Chicago Dramatists Welcomes Six New Resident Playwrights
Chicago Dramatists has appointed six new playwrights to its Resident Playwright program, announced Artistic Director Russ Tutterow. The new Residents in this 30th anniversary season are Mary Ruth Clarke, Cheryl Coons, Christopher De Paola, Sarah Gubbins, David Scott Hay, and Jon Steinhagen.
“Chicago Dramatists is proud to include these outstanding writers among the ranks of its Resident Playwrights, which now total forty,” said Tutterow, “We are very excited about their collective excellence and diversity. Through our long-standing Residency program, we seek to nurture accomplished, Chicago-based dramatists who will make significant contributions to the national theatre.” Since 1979, theatres across the country have looked to Chicago Dramatists for the most promising new plays and playwrights.
New Residents’ Showcase, January 10, 2009
The public is invited to join Chicago Dramatists and its playwrights in welcoming and sampling the work of new Residents at the 5th Annual New Resident Playwrights’ Showcase on Saturday, January 10, 2009, at 2:00 PM. The afternoon will feature staged readings of selected scenes from their plays, followed by a discussion with the playwrights and a wine and cheese reception in the theatre lobby. A $5 donation will be requested for admission. Reservations will not be taken.
MARY RUTH CLARKE writes for the stage and screen. She co-wrote and starred in the original low-budget “Meet The Parents” and adapted it into the blockbuster “Meet the Parents” starring Robert De Niro, for which she shares story credit with Greg Glienna. Her play “Suffer The Long Night,” also co-written with Greg Glienna, was produced this summer in Los Angeles at the Meta Theater. Other productions include: “Zap!” at Live Bait Theater, “Mrs. Lee” at Chicago Dramatists, and “How Are We On Time” at Strawdog (which was the only play ever performed as part of Chicago Public Radio’s Stories On Stage.) Ms. Clarke is also a dramaturg with the Prop Thtr New Plays Festival. She has doctored many screenplays, three of which have gone on to be produced. She is a “trained brain” in product innovation, packaging, and brand positioning. In short, she has created a new gum, named a Disney theme park, interviewed kids on Ritalin, and endeavored to make coherent sense of American consumers and their needs. It is not always pretty. Ms. Clarke has an MFA from Emerson College, a BFA in Theater and a BFA in Art History from Ohio University.
