Humana Festival of New American Plays
Humana Festival of New American Plays is an internationally renowned festival that celebrates the contemporary American playwright. Produced annually in Louisville, Kentucky by Actors Theatre of Louisville, this prestigious event showcases new theatrical works and draws producers, critics, playwrights and theatre lovers from around the world. The Humana Festival is made possible by the generosity of The Humana Foundation. The festival was founded in 1976 by Jon Jory, Actors Theatre Producing Director from 1969 to 2000.
History of festival
- Actors Theatre has produced over 400 Humana Festival plays (short pieces, ten-minute plays, one-acts, and full-lengths), representing the works of more than 200 playwrights.
- Over three-fourths of the Humana Festival plays have been published in twenty-eight Actors Theatre anthologies as well as individual acting editions, making a visible and vital contribution to American dramatic literature.
- Three Humana Festival plays have won the Pulitzer Prize: The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn, Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley and Dinner With Friends by Donald Margulies. Keely and Du by Jane Martin was a finalist.
- In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Humana Festival plays have won many prestigious awards including the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Pen Center USA West Award, The Kesselring Prize, the Obie Award and the American Theatre Critics/Steinberg New Play Award.
- More than 2,000 scripts are received annually for consideration in the New Play Program. Nearly 75,000 scripts have been submitted since 1976.
- The Humana Foundation first sponsored the Humana Festival during the 1979–80 season. During the 1981–82 season, the festival was renamed the Humana Festival of New American Plays in honor of the Louisville-based company's ongoing and generous support. As the philanthropic arm of Humana, Inc., The Humana Foundation identifies, funds and nurtures projects and organizations in three fields: domestic and international health, education and arts, and civic developments where the company has a meaningful presence.
- Over 30 foreign countries are represented in the audience at the festival each year.
- Over 90 million Americans have seen additional productions of the many plays originated in the Humana Festival, not including film and television audiences who have seen Humana plays adapted for the screen.
- Actors' New Play Program encompasses the Humana Festival of New American Plays, the National Ten-Minute Play Contest and ongoing contact with hundreds of playwrights.
- The Heideman Award was established in 1979. Made possible by the late Louisvillian Ted Heideman, the $1,000 cash prize is bestowed annually upon the winners of the National Ten-Minute Play Contest (1989–2005), which evolved from the national One-Act Play Contest (1979–1989).
- Each year of the Humana Festival's first decade (1976–1986), The Great American Play Contest awarded cash prizes for two full-length scripts produced in the Humana Festival.
List of plays[1]
- 1976–1977
- The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn
- Indulgences in the Louisville Harem by John Orlock
- 1977–1978
- The Louisville Zoo by Anonymous Authors
- An Independent Woman by Daniel Stein
- Getting Out by Marsha Norman
- Does Anybody Here Do the Peabody? by Enid Rudd
- The Bridgehead by Frederick Bailey
- 1978–1979
- 1979–1980
- Agnes of God by John Pielmeier
- Doctors and Diseases by Peter Ekstrom
- The Coal Diamond by Shirley Lauro
- Nothing Immediate by Shirley Lauro
- Remington by Ray Aranha
- Sunset/Sunrise by Adele Edling Shank
- They're Coming to Make it Brighter by Kent Broadhurst
- Today a Little Extra by Michael Kassin
- Weekends Like Other People by David Blomquist
- The American Project: a compendium of short plays:
- American Welcome by Brian Friel
- The Drummer by Athol Fugard
- The Golden Accord by Wole Soyinka
- Hooray for Hollywood by John Byrne
- San Salvador by Keith Dewhurst:
- The Side of the Road by Gordon Dryland
- Star Quality by Carol Bolt
- Switching by Brian Clark
- Tall Girls Have Everything by Stewart Parker
- Vicki Madison Clocks Out by Alexander Buzo
- 1980–1981
- The Autobiography of a Pearl Diver by Martin Epstein
- Extremities by William Mastrosimone
- A Full Length Portrait of America by Paul D’Andrea
- My Sister in this House by Wendy Kesselman
- Future Tense by David Kranes
- Swop by Ken Jenkins
- Early Times: a compendium of short plays:
Shorts:
- Chocolate Cake by Mary Gallagher
- Chug by Ken Jenkins
- Final Placement by Ara Watson
- 1981–1982
- Clara's Play by John Olive
- A Different Moon by Ara Watson
- Full Hookup by Conrad Bishop and Elizabeth Fuller
- The Grapes of Wrath by Terrence Shank
- The Informer by Thomas Murphy
- Oldtimers Game by Lee Blessing
- Talking With by Jane Martin
Shorts:
- The Eye of the Beholder by Kent Broadhurst
- The New Girl by Vaughn McBride
- The Groves of Academe by Mark Stein
Solo: a compendium of one-person plays:
- 1982–1983
- Courage by John Pielmeier
- Eden Court by Murphy Guyer
- Food From Trash by Gary Leon Hill
- In a Northern Landscape by Timothy Mason
- Neutral Countries by Barbara Field
- Sandcastles by Adele Edling Shank
- Thanksgiving by James McLure
- A Weekend Near Madison by Kathleen Tolan
- Fathers and Daughters: two one-act plays:
- A Tantalizing by William Mastrosimone
- The Value of Names by Jeffrey Sweet
Shorts:
- Bartok as Dog by Patrick Tovatt
- The Habitual Acceptance of the Near Enough by Kent Broadhurst
- Partners by Dave Higgins
- 1983–1984
- 007 Crossfire by Ken Jenkins
- Courtship by Horton Foote
- Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley
- Execution of Justice by Emily Mann
- Husbandry by Patrick Tovatt
- Independence by Lee Blessing
- Lemons by Kent Broadhurst
- The Octette Bridge Club by P.J. Barry
- The Undoing by William Mastrosimone
- 1984–1985
- Available Light by Heather McDonald
- Days and Nights Within by Ellen McLaughlin
- Ride the Dark Horse by J.F. O’Keefe
- Tent Meeting by Larry Larson, Levi Lee & Rebecca Wackler
- Two Masters by Frank Manley
- The Very Last Lover of the River Cane by James McLure
- War of the Roses (now titled Riches) by Lee Blessing
Shorts:
- Advice to the Players by Bruce Bonafede
- The American Century by Murphy Guyer
- The Black Branch by Gary Leon Hill with Jo Hill
- The Root of Chaos by Douglas Soderberg
- 1985–1986
- Astronauts by Claudia Reilly
- How to Say Goodbye by Mary Gallagher
- No Mercy by Constance Congdon
- The Shaper by John Steppling
- Smitty's News by Conrad Bishop and Elizabeth Fuller
- Some Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends: A Final Evening with the Illuminati by Larry Larson and Levi Lee
- To Culebra by Jonathan Bolt
- Transports: two one-act plays:
- 21A by Kevin Kling
- How Gertrude Stormed the Philosopher's Club by Martin Epstein
- 1986–1987
- Deadfall by Grace McKeaney
- Digging Inby Julie Crutcher and Vaughn McBride
- Elaine's Daughter by Mayo Simon
- Glimmerglass by Jonathan Bolt
- Gringo Planet by Frederick Bailey
- T Bone N Weasel by Jon Klein
- Water Hole by Kendrew Lascelles
Shorts:
- Chemical Reactions by Andy Foster
- Fun by Howard Korder
- The Love Talker by Deborah Pryor
- 1987–1988
- Alone at the Beach by Richard Dresser
- Channels by Judith Fein
- Lloyd's Prayer by Kevin Kling
- The Metaphor by Murphy Guyer
- The Queen of the Leaky Roof Circuit by Jimmy Breslin
- Sarah and Abraham by Marsha Norman
- Whereabouts Unknown by Barbara Damashek
- 1988–1989
- Autumn Elegy by Charlene Redick
- Blood Issue by Harry Crews
- Bone-the-Fish by Arthur Kopit
- The Bug by Richard Strand
- God's Country by Steven Dietz
- Incident at San Bajo by Brad Korbesmeyer
- Stained Glass by William F. Buckley, Jr.
- Tales of the Lost Formicans by Constance Congdon
- 1989–1990
- 2 by Romulus Linney
- Infinity's House by Ellen McLaughlin
- The Pink Studio by Jane Anderson
- The Swan by Elizabeth Egloff
- Vital Signs by Jane Martin
- Zara Spook and Other Lures by Joan Ackermann
- In Darkest America by Joyce Carol Oates
- 1990–1991
- Cementville by Jane Martin
- The Death of Zukasky by Richard Strand
- Down the Road by Lee Blessing
- In the Eye of the Hurricane by Eduardo Machado
- Night-Side by Shem Bitterman
- Out the Window by Neal Bell
- A Passenger Train of Sixty-One Coaches by Paul Walker
- A Piece of My Heart by Shirley Lauro
- What She Found There by John Glore
- 1991–1992
- Bondage by David Henry Hwang
- The Carving of Mount Rushmore by John Conklin
- D. Boone (retitled: Loving Daniel Boone) by Marsha Norman
- Devotees in the Garden of Love by Suzan-Lori Parks
- Eukiah by Lanford Wilson
- Evelyn and the Polka King by John Olive
- Hyaena by Ross MacLean
- Lynette at 3 A.M. by Jane Anderson
- Marisol by José Rivera
- Old Lady's Guide to Survival by Mayo Simon
- Procedure by Joyce Carol Oates
- 1992–1993
- Deadly Virtues by Brian Jucha
- The ice Fishing Play by Kevin Kling
- Keely and Du by Jane Martin
- Poof! by Lynn Nottage
- Shooting Simone by Lynne Kaufman
- Stanton's Garage by Joan Ackermann
- Tape by José Rivera
- What We Do With it by Bruce MacDonald
- Various Small Fires by Regina Taylor
- 1993–1994
- 1969 by Tina Landau
- Betty the Yeti by Jon Klein
- Julie Johnson by Wendy Hammond
- The Last Time We Saw Her by Jane Anderson
- My Left Breast by Susan Miller
- Slavs! (Thinking About the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness) by Tony Kushner
- Shotgun by Romulus Linney
- Stones and Bones by Marion McClinton
- The Survivor: A Cambodian Odyssey by Jon Lipsky
- Trip's Cinch by Phyllis Nagy
- 1994–1995
- Below the Belt by Richard Dresser
- Beast on the Moon by Richard Kalinoski
- Between the Lines by Regina Taylor
- Cloud Tectonics by José Rivera
- Head On by Elizabeth Dewberry
- Helen at Risk by Dana Yeaton
- July 7, 1994 by Donald Margulies
- Middle-Aged White Guys by Jane Martin
- Tough Choices for the New Century: A Seminar for Responsible Living by Jane Anderson
- Trudy Blue by Marsha Norman
- Your Obituary is a Dance by Benard Cummings
- 1995–1996
- The Batting Cage by Joan Ackermann
- Chilean Holiday by Guillermo Reyes
- Contract With Jackie by Jimmy Breslin
- Flesh and Blood by Elizabeth Dewberry
- Going, Going, Gone by Anne Bogart & the Saratoga International Theater Company
- Jack and Jill by Jane Martin
- Missing/Kissing by John Patrick Shanley
- One Flea Spare by Naomi Wallace
- Reverse Transcription: Six Playwrights Bury a Seventh by Tony Kushner
- Trying to Find Chinatown by David Henry Hwang
- What I Meant Was by Craig Lucas
- 1996–1997
- Gun-Shy by Richard Dresser
- Icarus by Edwin Sanchez
- In Her Sight by Carol K. Mack
- Lighting Up the Two-Year Old by Benjie Aerenson
- Misreadings by Neena Beber
- Polaroid Stories by Naomi Iizuka
- Private Eyes by Steven Dietz
- Stars by Romulus Linney
- Waterbabies by Adam LeFevre
- 1997–1998
- Acorn by David Graziano
- Dinner With Friends by Donald Margulies
- Let the Big Dog Eat by Elizabeth Wong
- Like Totally Weird by William Mastrosimone
- Meow by Val Smith
- Mr. Bundy by Jane Martin
- Resident Alien by Stuart Spencer
- Ti Jean Blues, adapted from the works of Jack Kerouac by JoAnne Akalaitis
- The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek by Naomi Wallace
- 1998–1999
- Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls by Naomi Iizuka
- Cabin Pressure by Anne Bogart & The SITI Company
- What Are You Afraid Of?" by Richard Dresser
- The Cockfighter by Frank Manley, adapted by Vincent Murphy
- God's Man in Texas by David Rambo
- The T(ext) Shirt Project
- Y2K (retitled: BecauseHeCan) by Arthur Kopit
- Life Under 30 — A Bill of 10-Minute Plays:
- Slop-Culture by Robb Badlam
- The Blue Room by Courtney Baron
- Dancing With a Devil by Brooke Berman
- Forty Minute Finish by Jerome Hairston
- Mpls., St. Paul by Julia Jordan
- Drive Angry by Matt Pelfrey
- Labor Day by Sheri Wilner
- Just Be Frank by Caroline Williams
- 1999–2000
- Anton in Show Business by Jane Martin
- Arabian Nights by David Ives
- Big Love by Charles L. Mee
- The Divine Fallacy by Tina Howe
- No. 11 (Blue and White) by Alexandra Cunningham
- Standard Time by Naomi Wallace
- TAPE by Stephen Belber
- Touch by Toni Press-Coffman
- War of the Worlds by Naomi Iizuka
Phone Plays:
- Beside Every Good Man by Regina Taylor
- Lovers of Long Red Hair by José Rivera
- The Reprimand by Jane Anderson
- Show Business by Jeffrey Hatcher
- Trespassion by Mark O’Donnell
- 2000–2001
- bobrauschenbergamerica by Charles L. Mee
- Description Beggared; or the Allegory of WHITENESS by Mac Wellman, music by Michael Roth
- Flaming Guins of the Purple Sage by Jane Martin
- Quake by Melanie Marnich
- Heaven and Hell (On Earth): A Divine Comedy by Robert Alexander, Jenny Lyn Bader, Elizabeth Dewberry, Deborah Lynn Frockt, Rebecca Gilman, Keith Glover, Hilly Hicks Jr., Karen Hines, Michael Kassin, Jane Martin, William Mastrosimone, Guillermo Reyes, Sarah Schulman, Richard Strand, Alice Tuan & Elizabeth Wong
- When The Sea Drowns in Sand (retitled: Havana is Waiting) by Eduardo Machado
- Wonderful World by Richard Dresser
- Chad Curtiss, Lost Again by Arthur Kopit
The Phone Plays:
- Subliminable by Greg Allen (The Neo-Futurists, Chicago)
- Hype-R-Connectivity by Andy Bayiates (The Neo-Futurists, Chicago)
- Call Waiting by Rachel Claff (The Neo-Futurists, Chicago)
- Owls By Erin Courtney (Clubbed Thumb, New York)
- Message Sent by Sterling Houston (Jump-Start Performance Co., San Antonio)
- Click by Brighde Mullins (Thick Description, San Francisco)
- Somebody Call 911 by Jennifer L. Nelson (African Continuum Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.)
- 2001–2002
- A.M. Sunday by Jerome Hairston
- Bake Off by Sheri Wilner
- Classyass by Caleen Sinnette Jennings
- Finer Noble Gases by Adam Rapp
- Limonade Tous Les Jours by Charles L. Mee
- The Mystery of Attraction by Marlane Meyer
- Nightswim by Julia Jordan
- Rembrandt's Gift by Tina Howe
- Score conceived and directed by Anne Bogart, adapted by Jocelyn Clarke
- Snapshot: A Dramatic Anthology by Tanya Barfield, Lee Blessing, Julie Jensen, Honour Kane, Sunil Kuruvilla, David Lindsay-Abaire, Michael Bigelow Dixon & Val Smith, Victor Lodato, Quincy Long, Deb Margolin, Allison Moore, Lynn Nottage, Dan O’Brien, Annie Weisman, Craig Wright, and Chay Yew
- The Technology Project
- Voice Properties (On A First Date After a Full Year of Februarys) by John Belluso
- F.E.T.C.H. by Alice Tuan
- Virtual Mediation #1 by Sarah Ruhl
- 2002–2003
- The Faculty Room by Bridget Carpenter
- Fit for Feet by Jordan Harrison
- The Lively Lad songs by Quincy Long, music by Michael Silversher
- Omnium-Gatherum by Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros and Theresa Rebeck
- Orange Lemon Egg Canary: A Trick In Four Acts by Rinne Groff
- The Roads That Lead Here by Lee Blessing
- The Second Death of Priscilla by Russell Davis
- Slide Glide the Slippery Slope by Kia Corthron
- Trash Anthem by Dan Dietz
- Trepidation Nation: A Phobic Anthology by Keith Josef Adkins, Stephen Belber, Hilary Bell, Glen Berger, Sheila Callaghan, Bridget Carpenter, Cusi Cram, Richard Dresser, Erik Ehn, Gina Gionfriddo, Kirsten Greenidge, Michael Hollinger, Warren Leight, Julie Marie Myatt, Victoria Stewart, and James Still
- Rhythmicity by UNIVERSES (Steven Sapp; Mildred Ruiz-Sapp; Gamal A. Chasten; and special guest collaborators: Reg.e.ganes; Willie Perdomo; Rha Goddess; Reggie Cabico)
- 2003–2004
- After Ashley by Gina Gionfriddo
- At the Vanishing Point by Naomi Iizuka
- A Bone Close to My Brain by Dan Dietz
- Foul Territory by Craig Wright
- Kid-Simple by Jordan Harrison
- Kuwait by Vincent Delaney
- The Ruby Sunrise by Rinne Groff
- Sans-Culottes in the Promised Land by Kirsten Greenidge
- The Spot by Steven Dietz
- Tallgrass Gothic by Melanie Marnich
- Fast and Loose: An Ethical Collaboration by José Cruz González, Kirsten Greenidge, Julie Marie Myatt and John Walch
- 2004–2005
- Dream of Jeanie-by-the-Door by David Valdes Greenwood
- Goody Fucking Two Shoes by Jennifer Maisel
- Hazzard County by Allison Moore
- Johannes, Pyotr & Marge by Jeffrey Essmann
- Long Dream in Summer by Saïd Sayrafiezadeh
- Memory House by Kathleen Tolan
- Moot the Messenger by Kia Corthron
- A Nervous Smile by John Belluso
- Pure Confidence by Carlyle Brown
- The Shaker Chair by Adam Bock
- Uncle Sam's Satiric Spectacular: On Democracy and Other Fictions, Featuring Patriotism Acts and Blue Songs from a Red State by Greg Allen, Sheila Callaghan, Bridget Carpenter, Eric Coble, Richard Dresser, Michael Friedman and Hilly Hicks
- 2005–2006
- Act a Lady by Jordan Harrison
- Hotel Cassiopeia by Charles L. Mee, produced in association with the SITI Company
- Listeners by Jane Martin
- Low's Journey: Mediations Trilogy, pt. I by Rha Goddess, a co-production of Divine Dime, Ltd. and Made in da Shade
- Natural Selection by Eric Coble
- Neon Mirage by Liz Duffy Adams, Dan Dietz, Rick Hip-Flores, Julie Jensen, Lisa Kron, Tracey Scott Wilson & Chay Yew
- Six Years by Sharr White
- The Scene by Theresa Rebeck
- Sovereignty by Rolin Jones
- Three Guys and a Brenda by Adam Bock
- 2006–2007
- 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks
- The As If Body Loop by Ken Weitzman
- Batch: An American Bachelor/Ette Party Spectacle, conceived by Whit MacLaughlin & Alice Tuan With Text by Alice Tuan Created by New Paradise Laboratories
- Clarisse and Larmon by Deb Margolin
- Dark Play or Stories for Boys by Carlos Murillo
- I Am Not Batman by Marco Ramirez
- Mr. and Mrs. by Julie Marie Myatt
- The Open Road Anthology by Constance Congdon, Kia Corthron, Michael John Garcés, Rolin Jones, A. Rey Pamatmat, Kathryn Walat with music by GrooveLily
- Strike-Slip by Naomi Iizuka
- The Unseen by Craig Wright
- When Something Wonderful Ends by Sherry Kramer[2]
- 2007–2008
- Great Falls by Lee Blessing
- Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo
- This Beautiful City by Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman
- the break/s by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
- All Hail Hurricane Gordo by Carly Mensch
- Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom by Jennifer Haley
- Game On by Zakiyyah Alexander, Rolin Jones, Alice Tuan, Daryl Watson, Marisa Wegrzyn and Ken Weitzman, with music and lyrics by Jon Spurney
- Tongue, Tied by M. Thomas Cooper
- Dead Right by Elaine Jarvik
- In Paris You Will Find Many Baguettes but Only One True Love by Michael Lew
- One Short Sleepe by Naomi Wallace
- 2008–2009
- Ameriville by UNIVERSES (Steven Sapp; Mildred Ruiz-Sapp; Gamal A. Chasten; William Ruiz a.k.a.- NINJA)
- Slasher by Allison Moore
- Absalom by Zoe Kazan
- The Hard Weather Boating Party by Naomi Wallace
- Under Construction by Charles L. Mee, produced in association with the SITI Company
- Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry adapted for the stage by Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel, original music by Malcolm Dalglish
- Brink! by Lydia R. Diamond, Kristoffer Diaz, Greg Kotis, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb and Deborah Stein
- On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning by Alex Dremann
- 3:59am: a drag race for two actors by Marco Ramirez
- Roanoke by Michael Lew, music and lyrics by Matt Schatz
References
See also
External links