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Inaugural festival to be held November 6-7, 2015, at Waterloo Arts

(Cleveland, OH; October 7, 2015) — Playwrights Local 4181 announces its debut as Northeast Ohio’s first playwrights’ development and production center, marking its launch with a free festival on November 6 & 7, 2015. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Playwrights Local presents new plays written exclusively by area dramatists. It also offers classes and engages the community through site-specific projects. Playwrights Local is a home for novice and experienced dramatic writers to learn, create, and share their work.

“This type of organization has already succeeded in Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Cincinnati,” said David Todd, Artistic Director of Playwrights Local. “We see this as a way of putting our under-recognized playwrights on the map, and of making their plays a bigger part of the arts conversation.”

Literary Manager Arwen Mitchell seconds the need for a space in Greater Cleveland dedicated to dramatic writing. “Other theaters support local playwrights to the extent that they can, but there’s no place focused on them exclusively,” Mitchell said. “Having an outlet like Playwrights Local is both amazing and essential.”

Playwrights Local 4181 welcomes the Northeast Ohio community to its inaugural Cleveland Playwrights Festival on November 6 & 7, 2015. All sessions in this event are free. (Online registration is recommended.) Dramatic writers of all skill levels can participate in workshops and discussions. Fans of live theater can attend staged readings of local works and take part in a recording of Mike Geither’s podcast play, Flame Puppy. Other offerings include a luncheon and post-show reception. The festival will be held at Waterloo Arts in Collinwood (15605 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, OH 44110).

Information on festival sessions and registration is available at www.playwrightslocal.org. Tax-deductible donations in support of this new, locally focused arts organization also may be made at the site.

Just finished my first :10 minute play for the project. I was given the prompt of Shmokee (two elephants smoking marijuana) by Joe Park. Playwrights receive their prompt in dramatic fashion like choosing lots and then raising the prompt high for all in attendance to view. In addition to the prompt, the play must have a tool used incorrectly, a character who finds something, and a character who curses something.

I’m working with Gregg Ashbrook II, and Lynda and Andrew Santa. In discussions with them I learned that Gregg likes characters with “rough edges”, Lynda wanted to play an “evil mastermind” and Andrew a “lazy, toady.” All this combined lead to rather surreal short play I named “Spare Room” involving a construction worker and a entranced/distracted serial murderer and her assistant. To see the short, come to the May 6 Manhattan Project event at Mahalls.