location: 1083 Austin Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307 The Juggler’s Room in the Little Five Points Community Center (the building that Horizon Theatre is located in). It’s on the top floor, the first door on your right as you come to the top of the stairs.

Director: Betty Hart

Script: www.EssentialTheatre.com/2011_scripts.htm

“A Thousand Circlets” will be one of three productions running in repertory in the 2011 Essential Theatre Play Festival, which will run from June 30 – July 31 at Actor’s Express.

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The Essential Theatre says BREAK A LEG! to the cast, crew (and author!) of Synchronicity Performance Group’s World Premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s revenge comedy, “Exit, Pursued By A Bear”. Opening this Friday (March 4) in the Backstage Theatre at 7 Stages.

Lauren was the first-ever winner of the Essential Theatre Playwriting Award, back in 2001, for “Parts They Call Deep”, a play that she wrote when she was just 17. She later went on to win another award from us, for her science-drama “Background”, and she’s been having a wonderful career ever since, getting commissions and productions all around the country.

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THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE will hold General Auditions for the 2011 Essential Theatre Play Festival.
Three full-length plays in repertory:

• A SLEEPING COUNTRY by Melanie Marnich
  Directed by Peter Hardy

• GREAT FALLS by Lee Blessing
  Directed by Ellen McQueen

• A THOUSAND CIRCLETS by Theroun D’Arcy Patterson
  Directed by Betty Hart

To view scripts, go to: www.EssentialTheatre.com/2011_scripts.htm
Festival runs June 30 – July 31 at Actor’s Express
Date/Time: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 13
Location: The Juggler’s Room in the Little Five Points Community Center (the building that Horizon Theatre is located in).

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Tony Award winner Judith Ivey directs the 2010 Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition winner, Carapace, in performances now on the Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre. Carapace was written by 29 year old David Mitchell Robinson and depicts a portrait of Jeff, a flawed man on a collision course with fate.

Save $5 on tickets with promo code CARAPACE5 at www.alliancetheatre.org or by calling the box office at (404) 733-5000. Carapace runs through March 6th so get your tickets today!

“The Essential Theatre recommends CARAPACE, a strong new American play by David Mitchell Robinson, beautifully produced by the Alliance Theatre with an all-Atlanta cast.”

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Essenitial Theatre seeks an individual to research grants and write grant proposals for the organization. The writer would be expected to find viable grant opportunities from all sources, including but not limited to foundations; federal, state and city grants; other private charitable and philanthropic organizations. The writer would create and submit proposals and to all charitable opportunities.

Essential Theatre is very proud of its reputation for presenting high quality productions of new works including a world premiere by a Georgia Playwright. We are a 501c3 non-profit benefiting from the talents of a diverse group of participants and catering to a an equally diverse audience.

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