LAUGH, GATHER AT THE RIVER and More Set for TheatreWorks' 2013 New Works Festival, 8/10-18

Continuing its commitment to developing new works, TheatreWorks, the nationally-acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, has announced the lineup for its 2013 New Works Festival, including a new comedy from Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart, The Miss Firecracker Contest).

Playwrights and composers from across the nation will assemble at Palo Alto's Lucie Stern Theatre where the public can attend performances, give critiques, and participate in a panel discussion with the artists. Each team of writers has the opportunity to revise based on audience feedback, continuing to refine the material over a series of performances.

This year's 12th annual festival will feature LAUGH, an edgy new farce inspired by the slapstick comedies of Hollywood's Roaring 20s, from Pulitzer-winning playwright Beth Henley; CUBAMOR, a saucy cross-cultural musical romance directed by Kent Nicholson; MRS. HUGHES, a sensational musical drama about the tangled lives of Sylvia Plath, her husband TEd Hughes, and his mistress Assia; THE GREAT PRETENDER, a bittersweet comedy by David West Read (Broadway's The Performers); and GATHER AT THE RIVER, a captivating comic drama from Laura Marks (Bethany) about a liberal New Yorker who volunteers for a non-profit run by a Bible-thumping Kentucky clan.

Festival-goers have the opportunity to interact directly with the writers in a special Meet the Artists Panel at 4:00pm, August 18. For the first time ever, the Meet the Artists Panel will be live-streamed online through HowlRound TV, allowing audiences around the world to participate. Available at the Festival will be local Bay Area food trucks such as Curry Up Now, We Sushi, MoGo BBQ, and more, where attendees can enjoy gourmet quick meals between performances. For tickets ($19 per show, $65 for festival pass, on sale June 1) and information, the public may call the box office at (650) 463-1960 or visit www.theatreworks.org.

Productions run August 10 - 18, 2013.

Shows in chronological order:

A Musical Romance
CUBAMOR
Book and Lyrics by James D. Sasser
Music and Lyrics by Charles Vincent Burwell

Directed by Kent Nicholson

Based on the independent film Cubamor by Joshua Bee Alafia
Sat, 8/10, 8pm • Wed, 8/14, 8pm • Sat, 8/17, 8pm

A Bittersweet Comedy
THE GREAT PRETENDER
By David West Read
Sun, 8/11, 2pm • Sat, 8/17, 4pm

A Sensational Musical Drama
MRS. HUGHES
Music and Lyrics by Sharon Kenny

Book by Janine Nabers
Sun, 8/11, 8pm • Thurs, 8/15, 8pm • Sun, 8/18, noon

A Madcap Comedy
LAUGH
By Beth Henley
Tues, 8/13, 8pm • Sat, 8/17, noon

A Captivating Comic Drama
GATHER AT THE RIVER
By Laura Marks
Fri, 8/16, 8pm • Sun, 8/18, 8pm

MEET THE FESTIVAL ARTISTS
Sun, 8/18, 4:00pm

All performances take place at TheatreWorks at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Tickets on sale June 1. For Festival All Passes ($65) and single event tickets ($19), the public may call (650) 463-1960 or visit theatreworks.org.

Pictured: Audiences gather between shows and engage in lively conversations about TheatreWorks' New Works Festival at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. Photo Credit: Tracy Martin.