Lily Padilla

Colt Coeur is welcoming 3 additional artists (playwrights Bleu Beckford Burrell, Adrienne Dawes, and Noelle Viñas) to its Residency Program, with 4 of last year's Residents (directors Tara Elliott, J. Mehr Kaur, and Portia Krieger, and playwright Emma Goidel) opting to extend their Residency through 2021 (due to the unique impact of the Covid-19 pandemic).

When thinking of site-specific theatre, visions of following actors through a forest as they play out A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM or sitting in a musty old playhouse for a performance of FOLLIES may dance through your head, but in these days of government-regulated social distancing necessitating the suspension of live performances, one must think even further outside of the black box.

The 24 Hour Plays has released its first-ever series of Viral Monologues on IGTV!

Tonight, The 24 Hour Plays releases its first-ever series of Viral Monologues on IGTV @24hourplays and at https://24hourplays.com/viral-monologues/. 20 of the theatre world's top writers have been paired with 20 game actors and have written unique pieces just for them. From 6 PM until midnight, the new monologues will be published, one every 15 minutes.

To celebrate the culmination of Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Latinx Play Project (LxPP), OSF will host a panel discussion featuring five veteran Latinx playwrights as they discuss the joys and challenges of working in professional theatre today, finding artistic home, and making work that speaks to the times we are in. The discussion will take place on Sunday, September 29 at 10 a.m. at Carpenter Hall and also be livestreamed by Howlround. 

 San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego REP) and Amigos del REP announced today the lineup for the Third Annual San Diego REP Latinx New Play Festival at the Lyceum Space Theatre, August 30 to September 1, 2019.

Brooklyn-based theatre company Colt Coeur will present the east coast premiere of Jonathan Spector's screamingly funny yet profound EUREKA DAY. Spector's lauded play uses a heated vaccination debate at a progressive elementary school as a metaphorical lens for the escalating hostility of America's culture wars and our inability to listen to those with whom we disagree. This timely comedy is directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt (Primary Stages' Downstairs, Colt Coeur's Joan). Previews begin Saturday, August 24th with official opening set for Thursday, August 29th. General admission tickets are priced at $25 and are available at coltcoeur.org.

The Ojai Playwrights Conference is announcing the company of performers and playwrights for their annual Gala Benefit, a farm-to-stable celebration to be held on Saturday, May 4, 2019, at Aspen Grove Ranch, a stunning private ranch in upper Ojai. 

The Ojai Playwrights Conference launches its 22nd season with the annual Gala Benefit, a farm-to-stable celebration at Aspen Grove Ranch, a stunning private ranch in upper Ojai. Festivities begin at 4:00 p.m. with a cocktail reception featuring fine wines from Ojai Alisal Vineyard, craft cocktails and tasty appetizers. Starting at 5 p.m., attendees gather under a big top tent to enjoy an original show produced for the Gala with songs and dramatic scene readings performed by celebrity guest artists. The evening culminates with a four-course dinner prepared by innovative chefs Nick Barainca and Michael Hollingsworth. All proceeds from the Gala support the development of new plays for the American theatre at OPC's annual Summer Conference and New Works Festival held in Ojai. 

There is nothing more infuriating than attempting several times to solve the same problem over and over again. Trying different methods and seeking advice from assorted perspectives might help lighten the burden but yields satisfying conclusions and closure. What about when it's in our culture? Where smiles are demanded of girls, hugs are forced upon children, a sexual assault prompts finger pointing at everything including what was worn by the victim, yet the assailant walks away with a slap on the wrist. How do you fix this culture? How do you solve this systemic problem? How to Defend yourself, the most recent installment at the 43rd annual Humana Festival of New American Plays asks these questions while acknowledging hard realities.

Victory Gardens Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Executive Director Erica Daniels, announces the lineup for its 2019-2020 Season. Victory Gardens' 45th Season will include the Chicago premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things by Nia Vardalos; the world premiere of The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II; the co-world premiere of How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla; and the world premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue by Madhuri Shekar; and the Chicago premiere of Right to Be Forgotten by Sharyn Rothstein.

The 2019 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has been awarded to U.S. playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury for her play Fairview.

One of the theater world's most prestigious playwriting prizes, the Yale Drama Series Prize, will be given to Lily Padilla for her play How to Defend Yourself. The 2019 award recipient was chosen by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar. The winning play will receive a private staged reading at Lincoln Center Theater's Claire Tow Theater in the fall.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting Award, the oldest and largest prize awarded to women playwrights.

Colt Coeur and WP Theater announce the programming for the annual Parity Plays Festival reading series, which celebrates the work of female and trans playwrights and directors. The festival will consist of four plays by Kate Cortesi, Obehi Janice, Lily Padilla, and WP Lab alum Sylvia Khoury. Parity Plays will take place from February 1-9, 2019 at HERE Arts Center, 145 6th Avenue. Tickets are free, and can be reserved at: https://wptheater.org/show/parity-plays-festival.

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation announced its 2018 grants in The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation's Women Playwrights Commissioning Program. These grants fund commissions for female playwrights at selected theaters nationwide. The 2018 recipients are:

Victory Gardens Theater, with Actors Theatre of Louisville, to present the Co-World Premiere of How to Defend Yourself, written by Lily Padilla and directed by Marti Lyons. How to Defend Yourself will be presented at the 2019 Humana Festival of New American Plays (March 21 - April 7, 2019) and as part of the Victory Gardens Theater 2019/2020 Season (January 24 - February 23, 2020).

Actors Theatre of Louisville announces the lineup for the 43rd Humana Festival of New American Plays. A cultural highlight for theatre lovers, artists and producers across the country, the Humana Festival runs March 1 through April 7, 2019 in Louisville.

Victory Gardens Theater Artistic Director Chay Yew, Managing Director Erica Daniels and Director of New Play Development Skyler Gray announce the lineup for the 10th Anniversary IGNITION Festival of New Plays, including Prosthesis by Robert Askins; Untitled Road Trip Play by Lauren Yee; White History by Dave Harris; How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla; Seeing Eye by Nick Malakhow; and The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II. The 2018 Festival runs August 3 -5, 2018 at Victory Gardens Theater, located at 2433 N Lincoln Avenue.

Victory Gardens Theater presents Town Hall: Reunite!, an event where Chicago artists will respond to the current immigration policies of the United States. Town Hall: Reunite! will be held at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue on Wednesday, July 18 at 7 pm. This event is FREE and open to the public.