by Jan Davisson
PALM BEACH DRAMAWORKS
Last year at this time, my oldest daughter gave me a birthday present of tickets to the New New Year/New Play Festival. It was such a treat, but I figured that it wouldn’t be held this year. What do theaters and actors do when the theater is closed to an audience? Well, life goes on. However, instead of on stage it’s on ZOOM and it’s free! The year the New Year/ New Plays Festival is spread out over five days (January 6-10), instead of the usual three. The readings will consist of five evolving works, and, for the second straight year, a panel discussion with the playwrights will be aired on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re so pleased that the Festival will go on in 2021, as this has become one of our most popular annual events,” said William Hayes, Producing Artistic Director/Co-Founder of Palm Beach Dramaworks. “Of course, we will miss being in the theatre: one of the most important aspects of the Festival is that playwrights have the chance to watch their play with an audience and hear and see the response. They can actually learn quite a bit from that. Obviously, that’s impossible online. But they still get to see their work performed by talented actors, and they still get feedback from our patrons via Zoom. And we know from all those weeks of Drama in the works, our patrons are very vocal and very willing to share their opinions. So, the Festival will still be enormously helpful to the playwrights and stimulating for our audience.”
CHARLOTTESVILLE
by Catherine Bush
Wednesday, January 6 at 7:30pm
When Civil War re-enactor Curtis Jenkins is accused of being racist, he begins a fantastical journey through American race relations. As the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally explodes into violence, Curtis must confront the truth about his family legacy and his own beliefs.
Cast (in alphabetical order): Irene Adjan, Jim Ballard, Rita Cole, Jovon Jacobs, Matthew W. Korinko, Sam McCalla and Nathan Whitmer. Stage directions: Laura Turnbull
THE SUREST POISON
by Kristin Idaszak
Directed by J. Barry Lewis
Thursday, January 7 at 7:30 pm
It’s the era of Prohibition, and Alexander Gettler, a chemist whose research helped create the field of forensic toxicology, must try to catch a murderer and convince the federal government to stop poisoning alcohol. Inspired by the real-life work of Gettler and journalist Lois Long.
Cast (in alphabetical order): Darlene Hope, Michael McKenzie, Turna Mete, Mallory Newbrough, and John Leonard Thompson. Stage directions: Bruce Linser
DOROTHY’S DICTIONARY
by E.M. Lewis
Directed by Matt Stabile
Friday, January 8 at 7:30 pm
After a violent incident at his high school, Zan is forced to choose between juvenile detention and community service. But when he is assigned to read to Dorothy, a librarian who has just entered hospice care, neither of them is sure he’s made the right decision.
Cast (in alphabetical order): Eli Mosley and Karen Stephens.
Stage directions: Elizabeth Dimon
Panel Discussion with the Playwrights
Saturday, January 9 at noon
TWENTY-TWO
by Erin K. Considine
Directed by Debi Marcucci
Saturday, January 9 at 7:30pm
We lose twenty-two veterans daily to suicide, twenty-two men and women who survived combat but return home broken. The play follows one man and one woman affected by this unspeakable choice, and the hope they find in each other.
Cast (in alphabetical order): Julie Kleiner and Brandon Morris.
Stage directions: Bruce Linser
THE PREY
by Gina Montet
Directed by: Margaret Ledford
Sunday, January 10 at 2:00 pm_
A tale of beauty, love and murder in the heart of the Everglades. Set in 1912 and inspired by actual events, the play is a chilling interpretation of one of Florida’s most notorious killings.
Cast (in alphabetical order): Alex Alvarez, Iain Batchelor, George Bostic, Lindsey Corey, Tim Davis, Michael Gioia, Caleb Scott, and Tom Wahl.
Stage directions: Meredith Bartmon
We will, as always, be soliciting your feedback via a talkback following each reading—this time on Zoom, of course—as your thoughts and reactions are valuable to the playwrights as they continue to polish their work.
Mark and Diane Perlberg are the executive producers of the New Year/New Plays Festival. PBDonline is sponsored by Louise and Barry Snyder. Tickets to all programs are free, but reservations are required. Visit palmbeachdramaworks.org or call the box office at (561) 514.4042, ext. 2. And donations to PBD are always welcome.
Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach FL 33401 Tickets: (561) 514.4042 Ext. 2; www.palmbeachdramaworks.org
MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE
Things are happening quickly at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. The front of the old Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre is gone and awaiting an entire new look for the Grand Entrance.
As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, board of directors and staff have worked constantly on how to speed up the exciting build-out of the current structure. And what an amazing process it is! Originally, it was to be done in three phases. Act 1 included redesigning the parking lot, new marquees and electrical infrastructure to support the new 30,000 square foot additions to the building. Once this was complete, the theater board decided to put it on hold until the $32 million goal was reached. Along came COVID-19 and plans quickly changed.
The total 20/21 season was postponed, and the huge renovation and additions were started. The completion of Act II and Act III should be complete by opening of the 2021/22 season. According to Andrew Kato, Producing Artistic Director and Chief Executive, “The unusual time of growth speaks volumes about how our audience and donors feel about us. While many cultural organizations are struggling to deal with the difficulties caused by COVID-19, we will be able to use this time to expand. It is a privilege to be part of a community that is willing to turn lemons into lemonade during these turbulent times.”
The 2021/22 season is well worth waiting for in the newly expanded theatre. The season opens on October 31-November 14, 2021 with Murder on the Orient Express, The Christmas show is the musical, Sweet Charity, November 30-December 19, 2021. As of today, the Maltz still hasn’t named the big Broadway musical for the January 11-February 6, 2022 production; however, I Hate Hamlet comedy runs from February 20-March 6, 2022. The season winds up with the delightful musical, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, March 22-April 10, 2022.
Amazing what has happened in downtown Jupiter since the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre opened in 1979. To quote Charles Nelson Reilly, actor, director, teacher and a regular at the dinner theater, “It’s A Miracle at a Truck Stop.”
Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Tickets: (561) 575.2223; www.jupitertheatre.org
Cutlines:
Photo 1: The “New” Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Photo 2: Maltz Jupiter Theatre Cast of Ordinary Americans, which was performed last year after being selected from New Year/New Plays Festival. Photo credit: Samatha Mighdoll
Photo 3: William Hayes, Producing Artistic Director and Founding Member of Palm Beach Dramaworks