Summer Playwrights Festival 17

“Being a part of the Summer Playwrights Festival was a life-changing experience for me as a playwright. As a result of one of my plays being selected for the festival, members from the company and the artistic board were able to see my work and champion it, ultimately leading it to be selected for a full production at The Road Theatre Company. Many theatre companies pride themselves on the development of new work, but very few actually have a proven track record of developing new work that they subsequently program and produce. The trajectory that my play has had since being a part of the Summer Playwrights Festival is a testament to the power of The Road Theatre Company and the value that this festival has.”

Robert Axelrod, Playwright Lifeline

“As a playwright, I’ve participated in SPF five times. Every time has been a terrific experience because of the talented collaborators who graciously give of their craft and their expertise to work on my scripts. Each of those plays have gone on to production, including The Totality of All Things that was produced at The ROAD, and the insight I gained at SPF aided me along the way in revisions. Having a test audience to try out a work-in-progress script, and then to receive feedback, is an invaluable part of the development process. I’m grateful to The ROAD Theatre Company and SPF for their support of me and my work.”

Erik Gernand, Playwright The Totality of All Things, Prayer Circle

“Good morning,
Sending each of you a gigantic enormous humongous googleatious bow of gratitude for you hard work and inclusion of me in, not only your theater, but the SPF. You created a remarkable home complete with a safe atmosphere and an abundance of resources – both tangible and emotional – for all that you welcome in. It is something I have never seen or taken part of at this level.  I know time moves fast and there are a lot of moments that pass me by that I do not stop, take a good gander at my surroundings and embrace those around me… so…
THANK YOU!
truly”

Brian Ramian

“I have no words to thank you all for the opportunity to revisit my play on the West Coast. It was a sensational experience. The Tank was my theater home in NYC and now I’ve found in the Road, my theater home in my new home, LA. Please count on me as an ally.  Congratulations on SPF 16!”

Rodrigo Nogueira

“Thank you so much for including me and my play in the festival. It was one of the most exciting days of my professional career! Sam, and the actors, and everyone at The Road were so thoughtful and supportive. I’ll treasure the memory for a long time.”

Juliet Izon

“Hiya Barbara et al
It was an honor to participate live in my first SPF (even having read plays for the festival in years past).
Thank you for being such a great company.”

Erika Marina Nadir

“You guys! You were all so great!! I had to skip out after the last play because I had a freakin’ 4 am school visit by Zoom in Ireland! That was a bit ambitious and not sure I want to do that again!!

Anyway, Yaz, I know you agree that seeing how Hilary and Emily and Liz brought your script to life was beyond awesome! You got so many laughs and the audience just stayed in the pocket with The Long Road for the entire reading. And to you 3 talented actors….I learned so much seeing how you all built your characters, beat by beat, until “race day” when you gave it your all.  I so so SO enjoyed being a part of it and seeing
the magic sauce you all applied during the actual performance.  And so I thank you.  And a giant thank you to Barbara and Devin and Harvey and Darryl for pulling off quite a high write act.  I am deeply grateful I got to ride on your collective coattails!”

Big hug to you all.
Warmly,
Cathleen

“Yes! I heard many great things and also how they were affected by the mom character. Well done all of you! Forever grateful to have had such a wonderful team for my play’s first ever public reading.”

Thank you,
Yaz Canli

“Being a part of this year’s SPF was a dream come true! The festival gave me the chance to hear my words read aloud by a team of brilliant actors with such thoughtful, intentional direction. The reading was a springboard to continue revising my one act play and develop it into a full length project. That exploration is so vital for a writer and their project and was fostered by the experience The Road created and invited me into. I am so grateful!

This is Andre. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you again for the opportunity to direct Blind Crest. It was such a meaningful experience. The cast poured so much into the work, and the feedback we received was truly moving. I think the story resonated deeply with audiences and it felt special to be part of that. Monae and I spoke earlier, and she’s really excited about the idea of continuing to develop the piece. We were wondering if there might be any interest in exploring a workshop at The Road, or even just starting a conversation about how the play might continue to grow over time. I’d love to hear your thoughts whenever you have a moment. I’m happy to connect by email or chat in person. Grateful again for the trust and the space to help bring this story to life.”

Warmly,
Andre G. Brown MFA, MA