Waterwell Drama's New Works Lab Hosts World Premiere Of JUNE JULY AUGUST

Waterwell is proud to announce the 2019 New Works Lab World Premiere of June July August by Sinead Daly, directed by Heather Lanza.

Each year Waterwell commissions a new full-length play by an emerging playwright written specifically for the actors in their senior year in the Drama Program @ PPAS.

Designed to stimulate the creation of high-quality new plays for young actors, the New Works Lab offers emerging and established playwrights the chance to develop their work with the support of professional directors and designers and a cast of exceptionally talented high school artists. The students, in turn, not only get to experience the new play development process, but do so by collaborating with an exciting new voice in the American theater. Through this opportunity, they learn to embrace change and surprise, to stay curious and compassionate, and to feel the power of their own voice and their own story - skills that will serve them in whatever profession they choose to pursue.

June July August is a coming of age story set in the Junior Counselor Bunk at an all-girls summer camp that explores critical moments of no-turning-back that these teenagers experience as they transition from childhood to adulthood. The play explores the strength and resiliency of teenage girls, and how the layered relationships play out between them as they test their ideas of who they are and who they are becoming.

"Watching this group of young artists rigorously collaborate to create a brand new play gives me hope for the future," says Artistic Director Lee Sunday Evans. "Their passion and focus is a reflection of how much these young people want to communicate. Creating new theater is an immensely complex and sensitive process - these young artists, in collaboration with a professional writer + director and design team, are up to the task and it is thrilling that we can give them this opportunity in New Works Lab to flex those muscles."

"Waterwell's New Works Lab is the culminating experience for the young actors training in our program" says Heather Lanza, Director of Education and director of this year's production. "Each year, this project not only gives the students an opportunity to learn about the process of developing a new play, but challenges them to investigate what role they can play in the future of the American theater. Beginning to learn how one individual can play a key role in the creation of a story that is reflective of our times is invaluable to these young artists, and will propel them forward by giving them this first hand experience of the impact their art can have on the world."

"New Works Lab gave new dimensions to theater for me," said Camila Cano Flavia, WDP Class of 2013. "It reinstated the importance of theater as being of its time, and it gave a sense of newfound immediacy to the work, as it was being written for us. I also believe New Work provides the actors with a heightened sense of ensemble and togetherness, as things can change any minute, and, most importantly, that the work can always be up for discussion. You are allowed to leave your mark, and we did. The NWL experience in High School -which was a first for me-shaped the way I looked at theater thereafter, old and new."

June July August will play the PPAS Auditorium (328 West 48th Street) Wednesday, April 10 through Saturday, April 13 at 7:00pm.

Tickets for the general public are $20, and are available now at www.artful.ly/waterwell

Scenic Design by Bryce Cutler, Costume Design by Deanna R. Frieman, Lighting Design by Megan Lang, Sound Design by Ben Scheff, and Prop Design by Sonya Plenefisch

Cast of Waterwell Drama Program Students: Michelle Baum, Abigail Cooley, Melisa Escamilla, Andre Gulick, Skylar Harbour, Alexyss Hadden, Imani Hinnant, Jada Jackson, Eliza Koster, Victoria Morales, Arielle Moses, Fatou Niang, Thomas Padden, Ava Patino, Andrea Perez Espinoza, Violet Prete, Noa Solomon, Madai Williams, Miguel Batista, Jasper Newell.

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