(WASHINGTON)—The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces the 25th anniversary of the biennial workshop New Visions/New Voices from May 6 to May 8, 2016. Dedicated to the development of new plays and musicals for young people and their families, this innovative series pioneers a unique forum for the field of theater for young audiences (TYA).
New Visions/New Voices 2016 will present six new works by American playwrights, selected from theater companies based in Austin, TX; Costa Mesa, CA; Evanston, IL;Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis, MN; and Seattle, WA; selections from nine new works from India, Korea, and South Africa as part of the International Playwrights’ Intensive; and will markthe unveiling of the first-ever, newly published New Visions/New Voices: 25 years/25 plays (Dramatic Publishing).
Since its inception in 1991, New Visions/New Voices has assisted in the development of 96 new plays, musicals, and operas from 86 playwrights and 37 composers working with 57 U.S. and 10 international theater companies. This year’s conference will continue to expand opportunities for high-quality performance experiences for young people, facilitating the development of productions by a variety of world-class writing teams, directors, and organizations. “With a sense of adventure and purpose, New Visions/New Voices has forged ahead as the vanguard of the field. Scores of writers have been nurtured and challenged, extraordinary new plays have been created, and the lives of young people around the globe have been transformed by the ripple effects of this artistic journey,” according to Rives Collins, Associate Professor at Northwestern University. For the past 25 years, New Visions/New Voices has had a reputation for pushing boundaries and fostering the development of strong, creative, and innovative plays and playwrights that have greatly influenced the field of TYA. Peter Brosius, Artistic Director of Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, explains, “I came back so moved by what [New Visions/New Voices has] done for all of us and for the field and for thousands and thousands of kids.”While at the Kennedy Center, selected playwrights, directors, music directors, composers, and actors work collaboratively in a weeklong intensive workshop setting to develop their projects. After revisions, rewrites, and rehearsals of the new plays and musicals, the works are presented as rehearsed readings during a three-day conference for theater professionals, educators, and others interested in the field, which will include discussions, conversations, and other events facilitated by Daniel Renner, Director of Education for New York’s Theatre Development Fund. The Center provides housing, transportation, stage managers, dramaturgs, and Equity performers for each show. New Visions/New Voices 2016 features dramaturgical support by Ken Cerniglia and Faedra Chatard Carpenter. Additional participants will include Tony Award®- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (All the Way and The Kentucky Cycle, respectively), Tony Award®-winning regional theaters including Children’s Theatre Company and South Coast Repertory, leading TYA theaters in the industry, and Northwestern University.