|
Visit: | |
NEED (New England Entertainment Digest)
JAC Publishing & Promotions
Want your event featured here or on NEED-Online?
|
|
Featured Ad |  |
Playwright Profile: Lucy Wang is an award-winning, published and produced writer, in spite of the odds, the pressure and the insanity. Wang began her illustrious career as a bond trader on Wall Street because her parents often threatened and screamed, "If we knew you were going to be a starving artist, we could have left you in China!" When Wang (nicknamed the "Hemingway of Memos") lost her job because the Mayor of New York lost his, Wang decided it was finally time to pursue her deepest passion. Everyone thought she was crazy to "waste" her University of Chicago MBA. Luckily, her biting first play JUNK BONDS won an award from the Kennedy Center and a new nickname, "the female David Mamet." She has been writing steadily ever since, surprising audiences with her diverse array of voices and life experiences and collecting as many awards, accolades and new nicknames along the way. Wang's other awards include a grant from the Berrilla Kerr Foundation, James Thurber Fellowship, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Honorary Fellow, Best New Play from the Katherine and Lee Chilcote Foundation, etc. Wang was also awarded a James Irvine Foundation Honorary Fellowship in 2007 for her work done during her second artistic residency at Djerassi. Wang's plays have been produced all over and her voices span the gamut, from A to Z. In addition to plays, Wang has written screenplays, short stories, news articles, essays, and humorous creative nonfiction. |
|
Quick Links on NEED-Online | |
|
|
|
Hello!
Where'd summer go? The kids are headed back to school (if they're not already back!), and the sizzling and soaring temperatures of late are getting a bit cooler and rainy. What's up with that? The GOOD news is, many theaters are starting up new seasons! Keep an eye on NEED's Productions Listings to see some amazing things upcoming! |
|
New Releases
A new selection from Anita's War and Holly's Plea playwright George Matry Masselam is Beating Death - Two sisters, one who is terminally ill, struggle to find freedom from the troubled relationships with the men in their lives. Both take risks with the help of each other, wine, and pure courage. The play is funny, heart-warming, sad and touching. They don't find it easy to let go of situations they are accustomed to, but which limit their happiness. Still, both sisters, amidst setbacks and obstacles, find their freedom. ISBN #1-60513-053-2; JAC #2009-0023. This title is available on the JAC site, as well as via Amazon.com.
We have two new title releases from playwright Lucy Wang, four plays in total. The first release is a collection of shorts called Scenes from a Chinese Restaurant, and includes three plays - the title play, The Famished and The Sensuous Gourmet & the Sichuan Peppercorn. Each play includes two actors, and each shares a common theme - hunger (for food or otherwise). ISBN #1-60513-118-0; JAC #2011-0023. This title is available via the JAC site and Amazon. com. Also newly released is Wang's Bird's Nest Soup. Chinese parents. American children. Should Mom do a TV cooking show or be Dad's subservient wife? There's going to be a fight, and the kids are in the middle. A fun and sad play about the rites of assimilation. ISBN #1-60513-119-9; JAC #2011-0024. This title is also available via the JAC site and Amazon.com.
For more information about these or any of JAC's play selections, visit us online, or drop us an email! |
Speaking of Amazon.com...
Check out the following JAC titles on Kindle!
|
 | |
Featured Headline
Ayer-Shirley Youth Drama Remembers 9/11
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC |
AYER, MA: Ayer Shirley Regional High School Principal Brian Haas is proud to announce that Ayer-Shirley Youth Drama has assembled a free and open to the public evening of theater to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001. Said Haas, "On this 10th Anniversary, it seemed right to not only bring September 11th back to the forefront in people's eyes, but also to get Ayer-Shirley Middle and High School students more aware." With that in mind, Ayer resident and High School Drama Director JulieAnn Govang took on the challenge, assembling "We Remember...," an evening of three separate plays with a common theme - 9/11/01. "Through my work, I'm very fortunate to know the work of many wonderful playwrights - three of whom immediately came to mind when I was considering material to use for our event."
The first play is a touching piece by New York playwright Robin Rice-Lichtig, "The Fortification of Miss Grace Wren". In it, an elementary school teacher can't cope with the present and wants to escape into the past. Thanks to historical figure Peter Stuyvesant, who stands astride the 17th and 21st Centuries, she finds the strength and desire to continue her life. Directed by Govang, the production will feature Ayer's Michael Govang opposite well-known Boston actress, Maryann Zschau.
The second play is a short called "Grieving Process," written and directed by Little High School Choral/Music Director and Leominster playwright, Steven Bergman. "Grieving Process" is a symbolic look at the survivors of the victims of September 11th. Stan still sees and talks with his wife, who he lost in the Towers on that tragic day. Stan's sister still tries to help her brother move on, but has yet to succeed. An emotionally touching piece, this play will feature recent Ayer-Shirley Regional High School graduate Kelsey Wenstrom, along with A-S.H.S.'s Stevie Schaeffer, and local actor Tom Shoemaker of Newton.
After an intermission filled with home-made and donated treats from supporters and businesses throughout the Ayer, Shirley and Devens Communities, Act II will be comprised of a single one-act play by local playwright Meron Langsner. Langsner's "Bystander 9/11" is an emotionally-charged, documentary drama drawn from the experiences of New Yorkers during the September 11th attacks and their immediate aftermath. The story begins in the subways underneath the towers and continues in a changed world. Also directed by JulieAnn Govang, this fast-paced account will feature A-S.H.S. students Dominique Jenkins, Hannah Levensailor, Stevie Schaeffer, Deja Williams and Taja Williams.
Concluded Govang, "We will never get over what happened a decade ago, but we get through it by holding together and keeping strong along the way. One way to keep strong is reinforcing the importance of remembering to our teens, and helping them to understand what happened then, and what and why people have done, and continue to do every day (military, law enforcement...everyone) to keep our country safe. It's up to us to never let such days be forgotten."
With additional support by local parents, teachers and students, "We Remember..." will be held September 9, 2011 at 7:00pm in Ayer Shirley Regional High School Auditorium, 141 Washington Street in Ayer. This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. All are welcome, especially those throughout the Ayer, Shirley and Devens Communities. For more information on the event, please call (978) 772-2545. |
|
