Eager young audience waits for RAP DEV to start.
Get a first look at the work of young, up-and-coming playwrights at Rapid Development (“Rap Dev”), the Fountain Theatre’s free, competition-style reading series designed to showcase the work of previously unproduced, Los Angeles-based playwrights under the age of 30.
Round One takes place over the course of two evenings, Friday,Feb, 12 at 8 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. Each evening will feature one scene from two different plays, with the playwrights choosing the scenes they feel best represent their work. At the end of each night, the audience votes. Kind of like TV’s The Voice or America’s Got Talent.
James Bennett & Jessica Broutt
Created and produced by James Bennett and Jessica Broutt, the Rap Dev readings are free, rowdy, informal, and followed by a lively party with food and plenty of drinks. Who says new play development can’t be fun?
No wonder the Rap Dev events have been sold-out successes.
“We’re looking to find new plays and playwrights in the LA area,” says associate producer James Bennett. “And provide a fun and vibrant venue for others to experience them too.”
The Round One (Group A) plays squaring off this Friday, Feb 12, are:
- You Belong With Me Because You’re So Vain by Heider Tunarrosa. When a neurotic songwriter accidentally falls in love with his best friend’s ex-boyfriend, and he must decide between losing his best friend or the love of his life, he receives help from the imaginary versions of Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga to resolve this romantic dilemma.
- The Kennedy Experiment by Amy Thorstenson. Aboard the International Space Station, a young cosmonaut faces an impossible choice. With the lives of his family, his patriotism, his complicated relationship with his war hero father, and World War Three all hanging in the balance, the last thing he needs to deal with is a ghost.
Two other plays compete in Round One (Group B) Friday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. The two winning playwrights get to show off a little more of their plays in Round Two, on Friday, March 4 at 8 p.m. The single surviving play wins two performances of a staged reading on the Fountain Theatre stage: Friday, March 18 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 19 at 2 p.m. Free admission to Rounds One and Two; tickets to the staged readings are $5.
Sound confusing? Check out the website.
Rap Dev turns new play development for young writers into a fun social event. Join us this Friday night. Check it out for yourself. Party down with some plays!
