NEW YORK CITY: The Keen Company has announced three playwrights for its new-works program, the Keen Playwrights Lab. Brooke Berman, Kenny Finkle and Kate Moira Ryan will develop new full-length plays that mirror the company’s mission of creating “enduring stories that provoke identification, reflection and emotional connection.”
Berman, Finkle and Ryan will be under the leadership of Mark Armstrong, Keen’s director of new work. The lab, which was launched in 2013, offers a collaborative environment for playwrights to create new work. Previous lab participants include Jessica Dickey, Gabe McKinley and Qui Nguyen.
At the end of the process, each play receives its own reading. Official dates are to be announced.
“The challenge is clear: mid-career playwrights need more support, and Keen Company has stepped up,” Armstrong said in a statement. “New work is an important part of Keen Company’s mission, and playwrights are essential to the Keen community.”
Berman’s plays include 1300 Lafayette East, Hunting and Gathering and Smashing. Finkle’s ouevre includes Indoor/Outdoor, Alive and Well and Penelope Of Ithaca; he is currently developing a graphic novel musical experience for audiences of 1,2 or 3 entitled U R STAR. Ryan’s recent work includes The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, The Judy Show and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother (the last two written with and for Judy Gold).
