TheatreSquared’s Arkansas New Play Festival kicks off June 16

Courtesy photo


What: Arkansas New Play Festival
When: June 16-25
Where: TheatreSquared in Fayetteville and
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville
Cost: $50 for an all-access pass; $5-15 for individual performances
Tickets: 479-443-5600 or arknewplayfest.com

2017 ANPF Schedule

Friday, June 16
5:30 p.m. – Visible from Four States (Crystal Bridges)
7:30 p.m. – Transatlantic (Crystal Bridges)

Saturday, June 17
2 p.m. – The Furies (Crystal Bridges)
4:30 p.m. – Comet Town (Crystal Bridges)

Sunday, June 18
2 p.m. – Young Playwrights Showcase (TheatreSquared at Nadine Baum Studios) Featuring Follow Me@Tio Sam
4:30 p.m. – (I)sland T(rap) (TheatreSquared at Nadine Baum Studios)

Thursday, June 22
7:30 p.m. – Transatlantic (TheatreSquared)

Friday, June 23
6:30 p.m. – Company & Passholders Reception (TheatreSquared)
7:30 p.m. – Transatlantic (TheatreSquared)

Saturday, June 24
1 p.m. – The Dramatist LIVE (TheatreSquared)
3:30 p.m. – We Swim, We Talk, We Go to War (TheatreSquared)
7:30 p.m. – Comet Town (TheatreSquared)

Sunday, June 25
2 p.m. – The Furies (TheatreSquared)
4:30 p.m. – Visible from Four States (TheatreSquared)

Some of the most promising new plays in the country will make their debut right here in Fayetteville this month.

The plays will be performed as part of TheatreSquared’s annual New Play Festival, taking place over the next two weekends in Fayetteville at Nadine Baum Studios and Crystal Bridges Museum of Modern art in Bentonville.

This year’s lineup includes The Furies, by Pulitzer Prize finalist Lisa D’Amour; Comet Town, by Rick Ehrstin; Visible from Four States, by Barbara Hammond; We Swim, We Talk, We Go to War, by Mona Mansour; and Transatlantic, by John Walch.

In addition, the festival includes a Young Playwrights Showcase featuring 10-minute shows developed by students, as well as a special performance of a show titled Follow Me @Tio Sam by the NWA Latin/x Youth Theatre Project, and a one-man “rap Odyssey” called (I)sland T(rap) by Austin Ashford.

“This 50-artist, two-weekend festival is our region’s rare opportunity to see—and shape—the next great American play,” said T2 Executive Director Martin Miller. “With fifteen performances and events in Fayetteville and Bentonville, the Festival is an embarrassment of riches for theatre lovers and a chance for every community member to have a glimpse of a usually closed-loop creative process.”

The festival has grown to include more than just plays. This year, editors and staff from the Dramatists Guild will be on hand to create a live “publication” of their monthly magazing, The Dramatist.

The second week of performances will also include a celebration of local craft beer.

A documentary film crew from the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, will also attend the festival.

Performances are scheduled between June 16-25 (see the full schedule in the right-hand column of this post).

All-access, two weekend passes are $50, and single tickets to individual events range from $5-15.

For more information, including details about this year’s plays, visit theatre2.org.