New York Stage & Film's 41st Season: Audiences as Final Collaborators
In late July, Poughkeepsie, New York, hosted the 41st annual New York Stage & Film Summer Season at Marist University and the Bardavon 1869 Opera House. Established in 1985, this festival has produced over 1,000 new works, with 20 making their way to Broadway. This year, it showcased eight new plays, three musicals, and 14 screenplays, engaging more than 350 artists. Highlights included readings of 'Menafee' by Quiara Alegría Hudes and 'Paper Menagerie,' adapted by Thao Nguyen and Lloyd Suh. The musical 'Boom for Real,' centered on Jean-Michel Basquiat, was also featured. Lin-Manuel Miranda was among the notable guests. Ian Belknap, the artistic director, noted the audience's importance in the development process amidst the decline of developmental labs in American theatre.
Key facts
- The 41st New York Stage & Film Summer Season took place in late July at Marist University and the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, New York.
- The festival has developed over 1,000 new works since 1985, with 20 going to Broadway, 150 to Off-Broadway, and more than 60 to regional theatres.
- This year's program included eight new plays, three new musicals, and 14 screenplays, with over 350 artists involved.
- Quiara Alegría Hudes's new play 'Menafee' was presented, based on the true story of Corey Menafee, and directed by Hudes herself.
- 'Paper Menagerie,' adapted by Lloyd Suh and Thao Nguyen from a Ken Liu short story, was directed by Chay Yew.
- The musical 'Boom for Real,' with music by John Legend and book by Marcus Gardley, about Jean-Michel Basquiat, was presented.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Linn-Baker, and Max Mayer were among the notable attendees.
- Artistic director Ian Belknap described audiences as the 'final character' in new work development.
- Chay Yew noted the decline of developmental labs in American theatre, with opportunities shrinking from about 20 to a handful.
- Director Kamilah Forbes emphasized the need for spaces to develop new work, citing the closure of places like The Lark Play Development Center and Sundance Theater Lab.
Entities
Artists
- Ian Belknap
- Chay Yew
- Quiara Alegría Hudes
- Corey Menafee
- Priscilla Lopez
- Elena Hurst
- Ronald Peet
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Leslie Odom Jr.
- Mark Linn-Baker
- Max Mayer
- Lloyd Suh
- Thao Nguyen
- Ken Liu
- Kate Cortesi
- Joe Garcia
- Josiah Davis
- John Legend
- Marcus Gardley
- Kamilah Forbes
- Jake Brasch
- Shelley Butler
- Cristina Marie Pla-Guzman
Institutions
- New York Stage & Film
- Marist University
- Bardavon 1869 Opera House
- The Lark Play Development Center
- Sundance Theater Lab
- American Theatre Critics Association
- Theatre Communications Group
- Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute
Locations
- Poughkeepsie
- New York
- United States
- Hudson River
- Grand Central
- Florida