BLUEPRINTS:

THE M.F.A. IN DRAMATIC WRITING PLAYWRIGHT'S WORKSHOP
APRIL 9 - 25, 2010
MASSMAN THEATRE

Presented over three successive weekends, this workshop features the exciting and diverse new works by School of Theatre second-year M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing students.

The Tail of Miranda

By Kevin King

Directed by Luis Alfaro
April 9 & 10 at 7 p.m.; April 11 at 2:30 p.m.

A band of grifters, on the run from the police, find refuge in "The Old Woods," a haunted place of magic and danger. Their only hope to survive is Vanessa, the gang's card reader and psychic, for she alone knows the secrets of this forbidden realm.

Kevin King’s plays have been produced and developed by The Elephant Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre LA, Naked Angels, Pacific Residents Theatre and The Blank Theatre. His play The Idea Man won the 2009 Ovation Award for Playwriting. Other plays include The Hero Business,Oswald’s Mulligan, Another Failed Attempt at World Domination and Before The Party, which won the Alliance of LA Playwright’s reading series award. Whatever Happens Is Good, a short feature he wrote and directed on the 90’s grunge culture, was an award winner at the Metropolitan Film Festival. His documentary Baker’s and The Bird, a history of Detroit’s jazz clubs commissioned by the Public Benefit Corporation, has been broadcast on the PBS, BET and TNT networks. He has written on the arts for publications such as IF Magazine and The Sacramento Bee and was a founding editor of two Detroit culture magazines, Fun and Orbit, where he was the lead film critic and feature writer. He recently wrote and directed the short Mr. Freakin’ Perfect and is a member of The Dramatists Guild.

Bullet

By Cort Brinkerhoff

Directed by Jack Rowe

April 16 & 17 at 7 p.m.; April 18 at 2:30 p.m.

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A young Navajo girl with tremendous natural athletic ability focuses her attention on running track while a jealous rival athlete tests her limits in a way that could destroy her identity and her future.

Cort Brinkerhoff was born and raised in Salt Lake City. His play SQUAT was produced aboard the Queen Mary by Alive Theatre in Long Beach last March. Before coming to USC, he served as the Technical Director for the Babcock Theatre at the University of Utah, where he earned a B.A. in Theatre Studies. He wishes to thank his wife Brooke for her love, support and boundless fancy for adventure.

Jessie and Sam (Or Sam and Jessie)

A Totally Absurd Love Story

By Stephanie Swirsky

Directed by Abigail Gonda

April 23 & 24 at 7 p.m.; April 25 at 2:30 p.m.

When Jessie's boyfriend, Sam, suddenly dies, she is left alone to grieve. In her search for meaning, she finds that the answers aren't always easy and often times aren't even there.

It was an unseasonable 80-degree February day when Stephanie Swirsky left the New York hospital she born in, but Stephanie's mother had her wrapped up in blankets. For the next three months, Stephanie's mother wouldn't bring her outside for fear of the cold. Now Stephanie's in L.A. where she spends most of her time writing in her apartment..

Admission to BLUEPRINTS is free of charge and available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information , please call 213.740.2167 or visit www.usc.edu/spectrum.