The REP’s 9th Annual Next Act! New Play Summit Goes Virtual

ALBANY — The real-life library-opera house cut in half by the Canadian/American border, zombies and kangaroo ninjas, tales of immigrants and coming-of-age angst, a play in contemporary verse and a chance to make or break the fate of four new plays marks the festivities of theREP’s annual showcase of new works and the first virtual presentation of NEXT ACT! New Play Summit 9, streaming July 13-16. 

The NEXT ACT! New Play Summit seeks to highlight new works that use theatre to address injustices, inequities, and cultural collisions, providing a voice for the unheard and unrepresented. To date, the summit has brought more than 300 theatre professionals (including playwrights, actors and directors) and 4,000+ audience members together for a series of workshops, readings and discussion. 

Headlining this year’s lineup is the winning play, A DISTINCT SOCIETY, by celebrated director & playwright Kareem Fahmy. The play, selected from more than 350 submissions from across the country, is inspired by true stories of Iranian families reunited at the Haskell Free Library & Opera House. The reading of A DISTINCT SOCIETY will air 7 p.m., Wednesday, July 15. 

NEW VOICES: YOUNG PLAYWRIGHT CONTEST will open the Summit 7 p.m. on Monday, July 13 with readings of the top 6 short plays by Capital Region young writers ages 13-18, named winners of theREP’s YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS CONTEST. 

Tuesday, July 14 at 7 p.m., features the winning entry of NEXTGEN: SLAM! a collaborative venture with UAlbany’s FRESH ACTS writing program, featuring works of writers 19-25. 

Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m., THE FIRST 15 – YOU BE THE JUDGE! features excerpts, read by professional actors, from 4 of the plays that were submitted to Next Act. After the first 15 pages are read, the audience is asked to take the role of the literary manager and vote yes or no to the question “would you like to read the full script?”  An interactive discussion will follow the readings. 

In cooperation with Actor’s Equity Association, all readings in the 2020 Next Act! New Play Summit are part of a fundraiser for theREP’s new work development. No fee is required for viewing, but a donation is recommended to help the theatre continue to develop scripts and produce the world premiere works that have appeared on theREP’s stage over the past 10 years. 

All Next Act! events will air on theREP’s Facebook page, Proctors Collaborative YouTube and Open Stage Media’s On-Demand Channel. More information can be found www.capitalrep.org/next-act/