The authors of Broadway’s Tuck Everlasting spin a romantic musical drama across the vast prairies of 19th century Nebraska in ‘Revival.’
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will present its 18th annual New Works Festival Aug. 9-18 at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.
It will feature staged readings of two musicals and three plays plus a keynote address and a panel of the writers and composers.
Past festivals helped to launch such successful shows as the Tony Award-winning “Memphis” and some off-Broadway musicals like “Marie and Rosetta,” which was part of TheatreWorks’ recent mainstage season.
Other popular shows at TheatreWorks include “Jane Austen’s Emma” and “The Four Immigrants.” “Pride and Prejudice” and “They Promised Her the Moon” will be seen in the current 50th season.
The festival will open at 8 p.m. Aug. 9 with the keynote address, “Storytelling: The Agony and the Ecstasy.” Amy Ayoub, founder of The Zen Speaker, will talk about how she risked everything when she chose to tell her story as a survivor of sex trafficking in hopes of saving other women.
The first musical, “Revival,” by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen, is based on a Willa Cather short story, “Eric Hermannson’s Soul.” It will be staged at 8 p.m. Aug. 10 and 14 and at noon Aug. 17. Miller and Tysen also created “Tuck Everlasting,” seen recently at TheatreWorks.
Up next is the other musical, “Iron John, An American Ghost Story” by Rebecca Hart and Jacinth Greywoode. Described as a legacy of racism buried but not forgotten, it is slated for 7 p.m. Aug. 11, 8 p.m. Aug. 15 and 7 p.m. Aug. 18.
The first play is “Nan and the Lower Body (The Pap Smear Play) by Jessica Dickey. In this feminist play, Dr. Pap has mysteries to unravel and an assistant with secrets to hide. It will be seen at 3 p.m. Aug. 11 and 8 p.m. Aug. 17.
A farce, “The Imperialists” by Lynn Rosen, revolves around old school versus new wave in a quest for royalty and relevance. Performances are 8 p.m. Aug. 13 and 4 p.m. Aug. 17.
Rounding out the new works will be “Father/Daughter” by Kait Kerrigan at 8 p.m. Aug. 16 and 3 p.m. Aug. 18. In this play about lovers, fathers, daughters and the fragile bonds between them, two actors play different generations in the same family.
Theatergoers will have a chance to meet the festival artists at noon Aug. 18. For tickets and more information call (650) 463-1960 or visit theatreworks.org.
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