More than 40 theater groups will perform free readings, rehearsals of new shows The eighth annual Page-To-Stage New Play Festival is about to take over the Kennedy Center — from small atrium foyers to the 500-seat Terrace Theater. From Sept. 5-7, many spaces will be filled with free readings and rehearsals of musicals, dramas, comedies and children’s theater. The only connecting link is that they are all new.
“Throughout the year we hear about who’s working on what play,” said Gregg Henry, who has been the festival’s director since it began. “The main thing is that the Kennedy Center doesn’t control the content of the festival. We don’t choose the plays or do auditions.
“We send out invitations to companies in the metro area and Baltimore who have an interest in new writing and who care about the next voice in the American theater. We say, ‘Come on over’ and showcase your work. We’re always interested in groups who show determination and enthusiasm for new writing and we want to give them a place in the festival. Every year it’s fun to put some different names on the list.”
It’s not possible to see everything in the festival, since events are going on in multiple locations at the same time, from 2 to 10 p.m.
“People have to make choices,” said Henry. “When we started this, we decided that audiences could vote with their feet. If you’re not being engaged by the reading, you can go to something else.
“In most cases, groups do entire, full-length pieces although sometimes they like to highlight significant portions of the plays. What we hope is that this process is also useful to the companies, that they’re letting this be the culmination of a development period.”
Except for the musical events, which have full accompaniment, most readings have only music stands, scripts and chairs, no costumes or sets. “This is really about showcasing the writing,” said Henry, “but there’s often that moment when you see some terrific actors and you realize how wonderful the play would be in a full production.”
Henry is heartened by the fact that more than 40 theater groups are participating this year, in spite of economic hard times.
“We had our fingers crossed,” he said. “Think of the sheer indomitability of the Washington, D.C., companies who are being faced with such financial stress this year. We were worried that we might lose people who had been long-time regulars. But no, if anything it’s a richer festival this year. Those companies have said, ‘We’re going to come, look at us, this is the work we do.’ There’s something very moving about it.”
Tickets are not required. General admission seating is available 30 minutes before each event. Visit kennedy-center.org for details.
