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Summer Workshop

The HPF Summer Workshop began in 2012 and is an extension of the Huntington’s Playwriting Fellows program and Breaking Ground Reading Series. Huntington Director of New Work Charles Haugland supports the writers during the intensive, artist-driven development process.

Two productions in The Huntington’s 2022-2023 season, K-I-S-S-I-N-G by Lenelle Moïse and The Art of Burning by Kate Snodgrass, were both developed in the HPF Summer Workshop. Both plays were nominated for Elliot Norton Award honors, with K-I-S-S-I-N-G winning eight awards, including Outstanding New Script and Outstanding Play, Large Theater. The new play by homegrown playwright Moïse was lauded by The Boston Globe as “A highlight of the theatre season!” and by WBUR as “The most exciting play Boston has seen in years!”

Other past summer workshop plays have gone on to productions at The Huntington, Playwrights Horizons, P73, Alliance Theatre, Trafalgar Studios (London), Geva Theatre Center, Shotgun Players, Speakeasy Stage, Emerson Stage, and Theatre Rhinoceros, among others.

All readings and associated events are open to the public, but not open to reviewing members of the press. The readings are free.

“We created this program a decade ago out of a brainstorm with local writers of how to address specific needs of playwrights in our community,” says Director of New Work Charles Haugland. “I’m so proud to continue developing plays here that can then go on to productions near and far. Masha, Melinda, and Catherine’s plays are filled with vitality, joy, laughter, and sorrow, and we can’t wait to imagine them together with you, our audience. For the first time, we are also hosting a hands-on creative workshop with the brilliant Lenelle Moïse, whose work inspires so many people including me.”

 

RSVP for the readings below:

 

2023 Summer Workshop

The Summer Workshop is back! Join us for our eighth annual Summer Workshop July 15 – 16, 2023. The readings and events include:

 

Interior of the Artist Without Her Sister 

By Masha Obolensky 

Directed by Melia Bensussen 

Featuring: Ken Cheeseman, Tony Estrella, Michael Hisamoto, Mariela Lopez-Ponce, Jacques Matellus, Craig Mathers, Erik Robles, Andrea Syglowski, and Carmen Zilles

Reading: Saturday July 15 at 1pm 

 

Vanessa Stephen Bell created sensuous, colorful paintings; her sister Virginia Stephen Woolf wrote piercing, insightful prose. Growing up, the inseparable siblings drove each other in search of truth. So in the wake of Virginia’s death, Vanessa plunges into the past and strives to create herself anew – who will she protect now? What can inspire her now? How will she live with the fear that she betrayed Virginia in ways big and small? Masha Obolensky’s Interior of the Artist Without Her Sister tells a story of fierce interdependence and haunting beauty.  

RSVP HERE


Rehearse Freedom: Crafting Character Through Sound

(with Lenelle Moïse, writer of K-I-S-S-I-N-G)

Saturday July 15 at 4pm  (Maso Studio, 264 Huntington Ave)

THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST

 

About the workshop: In this energetic (occasionally ecstatic) one-hour workshop, playwright Lenelle Moïse guides participants through a series of “sound jams” and theatre exercises to explore the voice as an instrument for liberation. Practice being present, play with conviction, and learn to trust your instincts. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing and come prepared to join the chorus.

 

All experience levels welcome. This class is designed for adult participants (age 18+)

Workshop fee: $15

 

THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST


Power Trio 

By Melinda Lopez 

Directed by Elena Araoz 

Featuring: Michael Hisamoto, Evelyn Howe, Mariela Lopez-Ponce, Craig Mathers, Erik Robles, Gabriela Saker, Sandra Seoane Serí, and Regine Vital

 Reading: Sun July 16 1pm 

 

Vee washes ashore in a hostile new land, facing the immigration and naturalization service of Illyria. Challenged by the Fates and a three-headed dog, Vee wants more than just to survive — can they hope to find a new community, a new ‘home,’ and even love? In this reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and infused with music, Melinda Lopez explores how a new world becomes your own in Power Trio. 

RSVP HERE


Oxbow 

By Catherine Epstein 

Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian 

Featuring Ken Cheeseman, Amanda Collins, Eliza Fichter, Becca A. Lewis, and Nik Sadhnani

Reading: Sunday June 16 at 4pm 

 

In late winter, sisters Jessie, Martha, and Susan escape to a run-down cabin in Maine. When the furnace breaks, it’s their childhood friend Rajiv who shows up, but no one can agree on a solution. As the rest of the house starts breaking down, even a shared slice of bread can lead to a skirmish, and the sisters find themselves capable of both beautiful intimacy and stunning cruelty. Catherine Epstein’s Oxbow asks how we all deal with our desire to control the uncontrollable. 

RSVP HERE

 


 

PAST SUMMER WORKSHOP SERIES

2019 Summer Workshop

The seventh annual Summer Workshop was held July 20 – 21, 2019. The plays included:

  • The Vault by Nina Louise Morrison, Directed by Portia Krieger
  • Redux by Kate Snodgrass, Directed by Melia Bensussen
  • Untitled by Mia Chung, Directed by Ken Prestininzi
  • Spa Gods by Lila Rose Kaplan, Directed by Rebecca Bradshaw

2017 Summer Workshop

The sixth annual Summer Workshop was held July 22 – 23, 2017. The plays included:

  • Cells by Sam Marks, Directed by Oliver Butler
  • And Moira Spins by Kirsten Greenidge, Directed by Jade King Carroll
  • The Last Catastrophist by David Valdes Greenwood, Directed by Rebecca Remaly
  • The Cave by Eleanor Burgess, Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian

2016 Summer Workshop

The fifth annual Summer Workshop was held July 23 – 24, 2016. The plays included:

  • The Magician’s Daughter by Lila Rose Kaplan, Directed by Meredith McDonough
  • Drift by Patrick Gabridge, Directed by Marti Lyons
  • K-I-S-S-I-N-G by Lenelle Moïse, Directed by Jenny Koons

2015 Summer Workshop

The fourth annual Summer Workshop was held July 25 – 26, 2015. The plays included:

  • Yerma translated and adapted by Melinda Lopez, Directed by Melia Bensussen
  • Tongue Tied Tight, and Delivered by Kirsten Greenidge, Directed by Caitlin Lowans
  • A Guide for the Homesick by Ken Urban, Directed by M. Bevin O’Gara
  • Catch as Catch Can by Mia Chung, Directed by John Steber

2014 Summer Workshop

The third annual Summer Workshop was held July 19 – 20, 2014. The plays included:

  • Murmur Rock by MJ Kaufman, directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh;
  • Chatal by Sinan Ünel, directed by Melinda Lopez;
  • The Bluebeard Project co-written by Masha Obolensky & Melia Bensussen, directed by Melia Bensussen;
  • and Start Down by Eleanor Burgess, directed by Shawn LaCount.

2013 Summer Workshop

The second annual Summer Workshop was held July 9 – 21, 2013. The plays included:

  • The Many Faces of Nia by Lenelle Moise, directed by Daniella Topol;
  • A Future Perfect by Ken Urban, directed by M. Bevin O’Gara;
  • Mammal Heat by Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro, directed by Melia Bensussen;
  • and Necessary Monsters by John Kuntz, directed by David R. Gammons.

2012 Summer Workshop

The inaugural Summer Workshop took place from July 10 – 22, 2012, and featured new plays by four Huntington Playwriting Fellows:

  • Jagun Fly by John Oluwole ADEkoje, directed by Niegel Smith;
  • Flight by Patrick Gabridge, directed by Jessica Bauman;
  • Untitled Play about Dead Bodies by MJ Kaufman, directed by Kara-Lynn Vaeni;
  • and Becoming Cuba by Melinda Lopez (Sonia Flew), directed by M. Bevin O’Gara.