Contemporary American Theater Festival
July 8 – August 2
Only 90 minutes from Washington, in charming Shepherdstown, WV, a festival is going on which presents five new plays in rep – you can see them all in two days, as we will- and is the wellspring for theater companies around the country. From last year’s festival, we’ve already seen Pig Farm by Greg Kotis in full production at 1st Stage, and Lydia Diamond’s Stick Fly arrives at Arena Stage in January.
Walk into the lobby and you see banners, not heralding plays, but heralding their writers. This year’s flags will say Beau Willimon, Steven Dietz, Michael Weller, Eisa Davis and Victor Lodato. “Our 2009 playwrights show us the way to what’s next. Their stories are a reflection of our contemporary society. The theater persists because of new plays. New plays are a pressurized microcosm of a life … our life. Their very essence implies that they touch the human soul.” Ed Herendeen, CATF Producing Director
This year at CATF:
Fifty Words by Michael Weller
Tim’s review
Dear Sara Jane by Victor Lodato
Tim’s review
Farragut North by Beau Willimon
Tim’s review
The History of Light by Eisa Davis
Tim’s review
We hope you can spend a bit of your summer at the Contemporary American Theater Festival.
