(MADISON, NJ) -- The New Jersey Women Playwrights Project, now in its sixth year at Writers Theatre of New Jersey, has been instrumental in bringing the work of some of the state’s most talented and important playwrights to New Jersey audiences. The reach of three NJWPP writers has now gone beyond state borders and received recognition from the nationally-renowned Kilroy Awards. Dubbed the “Superheroines of the American Theatre” by Backstage Magazine, the Kilroy Awards recognize the best plays by women and trans playwrights in the country. Over five hundred plays were considered for the 2016 awards, with thirty-two of those winning a Kilroy and eighty-two receiving an honorable mention. NJWPP writers recognized were Lia Romeo, Erin Mallon, and Chisa Hutchinson. Ms. Hutchinson will have a premiere production of her latest play, Surely Goodness and Mercy, included as part of Writers Theatre’s Mainstage Season. Additionally, two other recipients - Donna Hoke and Martyna Majok - received development assistance in Writers Theatre’s Soundings series.
Women are underrepresented in many fields and playwriting is one of them. The New Jersey Women Playwrights Project aims to help level the playing field by providing New Jersey women an opportunity to develop their work. The program offers playwrights four readings of their work read by professional actors and with a professional director. The first three readings are private readings with just the playwrights, the actors, and the director; the fourth reading is open to the public. This allows the playwrights to hear their work read aloud, the way it’s meant to be heard. This is helpful in determining what changes are needed in the next revision. It also allows them to receive often-useful feedback from audience members and from theatre professionals.
Public readings of this year’s New Jersey Women Playwrights Project plays will be held in Madison, New Jersey and throughout the state over the next year. For more information on those readings, please visit the Writers Theatre of New Jersey NJ Women Playwrights Project page at: https://www.wtnj.org/nj-women-playwrights/ The readings and other performances will also be announced on WTNJ’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/writerstheatreofnj
About Writers Theatre:
Writers Theatre is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, professional (Actors’ Equity) theatre and a community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators that provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production.
Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Writers Theatre’s New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers throughout the state. We place an equal emphasis on Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.
We are honored that, every year since 2003, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) has designated Writers Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Writers Theatre to be “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey.”
Funding for our activities comes from: the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., Dramatist Guild Fund, Horizon Foundation of New Jersey, The Shubert Foundation, The Victoria Foundation, and many corporations, foundations and individuals.
Writers Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.
