Gay Play Weekend 3
Meet the Playwrights!
Gay Play Weekend                  
April 13 to 15, 2012
Leo Schwartz
Leo Schwartz 
Leo Schwartz is an award- winning composer of film, musical theatre, and jazz. His works have been performed off-Broadway, in Europe, and across the United States with diverse groups from the Chicago Clarinet Ensemble to the Boston Gay Men's Chorus. Leo receives frequent commissions and makes his residence in Chicago, Illinois.

 

George Smart
George Smart

George Smart, a Boston-based playwright, enjoys exploring the world as seen from a gay perspective in his writing. Produced 10-minute plays include IDWYT, Bottom And The Big Bad Bat, You Don't?, and It Doesn't. Full-length plays include A Dog and His Boys and Charlote's Crossing.

 

 

Pride Films and Plays
Thanks to Our Sponsors 

The Deratany Firm, 

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Grab Magazine,

Pink Pages,  

The Deep Dish Blog,

One In Ten Screenplay Contest,

Best Gay Chicago, Glitterati Productions,

Steve Starr Studios, Tiffany Nasca Designs,

JMR Productions  

 

About Pride Films and Plays

Pride Films and Plays, based in Chicago, links an international network of writers with professionals working in film and theater.  PFP fosters excellent writing for the stage and screen that speaks not only to the LGBT community, but is essential viewing for our friends, family, and co-workers.  Using stories with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters or themes, Pride Films and Plays develops human stories that become a cultural bridge to understanding.  Through readings, contests, classes, screenings, and full theater productions, PFP engages artists and audiences in the full developmental process needed to make great artistic experiences.

 

Interested In Joining
Our Team?

We are always looking for people to join the PFP team, from board members and volunteers to actors and crew.

If you are interested in the being considered for the Board of  Directors, please send a direct email to me.

Actors should send their headshots and resumes to prideactor@gmail.com; stage managers or directors should send resumes to pridecrew@gmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you! Thanks!

David Zak

 

I am so excited that the playwrights featured in Gay Play Weekend will all be in Chicago in April.  David Zak

Dylan Costello is coming from London, Adam Siegel from New York.  Sean Chandler and David Leeper are from California, and George Smart is from Boston. And Leo Schwartz is from right here in Chicago.

Please make sure you attend these enhanced staged readgings, and participate in the post-show discussions.

We are thrilled to be impacting the future of LGBT theater and look forward to hearing what you have to say.
 
David Zak
Executive Director 
Adam Siegel

Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel is the author of several plays, including The Legacy, winner of the 2008 New Play Festival at South Carolina's Centre Stage, where it was produced in 2009. In addition, the play has had readings at regional theaters around the country, including Reston Players in Reston, VA; Dezart Performs in Palm Springs, CA; Hudson River Showcase in Hudson, NY; and Gayfest NYC, where an Equity reading was directed by Martin Casella, playwright of off-Broadway's award-winning The Irish Curse.
 

The Legacy was also a semifinalist for the O'Neill Playwrights Conference and will have readings this year in Louisville, Kentucky, as part of Pandora Productions' New Play Project.   

 

Adam has studied playwriting with Alvin Eng at the Gotham Writer's Workshop in New York. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. 

 

Dylan Costello
 
Dylan Costello
Native London Essex boy Dylan Costello is a screenwriter and playwright - a career path he chose after being inspired by his journals of the madcap 3 years he spent travelling the globe in his youth. His debut movie Coronado is currently in pre-production in Hollywood and his first two plays, Fresh Meat and Secret Boulevard, were produced in London in 2010. His short climate change film Edge of Existence was also shown at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December 2009. Dylan freely cites that the ideas for his works come to him in the most random of places and moments, with Hello Norma Jeane being no exception!

 

Sean Chandler and David Leeper    

Sean Chandler is thrilled to be a finalist with At The Flash alongside his husband in The Great Gay Play and Musical Contest of 2012! His additional
Sean Chandler
Sean Chandler
completed works include Radical Morality (Nicoll Fellowship Quarter-
Finalist, Creative World Awards Semi-Finalist), Kissing The Frog Prince (Scriptoid Writers Challenge, All Access Screenwriters Competi- tion & The Screenplay Festival Semi-Finalist), and The Pack"  (Creative World Awards Semi- Finalist). His current works in development include Grand Matriculation and Benji Boomer, Life Coach.
www.www.seanwchandler.com
David Leeper 
David Leeper is honored to be part of The Great Gay Play and Musical Contestwith At The Flash. His completed written works include the screenplay KissingThe Frog Prince and stage play, Make Mine a Double. He is currently working on a two-person
sketch-type stage show and continues to pursue his primary creative interest of acting. His favorite past roles include the workshop of At The Flash, Oleanna by David Mamet, Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson, and Titanic by Christopher Durang. www.davidwleeper.com
Thanks To Our Donors!

Bill Rybarczyk and Lyn Adams, Joe and Susan Adler,

Phil Aulbach, Patricia Aylward,

Gigi Belser, James Darby and Patrick Bova,

Charlotte Brown, Robert Burger,

John Charmelo, Drew Jemilo and Tom Chiola,

Mark Contorno, Jay Cook,

Jeff Cotton, Brian and Catherine Cummings,

Pat Cummings, Pat Curtis,

George and Mary Dempsey,

Jay Paul Deratany, Margot Eccles,

Lorraine and Russell Freund,

Jim and Mary Gearen, Donald Ratner and Bruce Gober, Jeremy Gottschalk, Susan Greenberg, Phil Hannema,

Katherine Harris, Judi Jennrich,

Bill Kaiser, William Kelley,

Steve Kimbrough, Dorothy Klefstad,

Anne V. McGravie, Don Voigt and Michelle McKenzie-Voigt,

Tom Emerick and Swarup Mehti, Jack Meyer,

Steve Montner, John Nasca,

Steve Needham, Charlotte Newfeld,

Ramona Nitzschke, Mike O'Hare,

Rick Gibbons and Robert Ollis,

Chad Osborn, Sheryl Pethers,

Mark Ridge and Andrew Souders,

Stephen Blackwell and Ronald Sarbieski,

Jamie Smith, Kyle Gearhart and Keith Stoneking,

Richard Sypniewski, Vanda,

Stephanie Sullivan and Kelli Walker,

Elisa Woodruff. David Wynne,

David Zak and Christopher Kirbabas,

George Zak

Pride Films and Plays

3023 N Clark 327

Chicago, IL 60657

 www.pridefilmsandplays.com  

  773 250 3117

pridefilmsandplays@gmail.com 

 

David Zak

Executive Director

 

John Nasca, Andrew Souders

Artistic Associates

 

Allison Fradkin   

Literary Coordinator, Women's Work

 

Artistic Ensemble

Steven Anderson, Derek Van Barham,  

Charles A. Berglund, Derek Bertelsen,  

David Besky, Tom Chiola, Brian Grey,

Sean-Edward Hall, Michael Hampton,

Jude Hansen, Nicholas Harper,

Valerie Heckman, John Highberger, Kris Hyland, 

Kelley Keough, Michael Lasswell, Joan McGrath,

Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, Tiffany Nasca,  

Cyra K. Polizzi, Chad Ryan, 

Patrick Rybarczyk, Mark Smaglinski,  

Jamie Smith, Jake Szczepaniak, Kelli Walker,

Kevin Webb, Honey West, Lee Wichman    

 

 Pride Films and Plays is a member of the  

League of Chicago Theaters,  

Central Lakeview Merchants Association,

the Donors Forum, and the  

 

Pride Films and Plays