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New Play’s Spotlight Will Shine on Pussy Riot and Protest Punk Rock

Because nothing says Russian protest punk rock like a Washington wine-and-cheese reception, the folks who run the Contemporary American Theater Festival held a small party last week to present excerpts from a new play called WE ARE PUSSY RIOT.

The docudrama, about the celebrity Russian dissidents/punk rockers, will get top billing this summer when CATF presents five new American plays during its annual four-week festival at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va.  The CATF invited playwright Barbara Hammond (pictured above with Ed Herendeen, artistic director of the Contemporary American Theater Festival) to come down from her writing outpost on Cape Cod, Mass., to read excerpts from WE ARE PUSSY RIOT.

WE ARE PUSSY RIOT is the result of a $10,000 commission granted to Hammond by CATF, which then received a $15,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant to support the project.

Read the full article from the Washington Post HERE.

Anne Garcia-Romero’s MARY PEABODY IN CUBA a Semi Finalist at Carnaval

The Latina/o Theatre Commons (LTC), in collaboration with Emerson College’s HowlRound, a commons by and for people who make performance, announces the 2015 Carnaval of New Latina/o Work (Carnaval 2015)  showcasing twelve new works by Latina/o playwrights from across the U.S., July 23-25, 2015 in Chicago.

Anne Garcia-Romero‘s MARY PEABODY IN CUBA was a semi-finalist!  Ms. Garcia-Romero is also on the Steering Committee for the Carnaval.

Join Ms. Garcia-Romero and the rest of the finalists and committee members in July for this fantastic celebration!

For more information on the Carnaval, click here.

Anne Garcia-Romero’s PALOMA at the Los Angeles Theatre Center from May 28-June 21

Make sure to get your tickets now!

PALOMA, written by Anne Garcia-Romero will be staged at The Los Angeles Theatre Center (514 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013).  The play follows NYU students Ibrahim and Paloma, who study an ancient Muslim treatise on the art and practice of love, and they debate the complexities of romantic relationships while falling into one. When tragedy strikes this interfaith romance, it tests the limits of love in a post-9/11 world and Ibrahim must seek the help of his friend Jared, a young Jewish attorney, to clear his name.

For more information on tickets and the production, click here.

Neil Berg and the Rockin’ Roots of ‘The 12’

Neil Berg. Photo by John Moore.

Composer and co-lyricist Neil Berg traces his interest in musicals to an unlikely origin: seeing Annie on Broadway as a boy. “While everyone else loved ‘Tomorrow,’ ” he remembers, “I loved ‘Maybe,’ her ‘I Want’ song.” In an “I Want” song, the protagonist expresses her dreams (e.g. “Annie wants parents”). It’s telling that the budding composer was interested in the song that sets the entire play in motion. Prologue spoke with Neil during rehearsals for THE 12, the rock musical he created with book writer/co-lyricist Robert Schenkkan.

“From the time I could play the piano, around 9 or 10 [I was writing musicals]. I was the youngest of three and rock ‘n roll was what I grew up listening to. From my brother I got The Beatles and Led Zeppelin and classic rock. My sister was into folk — Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Peter, Paul and Mary. And my mother and father were into classical, jazz and opera. Being the youngest, it all trickled down. When I came into my own, I was into the classic rock movement. My favorite albums were all those rock operas — The Who’s ‘Quadrophenia’ and Genesis’ ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,’ but my very favorite was probably Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall.'”- Neil Berg

To read the full interview by Douglas Langworthy and to see clips of the Denver production of THE 12, click here.