OPC News and Announcements: Fall 2022
Dear OPC Friends:
Thank you to all who attended and supported OPC's New Works Festival in August. It was powerful, rigorous and joyous to be back in person in Ojai showcasing daring, challenging new plays by extraordinary playwrights. Be sure to check out the photos of the work on our Instagram and Facebook pages.
The impact of the new play development that we do has been far-reaching over the past 25 years. Our OPC playwrights continue to move on to distinguished theatrical careers throughout the country and many new works developed at OPC go on to full productions on stages across America. This season is no exception, especially in New York, where at least seven plays from OPC are being featured.
Read the recent news and stay tuned for big announcements coming up in the new year!
Robert Egan
OPC Artistic Director/Producer
ON STAGE NOW in NYC:
JIEHAE PARK: PEERLESS
Jiehae Park's Peerless – a darkly comedic twist on Shakespeare's Macbeth set in the cutthroat world of elite college admissions – is enjoying a full run at Primary Stages now through Nov. 6. Peerless (OPC 2015) is one of two plays that Jiehae developed in Ojai, the other being Hannah and the Dread Gazebo (OPC 2013).
OPENING SOON:
WORLD PREMIERE!
YILONG LIU: GOOD ENEMY
Yilong Liu’s haunting and hopeful new play Good Enemy, developed at OPC in 2021, will enjoy its world premiere production in New York, directed by OPC alum director Chay Yew. The play runs Oct. 25–Nov. 27 at Minetta Lane Theatre; it will also be released as an Audible Original, extending its reach to listeners around the world.
ROBIN GERBER: THE SHOT
Robin Gerber’s play The Shot, developed at OPC in 2017 with direction and dramaturgy by Michelle Joyner, will be featured in the 2022 United Solo Festival starring multi-award-winning actress Sharon Lawrence. Performances are on Oct. 27 & 28 and Nov. 2 at Theatre Row's Studio Theatre.
WILL ARBERY: EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING
Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Arbery confronts climate and change in Evanston Salt Costs Climbing, a play he developed at OPC in 2017. The production runs Oct. 26–Nov. 13 at The New Group, directed by OPC alum director Danya Taymor. Will also developed Corsicana at OPC in 2021, which enjoyed a world premiere production at Playwrights Horizon earlier this year.
STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS: BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY
It was a great pleasure to have Stephen Adly Guirgis back at OPC this summer to work on his adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon. Stephen last came to Ojai as a Writer-in-Residence in 2012 to begin initial work on Between Riverside and Crazy, which went on to win the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. The Second Stage Theatre's production of Between Riverside and Crazy opens Nov. 30 at the Hayes Theater. It will also stream live the final two weeks of its run, Jan 31–Feb.12.
COMING EARLY 2023:
LILIANA PADILLA: HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF
Coming to New York Theatre Workshop in 2023 is How to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla (left) developed at OPC in 2018. Dates to be announced. Liliana won the prestigious Yale Drama Series award for this play in 2019.
JULIA IZUMI: REGRETFULLY, SO THE BIRDS ARE
Opening March 22 with Playwrights Horizon is Julia Izumi's farcial tragedy, Regretfully, So the Birds Are, which was developed at OPC in 2021. Julia (above, right) was OPC's inaugural recipient of the Dr. Kerry English Artist Award.
PLAYWRIGHT NEWS
Congratulations to ZORA HOWARD ( left), one of five recipients of the prestigious Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting. Zora has developed three plays recently with OPC: Good Faith (OPC 2022); Hang Time (OPC 2021) and Bust (OPC 2020).
OPC dramaturge/reading committee member ZHARIA O'NEIL (right) was selected as the inaugural recipient of Sound Theatre's new Making Waves William S. Yellow Robe Jr. Playwright Residency. Chosen out of 120 applicants from around the country, Zharia will receive financial and in-house support to work on her new play Roost.
OPC playwright SAMUEL D. HUNTER has hit the big screen with his feature film screenplay for The Whale, an adaptation of his 2012 award-winning play by the same name. Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendon Fraser, The Whale had its world premiere at the Venice Int'l Film Festival in September and will be released in the U.S. in December. Sam has developed several plays with OPC, most recently A Case for the Existence of God which enjoyed a critically acclaimed world premiere this spring at Signature Theatre.
OPC playwright LIZA POWEL O'BRIEN enjoyed her first production of her coming of age play Apostrophe (developed in OPC's 2020 Foundry Project) at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. Her production was directed by Vito Zingarelli (pictured), former OPC Managing Director. Liza is also enjoying tremendous success with her new nonfiction podcast Significant Others which she writes and narrates. Each episode features individuals just beyond the spotlight of history. Listen to Liza's Podcasts
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SEARCH
After a nationwide search that garnered interest from more than 90 candidates, the OPC Search Committee is in the process of organizing interviews and evaluations of the finalists for the position of Artistic Director/Producer to replace Robert Egan, who has served in this role since 2002.
Look for an announcement on OPC's new artistic leadership soon!