INKubator New Play Festival at Art House Productions
How would you feel about being able to influence the trajectory of a play from the ground level? Art House Productions will let you do just that. INKubator New Play Festival is about the art of the staged reading and the power of the audience. You’d be hard pressed to find a theatergoer unfamiliar with a staged production, and yet so many audience members have never experienced a staged reading. The former brings you all the pomp and circumstance of a fully realized world, complete with scenic, costume, sound, lighting design, and more. Most of what you’d find on a Broadway stage is a great example of a [staged] production. The latter is solely reliant on its author, actors, and the audience. It is exactly as it sounds: you are watching the actors read the script aloud, from their seats on stage.
Long before I’d ever attended a staged reading, I assumed they would be boring. Luckily, I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong, and good god, was I wrong. Some of my favorite performances have been simple readings where the actors give beautiful performances with nothing to distract from the brilliant dialogue. My favorite part is the intimate nature of a reading wherein the audience is invited to actively participate in a post-show discussion. The playwright wants to hear your feedback! They are making the vulnerable choice to allow you into the early process of their writing journey and asking for you to weigh in. Imagine being able to lay partial claim to the next Broadway success (not financially, apologies in advance) because you helped the writer realize that a key moment of their show wasn’t working. Your advice may be all they need to solidify the next Tony-Award-winning script! Perhaps I’m having delusions of grandeur, but the fact remains, feedback is pivotal at this stage, and it is a privilege to be part of the journey. And I haven’t even gotten to the best part — They’re FREE!
The INKubator New Play Festival certainly is, but you must RSVP to confirm your attendance.
For the past seven years, Art House Productions has offered the INKubator New Play Program. This is a year-long generative program wherein a cohort of playwrights, hailing from or with strong ties to New Jersey, are selected to gather monthly to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. It culminates in the aforementioned INKubator New Play Festival, a showcase of staged readings.
This year’s cohort is made up of five playwrights with distinct voices, and the festival featuring their work will run April 28–29th, and May 5–7th. Phillip Gregory Burke, Sarah Cuneo, Molly Horan, Frank Murdocco, and M. D. Schaffer will share the first drafts of their plays with Art House audiences, making this the first time these works will be heard aloud. Audiences will be in attendance for the births of these stories as they enter the world publicly for the first time, and those same audiences will help the stories grow and find their footing. No theater experience necessary, you simply have to share your genuine reactions to the work, though I would caution folks to understand the difference between constructive criticism and pure criticism. The former is a tool to cultivate growth and improvement, the latter is a fancy word for being rude. Avoid the latter.
Click here for the full Discover Jersey Arts feature by Gina Marie Rodriguez