Inkwell Stages January New Play Festival

The Inkwell, a new theater company dedicated to developing new theatrical works in the District of Columbia, kicks off the new year with The Inkubator Festival 2008, a new-play festival at the H Street Playhouse from January 5 to 28.

The festival will feature plays by Anne McCaw, James McManus and Melissa Blackall. Festival-goers can also attend panel discussions on new play dramaturgy and designing the stage for new works, a seminar on collaboration between playwrights and directors, and a reprise of last November’s eXtreme eXchange event, which featured performances of local playwrights’ short pieces on this year’s election.

McCaw’s play, OK, which features a verbal gunfight initiated by the women of the infamous Earp brothers, will receive open rehearsals on January 8 and 17 at 8 p.m. and workshop productions on January 22, 24, and 26 at 9 and January 27 at 3. McManus, a Princess Grace Award winner, has written Underground, an intimate examination of the life of five men trapped in a mining accident. His play will receive open rehearsals on January 10 and 15 at 8 p.m. and workshop productions on January 23, 25, 26 and 27^th at 8. Blackall’s play, The F Word, is an exploration of obesity. It will receive open rehearsals on January 5, 13 and 19 at noon and a staged reading on January 26 at noon. No dates or times for the panel discussions or seminar has been announced.

Inkwell’s artistic director is local director Jessica Burgess, who has staged The Drunkard at Solus Nua and The Flu Season at Catalyst, among other productions. In addition to Burgess, McManus, McCaw, Blackall and festival dramaturg Dan Ennis are involved in the company.

All Inkubator events at the H Street Playhouse (1365 H St NE, Washington, DC) will be supported by audience donations. Reservations are available at Inkwell.