2008 RECIPIENTS
The 20/20 New Play Commission Program
In September 2007, at the beginning of the 2007/2008 20th Anniversary Season, InterAct Theatre Company announced the creation of the 20/20 New Play Commission program, an
ambitious new initiative that will award twenty new play commissions over the next six seasons. Long
established as one of the country’s most devoted producers of provocative, forward thinking new
plays, InterAct seeks to use the commissions to explore the issues our society faces in the next
twenty years through the eyes of the playwright.
The 2008 Awardees
Lee Blessing | WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA
A new play by the Tony Award-nominee author of GOING TO ST. IVES and WHORES, produced by
InterAct in 2002 and 2005, respectively. Set in the future at a four-star hotel in The Hague, WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA reveals an introspective yet defiant George W. Bush on the eve of his international war crimes trial.
About Lee Blessing
Lee Blessing's numerous playwriting credits include Broadway, London's West End and Moscow: A WALK IN THE WOODS (Tony, Pulitzer
and Olivier nominations, American Theater Critics Association Award). Off-Broadway:
GOING TO ST. IVES (Lucille Lortel Award nomination, best play); THIEF RIVER (Drama Desk nomination, best play); COBB (Drama Desk Award, best ensemble); CHESAPEAKE (Outer Critics Award for sound, nomination for best solo performance); DOWN THE ROAD; ELEEMOSYNARY (produced by Manhattan Theatre Club). Signature Theatre's 1992-93 Season: FORTINBRAS, LAKE STREET EXTENSION, TWO ROOMS and the world premiere of PATIENT A. Regional: Recent world and regional premieres: GREAT FALLS in the 2008 Humana New Play Festival of the Actors Theatre of Louisville; A BODY OF WATER (Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Award) at the Guthrie Theater and Old Globe Theatre (scheduled for off-Broadway premiere at Primary Stages in fall, 2008); LONESOME HOLLOW at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival; THE SCOTTISH PLAY at La Jolla Playhouse. Additional plays premiered by Actors Theatre of Louisville, Yale Repertory Theater, Arena Stage, Steppenwolf, the Alliance Theater, Florida Stage and A Contemporary Theater in Seattle, among many others. Film and television: Cooperstown for TNT (Humanitas Award). Grants from the NEA, as well as the Guggenheim, Bush, McKnight and Jerome Foundations. Mr. Blessing heads the graduate playwriting program at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, playwright Melanie Marnich.
Tom Coash | VEILS
When the American University in Cairo bans the wearing of burkas on campus, Intisar, an African-American Muslim student doing a year abroad, and Samar, her Egyptian roommate, discover that cross-cultural friendships in a post-9/11 world require courage and understanding. From
the author of CRY HAVOC, premiered by InterAct in 2003.
About Thomas Coash
A New Haven, CT playwright and director, Mr. Coash is currently the Director of New Play Development for Stageworks/Hudson (NY). Prior to Hudson, he spent three years in Bermuda and four years teaching playwriting at The American University in Cairo, Egypt. He has had many productions of his plays, including the world premiere of his play CRY HAVOC at InterAct Theatre, where it was nominated for a Barrymore Award. He has worked for such theatres as the Manhattan Theatre Club and Actors Theatre of Louisville, and has won numerous playwriting awards including Ensemble Studio Theatre's Hammerstein Award, The Kennedy Center's Lorraine Hansberry Award, and a Jerome Playwriting Fellowship. Mr. Coash is the recipient of a 2007 CT State Artist Fellowship.
Eric Pfeffinger | SOME OTHER KIND OF PERSON
A dark satire about an American businessman, who, while laying the groundwork for an outsourcing
plan in Cambodia, endeavors to liberate some underage sex workers from their plight… by buying
them.
About Eric Pfeffinger
Eric Pfeffinger's plays include ACCIDENTAL RAPTURE, MALIGNANCE, LOST & FOUNDLING, MOUSE COP, THE JOCKEY SHORT, GLUTTED, and TINY BABY. Mr. Pfeffinger's plays have been produced by Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Geva Theatre Center, Vital Theatre Company, Childsplay, Visions & Voices, the Bloomington Playwrights Project, Vox Humana and the Noble Fool, and published by Dramatic. He's been commissioned by the Signature Theatre and by Imagination Stage and has developed work through readings and workshops at PlayPenn, Chicago Dramatists, the Rattlestick, Theatre of NOTE, the Abingdon Theatre Company, and 29th Street Rep. Eric is co-author of the novel THE HIGH-IMPACT INFIDELITY DIET, published by Crown. He's a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Elaine Romero | THE DALAI LAMA ISN’T WELCOME HERE
A drama that chronicles the tragic and complicated interconnection between a Chinese family and an
American family following the tragic death of an American child due to a contaminated Chinese toy.
About Elaine Romero
Raised by an eccentric businessman and an educator, Elaine Romero has found grist for her plays in an uncharted life. Ms. Romero saw Disneyland with the King of Zululand when he and his entourage stayed with her family during his honeymoon. She learned Transcendental Meditation from a guru who imparted her mantras from a make shift altar fashioned from the family toilet. As a grad student in Paris, Ms. Romero found herself with Mother Teresa, in the awkward position of handing out ham sandwiches to non-pork eating Muslims. An award-winning playwright, Ms. Romero’s recent commissions are with the Kennedy Center, Alley Theatre, and Ohio Northern University. Her plays have been presented at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Magic Theatre, New Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company, among others. Ms. Romero’s plays have been widely published, most notably by Samuel French, Smith and Kraus, and Vintage Books. Ms. Romero’s foray into television has brought her into the network halls of CBS, NBC, and ABC. She is a Core Member of the Playwrights’ Center.
Michael Whistler | LITTLE LAMB
A drama that explores the challenges faced by an adoption agent who helps a gay couple find a
baby, only to find herself torn between her progressive social beliefs, her Christian faith, and her
African American heritage. From the author of PHIDIAS8, showcased by InterAct in 2002.
LITTLE LAMB will be produced as part of InterAct's 2008/2009 mainstage season.
About Michael Whistler
Michael Whistler is thrilled to be among the first recipients of InterAct Theatre's 20/20 Commissions for New Works. Previous works for the stage include: THE F*GGOT MUSEUM (*...AN EVENING OF GAY MEN WHO TALK TOO MUCH) (Theatre Off-Jackson, Seattle; Theatre Catalyst, Philadelphia; HOT! Festival, Dixon Place, NY); PHIDIAS8 (National Showcase of New Plays, Philadelphia; Phoenix Theatre, Indianapolis); THE MAN WHO PAINTED BOSIE (Hedgerow Theatre, Media); HIDDEN RIVERS ( Montgomery County Community College) and CASSE NOISETTE: A FAIRY BALLET. Mr. Whistler is a Philadelphia resident who has performed as an actor locally and nationally, he currently teaches theatre on faculty at Montgomery County Community College, and holds an MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Mr. Whistler extends thanks to Jamie for his support.
For information about submissions for future rounds of the 20/20 Commissions .
If you are interested in donating to the 20/20 Commission program, please contact Managing Director Dave Brown via or at 215.568.8077.
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