O’Neill Schedule July 10 through 16

Waterford, CT, July3, 2003 — An artist dating an older man Ö a prison inmate Ö a new mother and residents of a sanitorium spring to life at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference when script-in-hand performances of new plays by Sheri Wilner, Sherry M. Shephard-Massat, Susan Bernfield and Lisa Dillman come to the forefront July 10-16. OPC — a three-week assembly of 15 playwrights and hundreds of artists, audience members and theatermakers of all varieties — offers staged readings of 11 new works through July 20, as well as free guest speakers & interactive panel discussions during the All-Conference Hours. For more information, please visit www.TheONeill.org or call (860) 443-1238.

Next week’s O’Neill Playwrights Conference events are:

FATHER JOY by Sheri Wilner, directed by Pam MacKinnon
Performances are July 10 & 11 at 8:00 p.m. in the Edith Oliver Theater.

An unexpected consequence arises when Abigail, a twenty-six year old art student, begins dating Paul, her fifty-one year old professor: her father Harry begins disappearing. Literally. Yet their relationship has never been better. How far would a father go for his daughter? Featuring actors E. Katherine Kerr, Tuck Milligan, Reno Roop and Diana Ruppe.

DEEDS by Sherry M. Shephard-Massat, directed by Seret Scott
Performances are July 11 at 8:00 p.m. and July 12 at 2:30 p.m. in the Rufus & Margo Rose Theater Barn.

A prison inmate comes to terms with his past and present through the exploration of the relationship between himself and his deceased brother on Christmas Eve, 1974. Featuring actors Paul Butler, Keith L. Hatten, Chris McKinney, Dallas Roberts and John Seitz.

BARKING GIRL by Susan Bernfield, directed by Maria Mileaf
Performances are July 12 at 8:00 p.m. & July 13 at 2:30 p.m. in the Dina Merrill Theater.

Rae sees herself as young, capable, wistful, romantic. So when motherhood confers a strange new identity upon her, she protests with tiny abdications of responsibility. Then true sadness hits, and she slowly constructs her own kind of connection with her child. Cast includes Sean Haberle.

ROCK SHORE by Lisa Dillman, directed by Melia Bensussen
Performances are July 15 & 16 at 8:00 p.m. in the Amphitheater.

To the residents of Rock Shore, a tuberculosis residency in the Adirondacks, each day is predictable — pulmonary calisthenics, small talk, and feverish inertia. Their routine is shaken by the arrival of a glamorous newcomer who helps them face their true yearnings and limitations.

The O’Neill’s free all-conference series of guest speakers continues Friday, July 11 with playwright Ed Bullins and Wednesday, July 16 with the O’Neill Trustee Residency Panel, featuring theater trustees from major theaters across the country including the American Conservatory Theater (San Francisco), Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago) and Seattle Repertory Theatre. All-Conference Hours run from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. in the Dina Merrill Theater and the public is welcome to join in these events.

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964 and based in Waterford CT, is a learning community dedicated to advancing the American Theater through programs that encourage creative excellence and develop diverse voices and new work. These include the Puppetry Conference, Playwrights Conference, Critics Institute (July 8-20), Music Theater Conference (July 28-August 10) and the National Theater Institute, a college-accredited training program for theater artists. The O’Neill also owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage, childhood home of America’s only Nobel Prize-winning playwright, Eugene O’Neill, and holds an annual celebration honoring the life and works of its namesake every October.

OPC 2003 public readings take place Tuesday through Sunday, July 4 through July 20. Ticket prices range from $10 to $12, or $8 weekdays for O’Neill members. To reserve tickets or receive a summer schedule, call The O’Neill at 860-443-5378 or the box office at 860-443-1238.