2021 Modern Works Festival
A virtual theatre festival presented by Summer Dawn Wallace. Made possible in part by Co-Producers Nanette Crist and Deb Shoss & Libbie Sherman.
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April 14 -18, 2021
​A playwriting contest, virtual reading festival and celebration of women in theatre. Of more than 300 scripts submitted, we've chosen three finalists to workshop and give staged readings with professional directors and actors. See all three virtual readings, and you'll qualify to vote for the festival-winning playwright, who will take home a $3000 honorarium.
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The 2021 Modern Works Festival is
100% virtual.
Stream the performances from home, and join the playwrights for talkbacks on zoom.
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2021 Modern Works Festival Finalists
Nick & the Prizefighter by Kamilah Bush
This is a Mortality Play Set in an Office Depot by Haley Nelson
A Skeptic and a Bruja by Rosa Fernandez
MEET THE ARTIST SERIES DISCUSSIONS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
FESTIVAL CALENDAR
All times Eastern (ET)
Wednesday, April 14th
6pm: Kick-Off Party
Thursday, April 15th
2pm: Meet the Artist Series: Playwright Jennifer Fawcett (Apples in Winter)
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4pm: Meet the Artist Series: Lindsay Jenkins & Meredith Bartmon - Festival Dramaturgs
6pm: FINALIST #1: Nick and the Prizefighter by Kamilah Bush
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8pm: TALKBACK: Nick and the Prizefighter
Friday, April 16th
2pm: Meet the Artist Series: Playwright Elizabeth Heffron (Bo-Nita)
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4pm: Meet the Artist Series: Festival Directors
6pm: FINALIST #2: This is a Mortality Play Set in an Office Depot by Haley Nelson
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8pm: TALKBACK: This is a Mortality Play Set in an Office Depot
Saturday, April 17th
2pm: Meet the Artist Series: Playwright Anna Jordan (Chicken Shop, Freak)
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4pm: Meet the Artist Series: Playwrights Nia Akilah Robinson & Mercedes White - Urbanite Commissions
6pm: FINALIST #3: A Skeptic and a Bruja by Rosa Fernandez
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8pm: TALKBACK: A Skeptic and a Bruja
Sunday, April 18th
MEET THE ARTIST SERIES DISCUSSIONS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Please note: If you can't make the performance times listed, you can still catch the play readings!
The performances will be recorded and available to stream April 14-18th. But, you must purchase your ticket before the performance times listed above.
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ABOUT THE PLAYS
Finalist #1: Nick & the Prizefighter
by Kamila Bush
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Selah Thompson is the caregiver for her famous playwright father, Forest Thompson. Nick Beerman, a young writer and dramaturg is tasked with helping Forest complete his life's work before the clock runs out. Selah must fight for control of her father's work, his legacy and find her own rhythm as she prepares to face the world without him.
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Finalist #2: This is a Mortality Play Set in an Office Depot
by Haley Nelson
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Parallel universes are real, and Office Depot exists in all of them. In this absurdist comedy about millennials on the brink of everything, playwright Haley Nelson navigates the ugliest parts of adulthood with youthful joy and complex tenderness.
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Finalist #3: A Skeptic and a Bruja
by Rosa Hernandez
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When Sam and Jess shoot the latest ghost-hunting episode of their paranormal investigation show "A Skeptic and a Bruja," they encounter a haunted reality they aren't prepared for.
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