The Words Afire Festival features never seen before, world premiere plays including: full-length, one-act, and 10-minute plays, all written by MFA and undergraduate writers in the Robert Hartung Dramatic Writing Program at the University of New Mexico. The Festival has produced five plays in the past five years that have won national playwriting awards from the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival.
The mission of the festival is to introduce and promote the voices of emerging writers to local and national theatre communities. Plays are world premiere productions written, directed, acted and designed by emerging student artists. On average more than 100 students participate in the festival each year.
This November, Words Afire Festival presents works including five world premieres of full-length plays by MFA students, an evening of eight short plays, two one-acts, three staged readings and a special event in Rodey Theater - a staged reading of a new radio play by our featured guest artist, Elana Greenfield. In addition to the 21 new plays, the festival features a kickoff party in Rodey Theater and an evening of staged readings of new, short screenplays.
Audience members who attend these world premiere productions have the opportunity to experience some of the hottest new plays and emerging writing talent in the country.
The opening night kickoff party takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Rodey Theatre in the UNM Center for the Arts. The event is free and features MFA writers previewing short excerpts from their plays. Enter into the world of new plays to the enticing vibes of one of the coolest bands in Albuquerque - Le Chat Lunatik. Greet, meet and have good eats on stage with all the writers and Visiting Playwright Elana Greenfield. Get the glow and throw fuel on the Festival fire.
Another free event, features Elana Greenfield, established playwright and Whiting award winner, on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in UNM’s Rodey Theatre. Greenfield is a guest artist with the Dramatic Writing Program at UNM this fall. She will speak after a staged reading of her new play “How They Made the Movie/transiberiada.” The reading features members of the Tricklock Company.
Ms. Greenfield, formerly director of artistic programs at New Dramatists in New York, is currently the acting director of the Arts in Context Program at the New School’s Eugene Lang College. She also teaches at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Dramatic Writing Program. Her book, “At the Damascus Gate: Short Hallucinations,” was recently published by Green Integer Press.
For reservations contact venue box offices: Theatre X: 925-5858; tickets.com outlets or online unmtickets.com; National Hispanic Cultural Center: 724-4771 or Ticket Master 883-7800; Sol Arts: 244-0049; VSA North Fourth Art Center: 345-2872, ext. 18; UNM Arts Garage: free; Blue Dragon Coffee House: free.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu