News!
Claire Wittman M.F.A. ’21 is starting off 2023 with some exciting news: Her play Pride and Prejudice has been published by YouthPLAYS, which publishes plays and musicals by new and established voices from all over the world for schools, colleges, youth theatres, community theatres and professional theatres for young audiences.
Sean McCord, who is pursuing his M.F.A. in the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University, and Sarah Cosgrove-Gaumond, who completed her graduate degree in playwriting at Hollins this year, have been honored with invitations for summer 2022 to the Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive.
Works by three student playwrights from the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University have been chosen for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region IV Festival, which will be held online February 1 – 6.
A drama written by a Playwright’s Lab student is getting its United Kingdom debut at an independent arts, community, and cultural festival. A filmed performance of Kristin Lundberg’s Muse is featured as part of the 2021 Ludlow Fringe Festival and will be streamed from June 24 through July 18.
Breana C. Venablé M.F.A. ’18 focuses on telling authentic stories of the black experience in America and racial injustices that affect her community. Her 10-minute play Sell Out was last seen in the 2019 Fade To Black Play Festival in Houston, TX. Her play Secrets At Ashley Manor was featured in the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC in July 2019. Her latest play, The Abundance of the Heart, had its Off Off Broadway premiere in NYC. She is a 2021 recipient of the Arts & Science Council Artist Support Grant to begin research and development on a feature film.
Samantha Macher M.F.A. ’12 won the Gold Award for Best Writer for the film, To the New Girl, based on the critically acclaimed play of the same name that she wrote in 2010. The film, which was made by an all-woman cast and creative team, also won a Gold Award for Best Feature – First Time Filmmaker for directors Aurora J. Culver, Ambika Leigh, and Adriana Gonzalez-Vega, a Silver Award for Best Actress (Skyler Vallo), and an Honorable Mention for Best Editing (Hillary Wills).
The Hills by Meredith Dayna Levy ’12, M.F.A. ’18 was a finalist for the 2020 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. She was one of 63 finalists selected from the 1,500+ submitted plays.
Kristin Lundberg, who is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in playwriting with a concentration in new play directing at the Hollins Playwright’s Lab, has been named the winner of the 2020-21 William E. Wilson Scholarship by The Southeastern Theatre Conference. Lundberg’s plays have been produced and performed in New York City, London, Connecticut, Virginia, and the Carolinas.
The works of two Hollins playwrights were recently showcased at an event that champions gender parity, diversity, and inclusion in the American theatre. She Made Space, written and performed by Meredith Cope-Levy ’12, M.F.A. ’18, and And Then the Moon Swallowed the Sky by Rachel Nelson ’07 were featured at the 2019 Women’s Theatre Festival (WTF), held July 12 – 14 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The WTF stages productions and readings that are written and directed by women and feature casts and crews that are at least 50 percent women.
“National Theatre Powerhouse” – The Roanoke Times
Hollins Playwright wins National Kennedy Center Award
Sean Michael McCord, a student in the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University, has received the Kennedy Center’s National Partners of the American Theatre Playwriting (NPATP) Award for his full-length play, Moving.
Hollins Playwrights have been published by the following:
Applause
BJU Press
Bloomsbury
Brooklyn Publishers
Freshwater Press
Great Plains Theatre Conference Press
HowlRound
Independent Play(w)rights
Intellect Press (distributed by Chicago University Press)
LA Stage Times
Metropolitan Community College Press
My School Rocks! Magazine
Off the Wall Plays
Original Works Publishing
Next Stage Press
Plays to Order
Playscripts
Polychron Press
Punk Monkey Productions
Rain City Projects
Samuel French
Smith & Kraus
Southern Theatre Magazine
Stage Rights
Theatrefolk
Youthplays
Hollins Playwrights have been produced in the following countries:
Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, England, Japan, Ireland, Germany, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and the United States
Including some of the following theatres and/or festivals:
5th Wall Productions
7Stages
11th Hour Theatre Group (Greenville)
72nd Street Lab, NY
Acadiana Repertory Theatre (Louisiana)
Actor’s Workout Studio
Alconbury Airforce Base (England)
Alliance Theatre (Atlanta)
American International School in Guangzhou, China
Annex Theatre (Seattle)
Artists’ Exchange
ArtsView Children’s Theatre (Longview TX)
Asphalt Jungle Shorts (Kitchner, Ontario, Canada)
Astoria Performing Arts Center
Baby D Productions (Omaha)
Bailout Theater at Judson Memorial Church, NYC
Bible Truth Music
Bishop Arts Theatre Center (Dallas)
Black Theatre Ensemble of Virginia
Bobcat Players Community Theatre
Bowie State University
Bryn Athyn Community Theatre
Calgary Creative City Collaboration
Calgary international Fringe Festival
Capital Fringe Festival (DC)
Caribbean Association For Females in Entertainment (Cafe’)
Centre for Creative Practices (Dublin)
Chandler Cultural Center
Charlottesville Playwrights Collective, Charlottesville, VA
Charter Theatre (DC)
Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Coastal Empire New Play Festival
Confetti Stage (Albany)
Cortland Repertory
Creative Drama Children’s Theater
DC Black Theatre Festival
Dance Theatre of Lynchburg
Dover Little Theater
Downtown Urban Theatre Festival, NYC
Duplex Cabaret Theatre
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Emerald City Theatre (Chicago)
Epic Center Theatre (Kalamazoo)
Ericson Theatre (Seattle)
First Run Theatre (St. Louis)
Florissant Valley Community College (St. Louis)
Found Stages
Four County Players (Barboursville, VA)
Freshwater Theatre (Minneapolis)
Fridge Door Live Theatre Company (ON, Canada)
From The Heart Ministries
Fronkensteen Experimental Theatre (Clarksville)
Full Circle Festival (Burlington, VT)
The Future is Female Festival
Gadfly Theatre (Minneapolis)
Georgia Southwestern State University Theatre
Glendale Community College
Gorilla Tango Theatre
Greenbriar Valley Theatre
Green Candle Theatre (Burlington)
Heartland Theatre Company
HERE Arts Center (NY)
Helltro Theatre Collective
Heritage Park (Calgary)
Hollins University Theatre
Hollins University-Mill Mountain Festival of New Works
Hollywood Fringe Festival
Indian River Community College
Infinite Abyss (Ft. Lauderdale)
Ilion Lion Theatre Club (NY)
Institute for Contemporary Art (Boston)
ISMO Theatre Company (LA)
Ithaca Theatre Company
Ivy Theatre’s Trellis Project (New York)
Jacksonville Center for the Arts (Floyd)
Kennesaw State University
Klepto Theatreworkshop (LA)
Lionheart Theatre Company
Live Theatre Workshop (Tuscon, AZ)
Lynchburg College
Magnolia Arts Center
Maitland Repertory Theatre (Australia)
Manhattan Repertory Theatre
Maples Repertory Theatre
Mary B. Martin Theatre
Mary Baldwin University
Meredith College
Meridian Community College
Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre
Middleburg Academy
Millikin University’s Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre (Decatur, IL)
Minnetrista Cultural Center
Moonlight Stage Company
Mountain View College (Dallas, TX)
Mutineer Theatre Company (LA)
New Origins Theatre Company
New Orleans Fringe Festival
New River Stage (Blacksburg)
New Seeds Festival
New York International Fringe Festival
New York Musical Festival
Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works (Mill Mountain Theatre)
North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe
Novi Civic Theatre
Oak Park High School Theatre
Off Center for the Dramatic Arts
Offstage Theater (Charlottesville)
One-Minute Play Festival
One Song Productions
Onion Man Productions
Onstage Atlanta
Overland High School (Aurora, CO)
Oxbridge Academy, West Palm Beach
Oxford High school (Mississippi)
Pacific Theatre (Vancouver)
PCPA Theatrefest Education Outreach, CA
Panndora Productions (Long Beach)
Page To Stage Theatre, Roanoke, VA
Pasture Bedtime Players (MA)
Pearl Theatre (NY)
Piper Theatre (Brooklyn)
Portland Center Stage
Punk Monkey Productions
Quarry Works Theatre
Really Bad Plays LA
Red Eye 10s (International festival with productions of each play occurring in theatres across all U.S. time zones and parts of Europe annually)
The Red Shoes Dance Studio (Lynchburg)
Reflect Productions (UK)
Renaissance Theatre
Riverside Theatre (Iowa City)
The Road Theatre Company (Hollywood)
Robert Moss Theatre (New York)
Roll On! Productions (DC)
Rover Dramawerks (Plano, TX)
Sabrina’s Place
Sacred Fools (LA)
Saginaw Valley State University
Sandbox Radio Live!
Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, CA
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Second Stage (Amherst)
Secret Theatre (Halifax)
Scribe Stages, Los Angeles
Showtimers Community Theatre
SkyPilot Theatre Company
So Low Festival
Source Festival (DC)
The Spot, California
Stage 773
Stanwell Park Arts Theatre (Australia)
Studio 1 (Burlington, NC)
Studio 81 (Placerville)
Studio Roanoke
Sundown Collaborative Theatre
Tesseract Theatre (St. Louis)
Theatre AUM, Auburn University Montgomery
Theatre of Note (LA)
The Theatre School of DePaul University
Theatrical Gems
Terry M. Fischer Theatre of St. Louis Community College
Tiger Lily Theatre
Totem Pole Playhouse
Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate School (Darlington, SC)
Trinity Western University, Theatre Department
University of Great Falls Theatre
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Vagabond Players
Very Merry Theatre (Burlington)
Waterworks Players Theatre
West Union Area Community Theatre
Westborough Players Club, Inc.
The White Box @ 440 Studios (Manhattan)
Wilbury Group
Winder-Barrow Community Theatre
Working Title Playwrights
Young Actor’s Studio (LA)
Hollins Playwrights have had readings at:
5th Wall Productions
11th Hour Theatre Group
ACT Theatre (Seattle)
ATHE Conference
Alliance Theatre
Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights, Barter Theater
ARTS/West (Athens, OH)
Baltimore Playwrights Festival
Bare Essentials Reading Festival
Bob Jones University
Champlain College
Charter Theatre
Club Rehab (New York)
Confetti Stage (Albany)
DC Black Theatre Festival
Determined to Succeed (LA)
Discovery Series, June M. McBroom Theater (Roanoke)
The Drama Bookshop (Manhattan)
Dumas Arts Festival
Earl Hamner Jr. Theatre
Elm Street Cultural Arts Village
Emory University
Everyone’s Theatre Company
First Draft (DC)
First Grace United Church of Christ
Florida Repertory Theatre
Fullerton College
Georgia Theatre Conference
Goddard College
Great Plains Theatre Festival
Hanford Challenge Auction
Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival
Helltro Theatre Collective
Huntsman’s Event Center
Indiana Repertory Theatre
Indianapolis Repertory Theatre
Ingram New Works Festival, Tennessee Repertory Theatre
Infinity Box Theatre (Seattle)
JAW Theatre Festival
Jackalope Theatre (Chicago)
Kennedy Center
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region IV
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VII
Kennedy Center Playwrights Workshop
LARK New Play Development
Liminal Gallery
The Lincoln Loft (Chicago)
Little Victory Theatre (Burbank)
Live Arts Theatre
Live Arts New Works on Fire Festival
MASOC/MATSA Conference, presented by Geese Theatre Company/John Bergman
Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center
Marginal Arts Festival (Roanoke)
Mary Baldwin Theatre
Mill Mountain Theatre
Mill Mountain Theatre Lunchbox Reading Series
Missouri Playwrights Workshop
Mutineer Theatre Company (Los Angeles)
National Adolescent Perpetration Network
National Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
New Jersey Playwriting Contest
New Voices Playfest (Atlantic Stage)
Oak Grove Theatre
Onion Man Productions
Out of Box Theatre
Pacific Theatre (Vancouver)
Palustris Festival (Southern Pines, NC)
Playsmiths (NY)
Playwrights Center (Minneapolis)
Portland Center Stage
Process Theatre
Randolph College
Road Theatre (LA)
Robert Moss Theatre
Rose of Athens Theatre Festival
Reston Community Players
San Luis Obispo Little Theatre
The Shakespeare Company (Calgary)
SC Theatre Association
Script Readers, London
Scriptworks @ State Theatre (Austin)
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Signal Kitchen
Silver Spring Stage
SkyPilot Theatre Company
Southeastern Theatre Conference
Spaghetti Theatre (Nashville)
Spokane Stage Left
Strawdog Theatre Company (Chicago)
Street Theatre Company
Studio Roanoke
Studio Roanoke Guerilla Theatre
Studio Roanoke Lunchbox Series
TCG Conference
Tesseract Theatre
The Tinker by dwellings dancetheatre
Troupe 30 C
UBU’s Other Shoe Productions
University of Akron, Sandefur Theatre
University of Utah
University of Virginia
University of West Georgia
Wheelhouse Theatre (Chicago)
William Patterson University
WordBRIDGE
Working Title Playwrights
Young Actor’s Studio (North Hollywood)
Hollins Playwrights have received these awards and honors:
American Theatre in Higher Education Award for Excellence in Playwriting
Award of Excellence (Shakespeare in the Burg)
Best Dramatic Monologue (The Secret Rose Theatre)
Best of Fest – Calgary International Fringe Festival
Best World Premiere Play (Stage Scene LA)
Beverly Hills Theatre Guild Marilyn Hall Award (Second Place)
Bonderman Symposium/Write Now
Chandler Issues Playwriting Contest
Charles M. Getchell New Play Award (SETC)
David L. Shelton Playwriting Award (KCACTF Region IV)
Delauney Prize for Excellence in Playwriting
Dolce Revolution Playwriting Contest (Finalist)
Downtown Urban Theatre Festival, NYC (Finalist)
Edgarton New Play Award
Elm Street Cultural Arts Village One-Act Play Award
Fringemeister Award (St. Lou Fringe)
Georgia Theatre Conference One-Act Play Award
Harold and Mimi Steinberg National Student Playwriting Award
Holland New Voices Award (Great Plains Theatre Festival)
Humana Festival Heideman Award Finalist
Ivey Award for Outstanding Playwriting
Joe McCabe Memorial Playwriting Award
John L. Cauble Short Play Award (KCACTF)
KCACTF Outstanding Director of a New Work: Todd Ristau for Cold by Ben Jolivet and multiple awards
KCACTF Region 4 Full Length Play Award
Kendeda finalist
Loving Cup of Deathless Fucking Glory (Write Club Storytelling Competition)
Mass Cultural Council Dramatic Writing Fellowship
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
National Partners of the American Theatre (1st Place)
National Partners of the American Theatre (2nd Place)
Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture & Heritage Commissio
PTC Colony Fellowship
Princess Grace Award (Semi-finalist)
Reiser lab grant from Alliance theatre
Reva Shriner Comedy Writing Award (Finalist)
SETC/Stage Rights Ready to Publish Award
Southwest Playwriting Competition (First runner up)
Spectrum Theatre 24-Hour Playwriting Competition Winner
Todd McNerney National Playwriting Contest (Finalist)
Toronto Arts Council Grant
Woodward/Newman Award (Finalist)
Hollins Playwrights have taught (or are teaching) at these schools and institutions:
Arroyo Grande High School Drama Department
The Arts Center of the Capital Region
Bob Jones University
California Polytechnic State University (workshop instructor)
Cherry Creek Schools (Greenwood Village, CO)
Coastal Carolina University
Cornish College of the Arts
Georgia State University
Gordon State College
Hollins University
Holyoke Community College
Irving Independent School District
Kennesaw State University
Mary Baldwin College (Staunton, VA)
Newtown Arts Festival
Northland International University
Pacific Conservatory Theatre/Allan Hancock College, California
Perimeter College
Randolph Macon
Rockbridge County High School (Lexington, VA)
Rosebud School of the Arts
Round Rock ISD (Round Rock, Texas)
St. Louis Community College
St. Mary’s College, Adelaide, Australia
Texas Tech University
Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate School
Trinity Western University
University Park Elementary School
University of Great Falls
University of Missouri – St. Louis
University of Missouri – Science & Technology
University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO)
University of Providence
University of Virginia
Utah State University (guest lecturer)
Virginia University of Lynchburg
Waddell Elementary School (Lexington, VA)
Winston-Salem State University
Hollins Playwrights have held these positions:
Artistic Associate
Artistic Director
Board Member
Dramaturg
Editor
Festival Coordinator
General Manager
Guest Artist
Intern
Literary Assistant
Literary Committee Member
Literary Manager
Playwright-in-Residence
Production Assistant
Production Manager
Production Stage Manager
Publisher
Social Media Manager
Sound Technician
Stage Hand
Teaching Artist
Visiting Playwright
At theatres and organizations such as:
ACT Theatre – Seattle
Alliance Stage
Atlantic Stage (Myrtle Beach)
Chicago Ladies of Comedy
Charter Theatre
Circle Theatre (Fort Worth)
Ethel Woolsen Labs (Atlanta)
Freehold Theatre
The Future is Female Festival (nationwide)
Hedgebrook
Helltro Theatre Collective
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
PTC Colony Fellowship
Plays to Order Publishing
Playwrights Theatre Center
Polychron Press
Proper Hijinx Productions
SkyPilot Theatre (LA)
Seattle Rep Writers Group
Signature Theatre
Studio Roanoke
Tesseract Theatre (St. Louis)
Theatrical Gems
University of Great Falls
University of Waterloo
Working Title Playwrights (Atlanta)
YouthPLAYS
Hollins Directors have been hired by these theatres and theatre departments:
Academy of New Musical Theatre (North Hollywood)
Baltimore Center Stage
Hollins Playwright’s Lab
Hollins Theatre Main Stage
Lynchburg College Dance Works Company
Max & Louie Productions
Pacific Conservatory Theatre
Pacific Conservatory Theatre Educational Outreach Tour
The Principia School
Roanoke Ballet Theatre
St. Louis Community College
San Luis Obispo Little Theatre
Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble
Stagedoor Manor
University of Missouri – St. Louis
University of Missouri -Science & Technology
Wick Theatre
Hollins Directors have been worked with/directed at these theatres:
Creating Arts Company
GAMUT Theatre
Logos Theatricus Productions
Lynchburg College
Mesa Middle School Drama
Mill Mountain Theatre
Nipomo High School
Off The Rails Theatre
Overland High School
Red Eye Tens International Ten-Minute Play Festival
Showtimers Community Theatre
SkyPilot Theatre Company
Studio Roanoke
Tesseract Theatre Company
Thin Air Theatre Company
Troupe 30 C
Hollins Directors have taught at these schools or institutions:
Burlington College
Burton Center for Performing Arts & Technology
California Polytechnic University (workshop instructor)
Cave Spring High School
The Future is Female Festival – San Francisco Stage & Film site
The Gailer Theatre School
Hollins Theatre Institute
The Harbour School
Nipomo High School
Overland High School
Pacific Conservatory Theatre at Allan Hancock College
Portsmouth Public Schools
SLO Little Theatre’s Academy of Creative Theatre
St. Louis Community College
University of Missouri – St. Louis
University of Missouri -Science & Technology
Washington & Lee University
Hollins Directors have won these awards:
Fringemeister Award (St. Lou Fringe)
Leighton M. Ballew Directing Scholarship
Hollins Performers have been hired by these theatres:
Geva Theatre Center, Rochester, NY
Batavia Players, Inc. Batavia, NY
Hollins University Theatre
Hollins Performers have been featured in these productions:
Absence Makes the Heart by Sean Abley
An Initial Condition by Will Coleman
COLD by Ben Jolivet
CLUE: The Musical by Peter DePietro
Copenhagen by Michael Frayn
Decision Height by Meredith Dayna Levy
Distracted by Lisa Loomer
Double Date by Albi Gorn (Black Sheep Theatre)
Helvetica by Will Coleman
Kick the Dickens (Film Short)
The Matador by Robert Plowman (Roanoke and LA)
No Man Left by Breana Venable
Nunsense by Dan Goggin
OUIJA by Maura Campbell
The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
She Made Space by Meredith Dayna Levy
Speak For Yourself (webseries)
Welcome to Norway by Robin Anne Joseph (Black Sheep Theatre)
Hollins Performers have worked with these theatres:
A Theatre Connection
Academy for New Musical Theatre
Batavia Players
Black Sheep Theatre
Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre
Cuestra College Theatre
DC Black Theatre Festival
Geva
Hollins University Theatre
Hudson Guild Theatre
Klepto Theatre Workshop
Mill Mountain Theatre
New York Winter Festival
Pewter Plough Players
Pizazz Theatre
San Luis Obispo Little Theatre
Skypilot Theatre Company
Thespis Theatre Festival
Ubu’s Other Shoe
Uppity Theatre Company
Webster University Conservatory of Dance and Theatre