Texas State University’s School of Theatre, Dance and Film will host the 23rd annual New American Play Festival (NAPF) Sept. 1-7. NAPF is a celebration of new voices in American theatre.
Each year, the festival welcomes submissions from playwrights nationwide while continuing its tradition of championing the craft and celebrating the work. The NAPF week begins with a company meeting, followed by public rehearsal readings of the new plays, “UMOJA” and “Sanctuary.” Staged readings of these plays on Sept. 6 and 7 in the Performing Arts Center are ticketed events.
This year’s festival culminates in a special Friday evening panel discussion, “Writeous Endeavors,” a tribute not to one playwright, but to the enduring power and relevance of playwrights as theatrical architects. The discussion will be a thought-provoking evening honoring the art of playwriting. Panelists include Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman; Taylor Gilbert, guest director; Timothy Boland, guest playwright; Robert Faires, former arts editor of the Austin Chronicle; and LaDarrion Williams, guest playwright. Together, panelists will discuss challenges, inspirations and the evolving role of playwrights in the current state of American art. The Friday panel is free and open to the public.
LaDarrion Williams, playwright of “UMOJA,” hails from the small town of Helena, Ala. Williams is a self-taught playwright, filmmaker, author and screenwriter committed to shaping a new era of Black fantasy. His theatrical work has garnered attention at notable venues, including the Echo Theatre Playwrights Lab, the Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha, the Black and Latino Playwrights Festival and the Boise Contemporary Theater BIPOC Playwrights Festival.
Timothy Boland is the playwright of “Sanctuary.” His original play, “In the Name of the People,” was the full play winner of the Acme Acting Company’s Think Annual New Play Festival and subsequently adapted for film for CBS Productions, featuring Scott Bakula, Amy Madigan and Richard Thomas. Boland wrote the one-act play, “Acceptance Speech,” which was part of a bill of one-acts titled “Take Three,” directed by Paul Lazarus, at the No Smoking Playhouse in NYC. “Night Voices,” six of his one-acts, was produced in San Francisco at Shelton Street Theatre. He is a Dramatists Guild of America, WGA member and New Play Exchange member.
For more information about NAPF, visit https://napf.finearts.txst.edu/.