Theater festival in Kentucky (1976–2021)
TheHumana Festival of New American Plays was an internationally renowned festival which celebrated the contemporary American playwright.[ 1] Louisville, Kentucky byActors Theatre of Louisville , the festival showcased new theatrical works and drew producers, critics, playwrights, and theatre lovers from around the world. The festival was founded in 1976 byJon Jory , who was Producing Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville from 1969 to 2000.[ 2] Humana .[ 3]
The Humana Festival was shut down permanently in 2022 after holding its final festival in 2021.[ 4]
The Actor's Theater of Louisville hosted the first Festival of New American Plays in March 1977. It was founded by the former artistic director of the Actor's Theater,Jon Jory .The Gin Game byD.L. Coburn , one of the plays presented that year, went on to open on Broadway later that year and would win thePulitzer Prize for Drama in 1978. The 1978 festival line up included Marsha Norman's Getting Out, and in 1979,Crimes of the Heart byBeth Henley . It was also the first year that the festival was sponsored by the Humana Festival.[ 5]
Over the 400 plays (short pieces, ten-minute plays, one-acts, and full-lengths) the festival has produced, many have gone on to win several awards.Dinner With Friends Donald Margulies ,The Gin Game D.L. Coburn , and,Crimes of the Heart Beth Henley have all won thePulitzer Prize for Drama .Keely and Du byJane Martin ,Becky Shaw Gina Gionfriddo , andOmnium-Gatherum b yAlexandra Gersten-Vassilaros andTheresa Rebeck have all been finalists for the prize.[ 5]
Lucas Hnath'sThe Christians, Appropriate byBranden Jacobs-Jenkins ,Big Love Charles Mee ,Slavs! Tony Kushner ,My Left Breast bySusan Miller ,Marisol José Rivera andOne Flea Spare Naomi Wallace have all wonObie Awards .[ 5]
How to Say Goodbye byMary Gallagher ,My Sister in this House byWendy Kesselman ,A Narrow Bed byEllen McLaughlin ,My Left Breast bySusan Miller andOne Flea Spare Naomi Wallace have won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and nine other plays produced at the festival have been finalists.
[ 5] 2 byRomulus Linney ,Dinner with Friends Donald Margulies ,Getting Out Marsha Norman , andJane Martin's Talking With… ,Keely and Du, Jack and Jill, andAnton in Show Business have won the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, andDinner with Friends Donald Margulies ,Big Love Charles Mee ,After Ashley Gina Gionfriddo ,Great Falls byLee Blessing ,Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them by A.Rey Pamatmat, and Lucas Hnath'sDeath Tax andThe Christians have won Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award Citations.
Jeff Augustin's and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb' s plays,Cry Old Kingdom andBOB: A Life in Five Acts [ 5]
List of plays produced [ edit ] Source:[ 6]
List of plays from 1976 to 2008
2008 Great Falls byLee Blessing Becky Shaw Gina Gionfriddo This Beautiful City the break/s byMarc Bamuthi Joseph All Hail Hurricane Gordo by Carly MenschNeighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom by Jennifer HaleyGame On by Zakiyyah Alexander, Rolin Jones,Alice Tuan , Daryl Watson,Marisa Wegrzyn and Ken Weitzman, with music and lyrics by Jon SpurneyTongue, Tied by M. Thomas CooperDead Right by Elaine JarvikIn Paris You Will Find Many Baguettes but Only One True Love by Michael LewOne Short Sleepe byNaomi Wallace 2007 365 Days/365 Plays bySuzan-Lori Parks The As If Body Loop by Ken WeitzmanBatch: An American Bachelor/Ette Party Spectacle , conceived by Whit MacLaughlin & Alice Tuan With Text by Alice Tuan Created byNew Paradise Laboratories Clarisse and Larmon byDeb Margolin Dark Play or Stories for Boys by Carlos MurilloI Am Not Batman by Marco RamirezMr. and Mrs. by Julie Marie MyattThe Open Road Anthology by Constance Congdon, Kia Corthron, Michael John Garcés, Rolin Jones, A. Rey Pamatmat, Kathryn Walat with music by GrooveLilyStrike-Slip byNaomi Iizuka The Unseen by Craig WrightWhen Something Wonderful Ends bySherry Kramer 2006 Act a Lady by Jordan HarrisonHotel Cassiopeia byCharles L. Mee , produced in association with the SITI CompanyListeners byJane Martin Low's Journey: Mediations Trilogy, pt. I by Rha Goddess, a co-production of Divine Dime, Ltd. and Made in da ShadeNatural Selection by Eric CobleNeon Mirage by Liz Duffy Adams, Dan Dietz, Rick Hip-Flores, Julie Jensen,Lisa Kron , Tracey Scott Wilson & Chay YewSix Years by Sharr WhiteThe Scene by Theresa RebeckSovereignty by Rolin JonesThree Guys and a Brenda by Adam Bock2005 Dream of Jeanie-by-the-Door by David Valdes GreenwoodGoody Fucking Two Shoes by Jennifer MaiselHazzard County Johannes, Pyotr & Marge by Jeffrey EssmannLong Dream in Summer bySaïd Sayrafiezadeh Memory House by Kathleen TolanMoot the Messenger by Kia CorthronA Nervous Smile Pure Confidence by Carlyle BrownThe Shaker Chair byAdam 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 Hicks2004 After Ashley Gina Gionfriddo At the Vanishing Point by Naomi IizukaA Bone Close to My Brain by Dan DietzFoul Territory by Craig WrightKid-Simple by Jordan HarrisonKuwait by Vincent DelaneyThe Ruby Sunrise byRinne Groff Sans-Culottes in the Promised Land by Kirsten GreenidgeThe Spot bySteven Dietz Tallgrass Gothic byMelanie Marnich Fast and Loose: An Ethical Collaboration by José Cruz González, Kirsten Greenidge, Julie Marie Myatt and John Walch2003 The Faculty Room by Bridget CarpenterFit for Feet by Jordan HarrisonThe Lively Lad songs by Quincy Long, music byMichael Silversher Omnium Gatherum Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros andTheresa Rebeck Orange Lemon Egg Canary: A Trick In Four Acts by Rinne GroffThe Roads That Lead Here byLee Blessing The Second Death of Priscilla by Russell DavisSlide Glide the Slippery Slope by Kia CorthronTrash Anthem by Dan DietzTrepidation 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 StillRhythmicity byUNIVERSES (Steven Sapp; Mildred Ruiz-Sapp; Gamal Abdel Chasten; and special guest collaborators: Reg.e.ganes; Willie Perdomo; Rha Goddess; Reggie Cabico)2002 A.M. Sunday by Jerome HairstonBake Off bySheri Wilner Classyass by Caleen Sinnette JenningsFiner Noble Gases byAdam Rapp Limonade Tous Les Jours byCharles L. Mee The Mystery of Attraction by Marlane MeyerNightswim byJulia Jordan Rembrandt's Gift byTina Howe Score conceived and directed byAnne Bogart , adapted by Jocelyn ClarkeSnapshot: A Dramatic Anthology Tanya Barfield ,Lee Blessing , Julie Jensen,Honor Molloy , 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 , andChay Yew The Technology Project Voice Properties (On A First Date After a Full Year of Februarys) by John BellusoF.E.T.C.H. by Alice TuanVirtual Mediation #1 bySarah Ruhl 2001 bobrauschenbergamerica byCharles L. Mee Description Beggared; or the Allegory of WHITENESS byMac Wellman , music by Michael RothFlaming Guins of the Purple Sage by Jane MartinQuake by Melanie MarnichHeaven 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 ) byEduardo Machado Wonderful World by Richard DresserChad Curtiss, Lost Again byArthur Kopit The Phone Plays
Subliminable by Greg Allen (TheNeo-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.)2000 Phone Plays
1999 Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls by Naomi IizukaCabin Pressure by Anne Bogart & The SITI CompanyWhat Are You Afraid Of? by Richard DresserThe Cockfighter byFrank Manley , adapted by Vincent MurphyGod's Man in Texas byDavid Rambo The T(ext) Shirt Project Y2K (retitled: BecauseHeCan) by Arthur KopitLife Under 30 — A Bill of 10-Minute PlaysSlop-Culture by Robb BadlamThe Blue Room by Courtney BaronDancing With a Devil byBrooke Berman Forty Minute Finish by Jerome HairstonMpls., St. Paul by Julia JordanDrive Angry by Matt PelfreyLabor Day bySheri Wilner Just Be Frank by Caroline Williams 1998 Acorn by David GrazianoDinner With Friends Donald Margulies Let the Big Dog Eat by Elizabeth WongLike Totally Weird by William MastrosimoneMeow by Val SmithMr. Bundy by Jane MartinResident Alien by Stuart SpencerTi Jean Blues , adapted from the works ofJack Kerouac byJoAnne Akalaitis The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek by Naomi Wallace1997 Gun-Shy by Richard DresserIcarus by Edwin SanchezIn Her Sight byCarol K. Mack Lighting Up the Two-Year Old by Benjie AerensonMisreadings by Neena BeberPolaroid Stories by Naomi IizukaPrivate Eyes Stars byRomulus Linney Waterbabies byAdam LeFevre 1996 1995 Below the Belt by Richard DresserBeast on the Moon by Richard KalinoskiBetween the Lines by Regina TaylorCloud Tectonics by José RiveraHead On by Elizabeth DewberryHelen at Risk by Dana YeatonJuly 7, 1994 by Donald MarguliesMiddle-Aged White Guys by Jane MartinTough Choices for the New Century: A Seminar for Responsible Living by Jane AndersonTrudy Blue byMarsha Norman Your Obituary is a Dance by Benard Cummings1994 1969 byTina Landau Betty the Yeti by Jon KleinJulie Johnson by Wendy HammondThe Last Time We Saw Her by Jane AndersonMy Left Breast bySusan Miller Slavs! Tony Kushner Shotgun by Romulus LinneyStones and Bones byMarion McClinton The Survivor: A Cambodian Odyssey by Jon LipskyTrip's Cinch byPhyllis Nagy 1993 Deadly Virtues by Brian JuchaThe ice Fishing Play byKevin Kling Keely and Du by Jane MartinPoof! by Lynn NottageShooting Simone by Lynne KaufmanStanton's Garage by Joan AckermannTape by José RiveraWhat We Do With it by Bruce MacDonaldWatermelon Rinds by Regina Taylor1992 Bondage The Carving of Mount Rushmore by John ConklinD. Boone (retitled:Loving Daniel Boone ) by Marsha NormanDevotees in the Garden of Love by Suzan-Lori ParksEukiah byLanford Wilson Evelyn and the Polka King by John OliveHyaena by Ross MacLeanLynette at 3 A.M. by Jane AndersonMarisol José Rivera Old Lady's Guide to Survival by Mayo SimonProcedure byJoyce Carol Oates 1991 Cementville The Death of Zukasky by Richard StrandDown the Road byLee Blessing In the Eye of the Hurricane by Eduardo MachadoNight-Side by Shem BittermanOut the Window by Neal BellA Passenger Train of Sixty-One Coaches by Paul WalkerA Piece of My Heart by Shirley LauroWhat She Found There by John Glore1990 2 by Romulus LinneyInfinity's House byEllen McLaughlin The Pink Studio by Jane AndersonThe Swan by Elizabeth EgloffVital Signs by Jane MartinZara Spook and Other Lures by Joan AckermannIn Darkest America by Joyce Carol Oates1989 Autumn Elegy by Charlene RedickBlood Issue by Harry CrewsBone-the-Fish byArthur Kopit The Bug by Richard StrandGod's Country by Steven DietzIncident at San Bajo by Brad KorbesmeyerStained Glass William F. Buckley, Jr. Tales of the Lost Formicans by Constance Congdon1988 Alone at the Beach by Richard DresserChannels by Judith FeinLloyd's Prayer by Kevin KlingThe Metaphor by Murphy GuyerThe Queen of the Leaky Roof Circuit by Jimmy BreslinSarah and Abraham by Marsha NormanWhereabouts Unknown by Barbara Damashek1987 Deadfall by Grace McKeaneyDigging In by Julie Crutcher and Vaughn McBrideElaine's Daughter by Mayo SimonGlimmerglass by Jonathan BoltGringo Planet by Frederick BaileyT Bone N Weasel by Jon KleinWater Hole byKendrew Lascelles Shorts
Chemical Reactions by Andy FosterFun byHoward Korder The Love Talker by Deborah Pryor1986 Astronauts by Claudia ReillyHow to Say Goodbye by Mary GallagherNo Mercy by Constance CongdonThe Shaper by John StepplingSmitty's News by Conrad Bishop and Elizabeth FullerSome Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends: A Final Evening with the Illuminati by Larry Larson and Levi LeeTo Culebra by Jonathan BoltTransports : two one-act plays:21A by Kevin KlingHow Gertrude Stormed the Philosopher's Club by Martin Epstein1985 Available Light by Heather McDonaldDays and Nights Within by Ellen McLaughlinRide the Dark Horse by J.F. O'KeefeTent Meeting by Larry Larson, Levi Lee & Rebecca WacklerTwo Masters by Frank ManleyThe Very Last Lover of the River Cane by James McLureWar of the Roses (now titledRiches ) byLee Blessing Shorts
Advice to the Players by Bruce BonafedeThe American Century by Murphy GuyerThe Black Branch by Gary Leon Hill with Jo HillThe Root of Chaos by Douglas Soderberg1984 1983 Courage by John PielmeierEden Court by Murphy GuyerFood From Trash by Gary Leon HillIn a Northern Landscape by Timothy MasonNeutral Countries by Barbara FieldSandcastles by Adele Edling ShankThanksgiving by James McLureA Weekend Near Madison by Kathleen TolanFathers and Daughters : two one-act plays:A Tantalizing by William MastrosimoneThe Value of Names by Jeffrey SweetShorts
1982 Clara's Play by John OliveA Different Moon by Ara WatsonFull Hookup by Conrad Bishop and Elizabeth FullerThe Grapes of Wrath by Terrence ShankThe Informer byThomas Murphy Oldtimers Game byLee Blessing Talking With... Shorts
The Eye of the Beholder byKent Broadhurst The New Girl by Vaughn McBrideThe Groves of Academe by Mark SteinSolo : a compendium of one-person plays:
1981 The Autobiography of a Pearl Diver by Martin EpsteinExtremities A Full Length Portrait of America by Paul D'AndreaMy Sister in this House by Wendy KesselmanFuture Tense by David KranesSwop byKen Jenkins Early Times : a compendium of short plays:Shorts
Chocolate Cake by Mary GallagherChug by Ken JenkinsFinal Placement by Ara Watson1980 Agnes of God John Pielmeier Doctors and Diseases by Peter EkstromThe Coal Diamond by Shirley LauroNothing Immediate by Shirley LauroRemington by Ray AranhaSunset/Sunrise by Adele Edling ShankThey're Coming to Make it Brighter byKent Broadhurst Today a Little Extra by Michael KassinWatermelon Boats by Wendy MacLaughlinWeekends Like Other People by David BlomquistThe American Project : a compendium of short plays:1979 1978 The Louisville Zoo by Anonymous AuthorsAn Independent Woman by Daniel SteinGetting Out Does Anybody Here Do the Peabody? by Enid RuddThe Bridgehead by Frederick Bailey1977 2009 2010 Let Bygones Be byGamal Abdel Chasten HEIST! conceived and created by Sean Daniels and Deborah Stein, written by Deborah SteinLobster Boy by Dan DietzGround by Lisa DillmanFissures (lost and found) by Steve Epp, Cory Hinkle, Dominic Orlando, Dominique Serrand, Deborah Stein and Victoria StewartPost Wave Spectacular by Diana GrisantiAn Examination of the Whole Playwright/Actor Relationship Presented As Some Kind of Cop Show Parody byGreg Kotis Sirens by Deborah Zoe LauferThe Method Gun created by Rude Mechs, written byKirk Lynn The Cherry Sisters Revisited byDan O'Brien with original music by Michael FriedmanPhoenix by Scott Organ.2011 2012 The Ten-Minute Plays:
The Dungeons and the Dragons by Kyle John SchmidtHero Dad by Laura JacqminThe Ballad of 423 and 424 by Nicholas C. Pappas2013[ 7] The Ten-Minute Plays:
2014[ 8] The Ten-Minute Plays:
Winter Games by Rachel BondsSome Prepared Remarks (A History in Speech) by Jason Gray PlattPoor Shem by Gregory Hischak2015[ 9] The Ten-Minute Plays:
Rules of Comedy by Patricia CotterSo Unnatural a Level by Gary WinterJoshua Consumed an Unfortunate Pear bySteve Yockey 2016[ 10] The Ten-Minute Plays:
Coffee Break by Tasha Gordon-SolmonThis Quintessence of Dust by Cory HinkleTrudy, Carolyn, Martha, and Regina Travel to Outer Space and Have a Pretty Terrible Time There by James Kennedy^ "Columbia University Record (January 18, 2002)Playwriting Alumnus and MTC Fellow's Play to Premiere at Renowned Humana Festival "The Humana Festival is reputed worldwide as one of the most important annual events in American theatre." (PDF) . RetrievedJun 18, 2019 .^ Jones, Chris (Mar 11, 2001)."THEATER; Will a New Broom At Humana Sweep The Old Era Away?" .The New York Times . RetrievedJun 18, 2019 . ^ "The Humana Foundation: Contributions to Civic and Culture - Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays" . Archived fromthe original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved2012-12-10 .^ "Humana Festival comes to an end as Actors Theatre of Louisville makes plan to support new works" .WDRB . RetrievedAugust 27, 2024 .^a b c d e "The Humana Festival of New American Plays - Actors Theatre of Louisville" .Actors Theatre of Louisville . Retrieved2017-09-09 .^ "Plays / Chronology" . Actors Theatre of Louisville. Archived fromthe original on 10 February 2007. Retrieved8 February 2007 .^ "Humana Festival 2013" . Archived fromthe original on 2013-04-14. Retrieved2013-04-13 .^ Gaukel, Kirsty (10 November 2013)."ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE ANNOUNCES THE 38th HUMANA FESTIVAL OF NEW AMERICAN PLAYS" . Archived fromthe original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved24 November 2013 . ^ "2015 Humana Festival plays announced" .The Courier-Journal . RetrievedJun 18, 2019 .^ "2016 Humana Festival Lineup Revealed" . Archived fromthe original on 2016-04-08. Retrieved2016-03-26 .^ Kramer, Elizabeth (2016-03-18)."Violence, faith subject of Hansol Jung's play" .The Courier-Journal . Retrieved2020-06-10 . 
