New Works Festival Gives Local Playwrights The Stage

WOODSTOCK, GA -- Next week, Elm Street Arts will present its first-ever New Works Festival, a multi-day event that will showcase the talent of local playwrights as well as one act plays written by professional playwrights.

One $15 ticket gets you into all three of the festival performances, which are scheduled for June 16-19. Each performance will feature a new short work -- approximately 10 minutes in length -- as well as one of three one act plays written by a professional writer. 

Audiences will have an opportunity to engage in a question-and-answer session with the authors after each performance.

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“At Elm Street Cultural Arts Village, we want to offer a variety of new outlets for playwrights,” said Educational Manager Siobhan Brumbelow. “There is such a large, but unknown market for new playwrights, especially with the growth of the entertainment industry in Georgia. We hope that this New Works Festival will offer support and a safe place for writers to hone their craft so that they can, in turn, make a contribution to the larger community with their work.”

At the end of the run, the author of the new work receiving the most votes will win an honorarium of $500. The author of the winning one act production will receive a prize of $100, and will have their play published by Elm Street. The works will be judged by a panel of three professionals in the industry.

The new works selected for the festival are as follows:

• "11:59" by Jenna Klein, 16, from Etowah High School
• "You Can’t Train Stupid" by Luke Tarlton, 18, of Woodstock
• "In and Out" by Clarissa Mullig, 17 of Atlanta.

The three one-act plays are:

• "The Hair Cut" by Meredith Levy of Roanoke, VA
• "Check Mate" by Laura King of Barnesville
• "Mallory" by Colton Combs of Marietta.

The complete festival schedule is as follows:

Thursday, June 16 (Reception at Reformation Brewery)

• 5-8 p.m.: Take a tour, sample some wonderful beer and meet the playwrights prior to seeing the shows.

Friday, June 17 (Performances on the Event Green)

• 7 p.m.: "11:59" by Jenna Klein
• 8 p.m.: "The Hair Cut" by Meredith Levy

Saturday, June 18 (Performances on the Event Green)

• 3 p.m.: "You Can't Train Stupid" by Luke Tarlton
• 4 p.m.: "Check Mate" by Laura King
• 7 p.m.: "In and Out" by Clarissa Mullig
• 8 p.m.: "Mallory" by Colton Combs

Sunday, June 19 (on the Event Green)

• 2 p.m.: Awards Ceremony

The Elm Street Event Green is located along Market Street at its intersection with the Noonday Creek Trail in downtown Woodstock. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

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