Perry-Mansfield New Works Fest Announces Summer Rep in Steamboat Springs

The Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival (Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Emily Tarquin, Festival Producer), with sponsorship from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, has announced the line-up for the 2011 summer season of theatre and dance at the venerable performing arts camp and school in Steamboat Springs, CO. The 14th Annual Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival is scheduled June 17 - 19 with staged readings of new plays and a special dance presentation choreographed for the festival. The New Works Festival continues Perry-Mansfield's founding principle of nurturing new talent with new work.

The Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival, co-chaired by James Steinberg and Karolynn Lestrud, brings performing arts professionals together in the Rocky Mountains to develop new pieces of theater and dance, while mentoring new talent in each medium. The 2011 New Works Festival brings New York's Second Stage to the festival that will reunite the successful artistic partnership of Actors Theatre of Louisville, Denver Center Theatre Company, and New York's Primary Stages. The Festival will also showcase works by emerging choreographer and Princess Grace Recipient Kyle Abraham and his dance company Abraham.In.Motion.

Now in its 98th year, Perry-Mansfield, founded by Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield, is recognized as the oldest continuously operating performing arts school and camp in the nation.

New Works Festival Artistic Director Andrew Leynse said, "I am thrilled to announce our 14th season of new works and to continue our unique collaboration with so many colleagues. This year we welcome New York's Second Stage to our artistic partnership which will also feature students of Perry-Mansfield performing alongside professional actors. Each year we have had an unprecedented number of artists come to Perry-Mansfield from all over the country, and this year looks to be another distinct achievement."

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) as part of the Second Stage Uptown Series (Christopher Burney, Associate Artistic Director and Curator) opens the festival with a new play entitled Boy Wonders by Joe Tracz, directed by Perry-Mansfield's Director of Theatre, Victor Maog. "For me, the Perry-Mansfield track is a real link to world class theatre making," said Maog. "This is a wonderful inaugural collaboration with Second Stage. Christopher Burney from Second Stage had this to add, "It is a great honor to be working with an institution that has such a long and respected history as Perry-Mansfield-and to be shepherded by Victor Maog is a true collaborative ideal."

Andrew Leynse and Primary Stages bring the new play, Eat Your Heart Out by Courtney Baron to the festival. Alice and Gabe want a child. Nance wants Evie to be a better daughter. 16 year-old Evie wants Colin to love her like she loves him. Colin wants Evie to be as good a friend as he is to her. Everyone wants what someone else has... everyone is eating their heart out. Primary Stages Associate Artistic Director Michelle Bossy directs.

Kent Thompson and the Denver Center Theatre Company bring Baby Girl by Octavio Solis. A man and a woman waken from a drugged-out night to find their baby missing. The pair decides to relive their history to find out where they went wrong. From the playwright of Lydia, this haunted, poetic journey moves from darkness to a glimmer of light. Juliette Carillo directs.

Linda Kent, Perry-Mansfield's director of dance, has selected choreographer Kyle Abraham, recipient of the Princess Grace Award, to present a dance concert that includes pieces from his repertoire and a newly choreographed piece for the festival. The dance presentation is sponsored in part by Terry and Noel Hefty through The Messing Family Charitable Foundation. The mission of Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion is to create an evocative interdisciplinary body of work. Born into Hip Hop culture in the late 70s, and grounded in Abraham's artistic upbringing in classical cello, piano and visual arts, the movement's goal is to delve into identity in relation to a personal history. The work intertwines a sensual and provocative vocabulary with a strong emphasis on sound, human behavior and all things visual in an effort to create an avenue for personal investigation. A.I.M is a representation of dancers from various dance disciplines and diverse personal backgrounds. Combined together, these individuals create a social narrative crafted by Abraham's personal movement impulses and varied inspirations. Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion premiered its first ever season entitled Fading into Something Tangible in Pittsburgh, PA in 2006 to rave reviews.

Actors Theatre of Louisville will close the festival with Chimera conceived and created by Deborah Stein and Suli Holum with text by Ms. Stein. Welcome to the world of Jennifer Samuels, who has just discovered that she is her own twin. Inspired by a real-life horror story, Chimera takes you on a journey from the frontiers of modern science to the seeds of ancient mythology. Co-creators Deborah Stein and Suli Holum have launched a highly theatrical exploration of medical chimerism-the phenomenon of containing two different sets of DNA within one body-in order to explore what happens when technology shatters our ideas of who we think we are. Performed by Ms. Holum.

Full casting will be announced shortly.

All rehearsals and performances will take place at Perry-Mansfield (40755 Routt County Road 36, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487). Free open rehearsals will take place June 13 - 17.

Performances are June 17-19. Tickets are priced at $15 for the staged readings, and $20 for the dance performance. A special Festival Weekend Ticket Package is available for $60 and includes all staged play readings, the dance presentation and festival receptions. For tickets and information, please call 800-430-2787 or 970-879-7125.

For lodging and area information, please visit the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort online. Additional information is available on the website at www.perry-mansfield.org.

2011 Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival schedule is as follows:

Friday, June 17, 2011 at 8:00 p.m., Main Studio
Second Stage Theatre
Boy Wonders
By Joe Tracz
Directed by Victor Maog

Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 1:00 p.m., Julie Harris Theater
Primary Stages
Eat Your Heart Out
By Courtney Baron
Directed by Michelle Bossy

Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 4:00 p.m., Julie Harris Theater
DENVER CENTER THEATRE COMPANY
Baby Girl
By Octavio Solis
Directed by Juliette Carillo

Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 8:00 p.m., Main Studio
Dance Presentation by choreographer Kyle Abraham

Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 2:00 p.m., Julie Harris Theater
ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE
Chimera
Conceived and Created by Deborah Stein and Suli Holum
Text by Deborah Stein