NAPLES, FLA.: Gulfshore Playhouse has announced the lineup for its annual New Works Festival. The festival of developmental workshops and staged readings will be held September 15-17.
The winning playwrights whose works will be produced include Deb Hiett with Circle Forward, Ivan R. Lopez with The Lion Tamer, and F.J. Hartland with Hrdza. All performances will include post-show talkbacks.
Circle Forward follows Mia, a widow who believes a teenager she just met is the reincarnation of her late husband. The performance will be held Sept. 16, directed by Jeffrey Binder.
The Lion Tamer (Sept. 16) follows Steve, an actor who lands the role of a lifetime pretending to be the estranged son of a billionaire. Marshall Jones III will direct.
In Hrdza (Sept. 17), a local mill closes down in 1892 and lays off Marek, who must find a new way to take care of his family and pursue the American dream while unemployed. Kristen Coury will direct.
Additionally, Gulfshore Playhouse will preesnt a workshop of Brent Askari’s The Refugees, which the theatre will stage as a production during the upcoming 2023-24 season. Askari’s play follows the Suttons, a Connecticut WASP family, as they try to flee the country during a civil war, only to find themselves impoverished in the Middle East. Jones III will direct the workshop on Sept. 15.
Gulfshore Playhouse produces professional theatre and provides unique educational opportunities in the spirit of service, adventure, and excitement. The theatre’s work is driven by a belief in the magic of theatre to expand the imagination, challenge the senses, provoke discussion, and revitalize audiences. As of 2021, the theatre had a budget of approximately $22.8 million.
