NPYA 2013

Can you believe it is already mid-September? Where does the time go? 

David Montgomery, Artistic Director of New Plays for Young Audiences, and I (Teresa Fisher), Producer of NPYA, are having our first meeting for the 2013 NPYA season tomorrow. 

We'll be talking about talking about all the wonderful submissions we've gotten so far, wondering excitedly about the ones yet to come, and planning for this upcoming 16th season of developing new plays for young audiences in the Provincetown Playhouse.

Each season poses its own unique challenges: 
  • Which three scripts and playwrights do we choose? 
  • Do we see the possibility of an overall theme from the submissions?
  • Do we want to focus on a specific age group or do we want to have one script for the little ones, one for the middle schoolers, and one for our older youth?
  • Should we develop a play with song or a musical?
Perhaps the most vexing question - at least for me - is how will we pay for the season? We are generously supported by the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at NYU Steinhardt, but that doesn't mean we don't have a budget to meet! :-) And living in one of the most expensive cities in the world doesn't help. 

So we'll also be talking about the budget. But our primary focus will be on the scripts. As our beloved Nancy Swortzell was fond of saying, "Where's the drama?" What stories do youth want to hear? What stories do they need to hear? How is social media changing the way youth see theatre -- both literally and existentially? 

What do you think? What stories do you believe youth want to hear? Is there an audience we're neglecting? How do you see social media impacting theatre for young audiences? And how can we address that influence within the season? Should we attach a symposium or similar event for TYA professionals and educators to the 2013 season? 

We'd love to hear from you! And, if you've got a script to submit, there's still time. To give us your thoughts, email us at newplaysforyoungaudiences@gmail.com. To submit a script, email David Montgomery at dm635@nyu.edu.

Stay tuned for more information on our upcoming season as well as about a research study on post-show discussions that I'm developing. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

Happy Fall!!
Teresa

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