This year’s festival will include 50/50 mix of male and female playwrights

The Road Theatre Company and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, return for their 24th season, in the sixth annual Summer Playwrights Festival (SPF6), Sunday, July 26 through August 2, 2015.

This year’s festival features all new works to Los Angeles and has attracted playwrights from around the country including, Wendy Macleod (The House of Yes, nominated for 6 LADCC for The Water Children, Juvenalia), Vince Melocchi (Ovation Award nominated Lions, LA Weekly Best Play nomination Julia) Julie Marie Myatt (The Happy Ones, LADCC Ted Schmidt

Award for Outstanding New Play, Boats on a River, Finalist Susan Smith Blackburn Prize). Lucille Lichtblau (The English Bride, winner the Susan Glaspell Prize and Israel Baran Award. The Hemings Diary, finalist Inkwell/Woolly Mammoth Competition, Weissberger Award finalist. 4 time winner of PATV’s Annual New Play Competition.

THE SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL (SPF6) will open on Sunday July 26 at 8pm and run through Sunday August 2 at the Historic Lankershim Arts Center, 5108 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, CA.

Additional performances will be held Wednesday July 29 and Thursday July 30 at The Road on Magnolia in the NoHo Senior Arts Colony located at 10747 Magnolia Blvd North Hollywood.

One popular feature of the festival last summer was the live music that was featured during each reading reception in our gallery space. This year’s festival will feature the bands and musicians Mleo, Stage 11, Engine of Survival, End of Ever, Theo’s Dream, and Irish band sensation, Whiskey Sunday. The reception will be held in our backyard patio-Bettina’s Cantina-and will feature wines from Paso Robles Wineries and delicious appetizers and desserts.

View a copy of the Festival Schedule:  HERE

First recipient of Yale’s first MCA Fellowship in Playwriting

Robert Edward Lunney (Boardwalk Empire, Broadway-Born Yesterday, Deuce, Streetcar Named Desire, The Graduate. His Play For Nina was a 2007 O’Neill Playwright’s Conference semi-finalist),

Laurence Klaven (2 Obie Awards, 2 Barrymore awards and 7 Drama Desk nominations and an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Bed and Sofa),

Paden Fallis (award winning The Play About the Coach),

Stephanie Walker (The Art of Disappearing– O’Neill Playwright’s Conference semi-finalist, Princess Grace award),

Kat Ramsburg (Playwright of the Year The Bridge Initiative: Women in Arizona Theatre),

Steven Young (The Resurrectionists 2 Joseph Jefferson citations, The Wal*Mart-ians Jerome Fellowship Finalist, The Night We Bombed Lincoln Towing Finalist 2012 Stage West New Play Competition,

Jennie Webb (co-founder LA Women’s Playwrights Initiative),

Steven Simoncic (Once Upon a Time in Detroit 2013 O’Neill Playwright’s Conference semi-finalist, Emmy winner, Woodward/Newman Finalist Broken Fences.)

Lorenzo Destefano (Winner Los Zafiros:Music From the Edge of Time Winner Grand Festival Award Berkeley Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo nomination, Talmage Farlow),

.Jon Kern (2012 Laurents/Hatcher Award Modern Terrorism)

Richard Manley (Matches, Winner Oglebay Institute Towngate Prize 2013),

Carmen Milito (nominated for 2 Ovation Awards).

Road Company members are also highlighted with plays by:  Anna Carini, Deana Barone (Peabody Award winner). Bettina Zacar, Lisa Kenner, Shanti Reinhardt. This year’s festival features noted directors such as, Taylor Nichols (Barcelona,NAACP Award All My Sons, LA Drama Critics Circle Award), April Webster (Emmy Award Winner-3 nominations, 4 time CSA winner. 11 nominations ), Keith Stevenson (Ovation Award, Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Road) and many Road company members and members of the Los Angeles theater community. This year’s Collegiate Playwriting Competition winner is Will Arbery (Northwestern University), and his play, The Mongoose which will be performed Sunday August 2 at 11am. Most of the playwrights whose work is featured will be attending and will participate in a post-show discussion with the audience and cast.

Guest actor include Butch Klein (Grace and Frankie, 24) and Matthew Glave (The Wedding Singer, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, Argo) and many other guest actors. Artistic Directors Taylor Gilbert and Sam Anderson on the

importance of the festival to the theatre, “The Road’s Summer Playwrights Festival offers a wonderfully compressed period of new works and voices from established and emerging playwrights brought to life by the Road ensemble and guest artists who interact in lively discussions with our audiences, different live bands each evening, great food and drink and a tremendous sense of community between artists and theatregoers. An unforgettable event.”