OC-centric New Play Festival

Congratulations to Armina LaManna (Fair, 2017)! Her children's theatre company, the Imagine Project, was just spotlighted at Tin Pan L.A. in this interview with L.A. theatre blogger Ryan Luevano.

Congratulations to Allison Bergman (Beethoven and Misfortune Cookies, 2019)! Gastropod, the comedy short she directed, streams on the ShortsDaily Channel on Roku through November 19.

We have a new URL! Our new website address is ... ocnewplays.comWe have a new URL! Our new website address is ... ocnewplays.com

We send congratulations this week to three past OC-centric playwrights ... Diana Burbano (Fabulous Monsters, 2015), who has been selected for the Geffen Playhouse's 2020-21 Writers Room ... Sara Cowley (Crimson, 2017), whose one-act The Gallows was chosen for Panglossian Productions' Best of All Possible Podcast this summer ... and Joni Ravenna (Beethoven and Misfortune Cookies, 2019), whose one-act The Green Grocer will appear online in Ophelia's Jump Productions' OJP Word Play Festival in September.

We'll return next August...

Congratulations to Diana Burbano (OC-centric 2015), whose play about the late 1970s L.A. punk scene, Fabulous Monsters, made the 2020 Kilroys List of recommended new works by women+ playwrights!

Chapman University has elected to cancel all in-person campus events and gatherings through at least July 31, and we have been notified that this year's OC-centric New Play Festival has been cancelled. We completely understand and respect this prudent decision. Our plan, of course, is to return with the tenth edition of OC-centric in August 2021.

Per Governor Gavin Newsom's March 11 announcement, the OC-centric New Play Festival is postponing its auditions. Our intent is to reschedule auditions for either late April or early May. We will continue to provide updates.

OC-CENTRIC NEW PLAY FESTIVAL | AUDITIONS Saturday, March 21 | 10am-2pm Chapman University | Nellie Gail Moulton Hall 300 E. Palm Avenue, Orange, CA 92866 ... Callbacks: Sunday, March 22 | 10am-12pm and 1-3pm (you may be called back for more than one play) We are dedicated to diverse, inclusive casting. If you don't see people like yourself onstage often enough in Orange County, it is time to change that and we welcome you to audition. Auditioners will read sides from the scripts. Scripts available @ tinyurl.com/qm35lmr Please bring 4 headshots with resumes. (Actors without headshots may simply bring 4 resumes.) Performances Aug. 20-30 @ Chapman University Each play receives 5 performances. Each actor cast will be paid a total stipend of $200. Auditions are by appointment. To schedule an audition within the time frame on March 21, call (714) 628-7219 or email [email protected]. Breakdown ALL ROLES ARE OPEN: LOL, a one-act comedy by Craig Holland Pat, any gender/ethnicity, to play 18-25; Alex, any gender/ethnicity, to play 18-25; Sam, M, 50+, has a heart condition; Policewoman, F, to play 30+; Paramedic 1 and Paramedic 2, any gender/age, must be able to carry actor playing Sam. MAGIC BOX, EVIL EYE, a one-act drama by Jordan R. Young Johnnie Silversmith, M, to play 70+, Native American historian, jeweler, former U.S. Marine and World War II code talker; Holly Morgan, F, 20s-30s, freelance photojournalist from Berkeley. MARCELLO AND MUSETTA BREAK UP FOR GOOD, a one-act drama by Gillian Gonzales Marcello, M, mid-20s, a painter; Musetta, F, mid-20s, a singer; Rodolfo, M, mid-20s, a poet; Schaunard, M, mid-20s, a violinist; Colline, M, mid-20s, a philosophy student; Benoit, M, mid-60s, their landlord. ONE SECOND CHANCE, a full-length drama by Desiree York Grace Marlin, F, to play 30s-50s, mother of Hope and Aurora, daughter of Velma; Hope/Aurora Marlin, F, to play 16, Grace’s daughter and Velma’s grandaughter; Velma, F, to play early 70s, mother of Grace and grandmother of Hope and Aurora. Please note that we do not normally cast actors younger than 18. See the scripts online @ tinyurl.com/qm35lmr Questions? Contact: Tamiko Washington, (714) 628-7219 or [email protected]

OC-centric auditions are two weeks away! Watch this space (and Backstage, LA Casting, and assorted Facebook boards) for our casting breakdown. Three dramas, one comedy, and 17 roles.

Congratulations to Desiree York (OC-centric 2020), whose play The Puppeteer is being produced right now at Detroit Repertory Theatre. Desiree is also directing CSUF's production of Katherine Cortez's In the Valley of the Shadow, now onstage at Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana.

OC-centric congratulates Buddy Farmer, whose comedy Joey and Mare (OC-centric 2018) has been selected for the 2020 William Inge Theatre Festival New Play Lab (Independence, KS). Here's Sara Freedland and Aaron Ford in the OC-centric production, which was directed by Katie Chidester.

OC-centric: Orange County's New Play Festival has selected three plays from this year's group of ten finalists for production in its tenth annual festival, to be held August 20-30 at Chapman University in Orange: LOL, Craig Holland Marcello and Musetta Break Up for Good, Gillian Gonzales One Second Chance, Desiree York... We congratulate these playwrights! Our call for directors for the 2020 festival will go out very soon.

After much consideration of several dozen submitted scripts, OC-centric: Orange County's New Play Festival has arrived at the ten finalists for its 2020 edition. We will produce 2-3 of these ten plays in our festival, running August 20-30. The five finalists in the one-act play category are: Clara by Arthur Kraft... LOL by Craig Holland Marcello and Musetta Break Up for Good by Gillian Gonzales St. Joseph's, 9:35 by Matt Wyatt Tucked Away by Joni Ravenna The five finalists in the full-length play category are: Blinded by Joni Ravenna Making It Home by James Colgan One Second Chance by Desiree York The Devil's Buddy by Dana Hammer The Soldier's Cross by Cinthya Hernandez We will announce which 2-3 of these plays we are producing in the 2020 festival later this month. Congratulations to the ten finalists!

Later this week, we will announce the scripts that are finalists for the 2020 OC-centric New Play Festival (coming August 20-30). Stay tuned!

December 1 is our play submission deadline! We've been getting some great scripts in, and you have until midnight on 12/1 to submit. Scroll down (or visit our FB page at the link, if you're seeing this in your feed) to look over our call for plays for 2020.

Playwrights: we are about to call for plays...and for 2020, our 10th anniversary, we're changing things up just a bit. More later this week.