Humana Festival Of New American Plays

The 33rd annual Humana Festival of New American Plays presented by Actors Theatre of Louisville will feature a diverse array of work from 18 playwrights. "The Humana Festival is a celebration of the diversity and strength of new American theatre," Marc Masterson, the company's Artistic Director, announced today.

"The artists in this year’s festival represent a cross-section of our culture and include new voices as well as some of the most established and respected writers and directors working in the theatre today."

The Festival, slated for March 1-April 11, 2009, is acclaimed worldwide as America's preeminent showcase of professional stage premieres. "Over the past 33 years, the Humana Festival of New American Plays has introduced more than 350 plays into the world," adds Jennifer Bielstein, the theatre's Managing Director. "In this time of economic challenges, the arts provide a vital way for us to examine our changing world. The Humana Festival continues to be a place for us to unite in our support of the American theatre. We look forward to hosting our colleagues and theatre lovers in Louisville in 2009."

This year’s festival — comprised of six full-length plays, a comic anthology showcasing the Actors Theatre Acting Apprentice Company, and three ten-minute plays to be announced — marks three decades of continuous support from its underwriter, The Humana Foundation. The philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., The Humana Foundation supports and nurtures charitable activities that promote healthy lives and healthy communities.

Full-length plays are Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry adapted for the stage by Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel from the writing of Wendell Berry (Port Royal, Kentucky), Absalom by Zoe Kazan (New York City), Under Construction by Charles L. Mee (New York City), Slasher by Allison Moore (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Ameriville by UNIVERSES (Gamal Abdel Chasten, Mildred Ruiz, William Ruiz aka Ninja and Steven Sapp from New York City), and The Hard Weather Boating Party by Naomi Wallace (native of Prospect, Kentucky, now residing in Skipton, North Yorkshire, U.K.).

The comic anthology, titled BRINK!, is written by Lydia Diamond (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Kristoffer Diaz (New York City), Greg Kotis (New York City), Deborah Zoe Laufer (Mt. Kisco, New York), Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (San Francisco, California) and Deborah Stein (Minneapolis, Minnesota). -- www.actorstheatre.org

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