Voices at the River Playwriting Residency in August
6/18/2007

Voices at the River is underwritten by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.

Honoree Lynn Nottage is one of the most produced playwrights in America. You’ll remember her play, Intimate Apparel, that The Rep produced 2 seasons ago. Lynn is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and is the recipient of an Obie Award, a NY Drama Desk Award, several Outer Critics Circle Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship and several other national recognitions. The Wall Street Journal says Lynn Nottage is, “at the very top of the short list of America’s best contemporary playwrights.”

Honoree Luis Valdez is known as the father of the American Chicano Theatre movement. He founded El Teatro Campesino in the 1960’s. You may know him as the writer/director of the film, La Bamba. He also wrote and directed the Broadway play, Zoot Suit. He is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts’ American National Medal of the Arts.

“These two playwrights have made significant contributions to the American canon of dramatic literature. It’s an honor to recognize their creative spirit and artistic tenacity,” said Rajendra Maharaj, project coordinator for Voices at the River and artistic director of New York City’s Rebel Theatre Company.

Four new works will be developed during the two-week residency, August 6 - 18:

Parked, by Vanessa Garcia, explores the joys and tensions of two young architects collaborating on the design of an “open space/sanctuary” of a new park. Garcia is also a visual artist and freelance arts writer for such publications as The Miami Herald, The Miami New Times, The Miami Art Guide, Florida Inside Out Magazine, and NY ArtsMagazine. For more on Parked, click here.

Breathe, by Javon Johnson, follows two sons from different families involved in separate acts of violence. Johnson, a founding ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre Company in Chicago, IL, is the recipient of several awards including the 2004 Black Theatre Alliance Lorraine Hansberry Award for Best New Play and the 2003 New Professional Theatre Playwriting Award, NYC. For more on Breathe, click here.

We Lost it at the Movies (with a Special Appearance by Rock Hudson) by Guillermo Reyes, mixes familial pathos, humor and filmic references. Reyes, an assistant professor in Arizona State University’s Department of Theatre, won the 1997 National Hispanic Playwrights Contest with A Southern Christmas. Recipient of the 1996 Emerging Playwright Award, Reyes’ Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown was produced Off Broadway after winning Theater L.A.’s Ovation Award for Best World Premiere Play and Best Production. For more on We Lost it at the Movies (with a Special Appearance by Rock Hudson), click here.

Almost September, by Ajene D. Washington, revolves around the desires of an idealistic teacher, her young protégé and an alluring Blues singer/laborer. Washington, who has received multiple Audelco Awards, is also a screenwriter, actor, director and designer. For more on Almost September, click here.

“We are pleased to see so much good work submitted for Voices at the River,” said Robert Hupp, Arkansas Rep’s producing artistic director. “We’ve chosen to develop four plays that illustrate the breadth of contemporary dramatic literature being created across the nation.” A call for submissions in the spring of 2007 sought playwrights interested in refining new works during a two-week rehearsal and reading process with actors and directors. “Also participating are several young Arkansans who will be mentored throughout the process to nurture their skills and talents in their desire to be among the next generation of working American playwrights,” Hupp said.

A soiree to honor the participating playwrights will be held at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock on August 16. The following day, in partnership with the Clinton School of Public Service, Nottage and Valdez will discuss the instrumental role the arts can play in motivating social change. Free to the community, the discussion will be held at noon at the Clinton School’s Sturgis Hall.

Artists and audiences interested in attending Voices at the River can find more information by clicking here.

About the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
In 1974, the trustees of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller’s estate endowed the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to continue the work of The Rockwin Fund. Governor Rockefeller set up The Rockwin Fund in 1954 and, on an annual basis from 1956 until his death in 1973, funded projects and programs he believed were important to improving the quality of life in Arkansas. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation whose mission is to improve the lives of Arkansans by funding programs and projects that improve education, economic development, and economic, racial and social justice. During the past 32 years, the foundation has awarded more than $101 million in grants. Additional information about the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation can be found on its website at www.wrfoundation.org.