Announcing The 4th Annual First Look Rep
Posted by Edward Sobel on 4/24/2008We are pleased to announce the playwrights who will be participating in this year’s First Look Repertory of New Work.
For those new to this page or the program, First Look is a new play development process that culminates with three plays being presented for a limited-run rotating repertory in our Garage space. Now in its fourth year, the program has garnered significant national attention for its innovative, production-oriented, approach to developing new work, while at the same time allowing for unique access to the general public through First Look 101. Six of the nine plays developed through the Rep have gone on to premiere productions around the country, including three recently in New York: Marissa Wegrzyn’s The Butcher of Baraboo at 2econd Stage, Kate Fodor’s 100 Saints You Should Know at Playwrights Horizons, and When the Messenger is Hot at 59E59.
This year’s playwrights are all based in Chicago. They are:
Keith Huff, whose play A Steady Rain premiered at Chicago Dramatists earlier this year and is currently playing in a commercial production across the street from Steppenwolf at the Royal George. Keith will be working on his newest play Pursued by Happiness, a quirky comedy about two middle aged scientists who fall surprisingly in love.
Jason Wells, whose play Men of Tortuga was developed in our first season of First Look. His latest is entitled Perfect Mendacity. Written in Jason’s terse, darkly witty style, the play concerns a man accused of leaking secrets to the press who becomes intent upon beating the lie-detector test he is forced to take.
Sarah Gubbins, who has served as a dramaturg for 3 years running in First Look, now changes chairs to sit as one of our playwrights. Her play is called Fair Use – a contemporary comedy of manners in which an intellectual property case causes all kinds legal and romantic entanglements.
We will have further information about First Look personnel and events in the next few weeks.