Midsummer Magic ✨

theatre doesn’t have an off-season

announcements

We have a new partner org: Ghost Light Theater Company! They are currently in rehearsal for Sean Swenson’s play Half World, which will be going up at the end of August. Check out their website and their instagram.

1319 Press playwright Marshall Logan Gibbs released a children’s book on July 1st! Billie Wright and The Keepers of The Quill, a new Middle Grade Fantasy series, introduces Shakespeare’s plays and characters to young readers in an exciting, accessible way. Think Percy Jackson for Shakespeare! Theatre student Billie Wright’s ordinary life is upended when she discovers an ancient magic book: The TRUE First Folio. She is suddenly hunted by an army of doomed Shakespearean characters, led by Lady Macbeth, who want to rewrite their tragic fates. When her own sister is captured by the villains, Billie must take on a quest to save her family and the entire world… before the curtain falls on her own story. It is available through Ingram and can be ordered to any bookstore or can be found on Amazon here.

upcoming events

Kenndall Wallace’s play, Waiting In A Time of Revelation, is about three Black women who wait in a world of things discarded. With each woman having been ‘discarded’ for years, decades, or centuries-- Phyllis, Zora, and Candy sit tossed away in the trash the world leaves behind, and are deadset on convincing themselves they can only leave this place if someone gives them permission to. WIATR will have a show on July 17th (TONIGHT!) at The Tank. Tickets can be found here.

Cesario Tirado-Ortiz’s new horror play, post-modern prometheus, part of The Tank’s Darkfest closes TOMORROW! Find all the info here.

Marissa Alaníz’s new play big blue is going up at The Tank on July 19th and 20th. That’s THIS WEEKEND! Two women-- Alicia, a naval officer and Viv, an oceanographer-- are on a mission from the US military to find the source of a mysterious deep sea humming. But when their tiny submersible gets knocked loose, they must contend with their respective land-bound griefs, tension with each other, and the fear of the inevitable bottom of the ocean.

Kira Rockwell’s play The Penelopes is getting its workshop premiere this July at Theatrical Outfit as part of their Launchpad Festival. An estranged grandmother and granddaughter, both named Penelope, share a sleepless night on the porch. As the evening unfolds, Poppy’s mischievous, magnetic spirit collides with Nell’s quick-witted restlessness as they dance barefoot under moonlight, spill secrets over tarot cards, and face the shadows who’ve shaped them both. By dawn, both women discover a path toward transformation that glows as gently and defiantly as sunrise. The Penelopes is a poetic two-hander about intergenerational kinship, the rituals we create to survive, and the hidden magic in the most ordinary of nights. The last performance is on July 25th. Here is the full schedule and more info.

Gus Mahoney will be directing a production of The Cherry Orchard July 23-26th in multiple locations. Parabasis Productions, a partner org of 1319 Press, continues their summer Chekhov tradition with a new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. Anton Chekhov’s final play features a family on the precipice of ruin in a country barrelling towards revolution. Done in the style of Parabasis’ “Guerrilla Theater,” performance staged to be done in any space, the show will be in a church, a garden, a rooftop, and a studio.​​​ More info here.

If anyone happens to be in Spokane, Washington next week, Liv Shoup will have a reading of a new play Trauma Queen with Spokane Playwrights Lab. This workshop production invites audiences to experience an exciting new work in development and take part in the conversation that helps shape its future. Funny, fearless, and deeply moving, Trauma Queen tells the story of a woman who discovers that stepping behind a microphone may be the bravest thing she’s ever done. As she transforms pain into punchlines, she learns that laughter isn’t about forgetting the past. It’s about reclaiming the future. Tackling difficult subject matter with compassion, honesty, and extraordinary humor, Trauma Queen explores the resilience of the human spirit and the healing that can emerge when we find the courage to find our voice. More info and tickets here.

Daniel Prillaman’s scary storytelling horror, You See Them in the Corners of Your Eyes, is being produced by 2Rhythms Theatre in Inglewood, CA as a part of Black Box: One-Act Showcase. It’s running July 24th thru August 2nd at 8pm each day. Tickets here.

1319 playwright, Chloe Xtina also has a film announcement! Since 2023, Modern Silent Shorts has commissioned exciting, young directors to create new works of silent film. This year, Modern Silent Shorts is touring the films around the Northeast with a live, original score. The kick-off event is Tuesday, August 4th at 8pm at Pioneer Works (and it’s free!). Other screenings will take place on the Upper West Side, Montclair, Bellport, and Bannerman Island -- a castle ruin on the Hudson River near Beacon. Chloe Xtina’s Of a Sexual Nature follows a young filmmaker who travels to a remote film festival where she discovers that her film ignites a sinister attraction towards her when a scene from the film bleeds into reality. The film stars Healy Knight (who played Frances in the 2023 production of Joan of Arc in a Supermarket in California) and Tony Award winner, Will Brill. More info about the screenings and tickets can be found here.

Kate McMorran’s new play RECYCLE, BABY! was recently accepted into Eight Ball Theatre’s Writer’s Cohort, a development process that will culminate in a staged reading in Los Angeles in September! If you want to find out more about Eight Ball Theatre, or check out their insta: Eight Ball Theatre IG.

new titles

Shoutout to our June releases: Little to No Supervision, March Hare, and On the Evolutionary Function of Shame. They are now available to purchase on our online bookstore.

deals

🚨 Our summer sale is on until EOD SUNDAY! 🚨The code is SUMMER26 for 20% off!!! Shop now.

author spotlight

We’re taking a spotlight break this month, but come back next month to see who may be featured… it could just be your new favorite playwright. 👀

That’s all for today. See you next time.