For the past 10 years on Labor Day weekend, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been alive with free theater as host of the Page-to-Stage New Play Festival. The shows that are presented are tremendously varied: musicals, dramas, comedies and children’s theater. They are all readings or rehearsals. They represent work that is being developed by local, regional and national playwrights, composers and librettists. But what really connects these performances is that they are all new.
Gregg Henry, curator of the festival, explains how the elements are chosen. “We rely on the companies themselves to choose what they are going to present,” he explained.
| ONSTAGE |
| Page-to-Stage New Play Festival |
| » Where: Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW |
| » When: Saturday through Monday |
| » Info: Free; first-come, first-served seating; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org |
“We have some oversight in those situations where children are in attendance. Beyond that, we rely on the theaters to bring the work that they are interested in showcasing.”
This year more than 40 theaters from the Washington region will be participating. “I’m always on the lookout for companies that are generating a buzz,” said Henry, “whether it be through the Fringe Festival or a company that crops up from as far away as Baltimore.
“We invite them to participate. We’ve got some die-hard participants that started out young and fresh a few years ago, and now they’re a mainstay of the festival.”
One play at this year’s festival is “Best Men” by Mario Baldessari and Chris Stezin. It’s about friends who lose touch with each other for 20 years. “The play is really about coming back together under unexpected circumstances,” said Baldessari. “What’s interesting is that the characters realize that they didn’t know each other very well back then.”
“We don’t give it a specific setting,” added Stezin. “It’s Anywhere, USA. It’s about coming to terms with the past, present and future.”
One unique element of this collaboration is the way the authors write. “We communicate electronically,” said Stezin. “Every once in a while Mario will get in touch with me with an idea. He’ll send me a scene and I’ll send it back and we keep going until we have a play.”
“We’re very different writers,” added Baldessari. “I overwrite his draft and he overwrites mine. In the end we’re always very happy with how it comes out.”
It may seem risky to stage a festival made up of new works on a long weekend when many people are out of town. But it keeps working. “It shows the support of the community for new work,” said Henry. “There’s a myth out there that people are frightened of new work, but we have thousands of people who come through here that weekend. That proves that something healthy is going on.”
