The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) is an American annual professional

theatre festival Theatre festivals are amongst the earliest types of festival. Classical Greek theatre was associated with religious festivals dedicated to Dionysus, called the City Dionysia. The medieval mystery plays were presented at the major Christian feasts ...

held at

Shepherd University Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the university enrolled 3,159 students in Fall 2020. History Shepherd University began when the county seat of Jefferson ...

, located in

Shepherdstown, West Virginia Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,734 at the time of ...

. According to the New York Times (in 2015), it is one of "50 ''essential'' summer festivals". In 2016, Germany's World Guide identified the festival as one of the "Top 10 theatre festivals not to miss this summer". A representative of the Theatre Communications Group in its publication ''American Theatre'' stated that "(CATF's) forward focus has helped ... change the American theatre conversation, bringing ''new voices'' and ''pressing topics'' to the stage ..." The Festival specializes in premieres and second or third productions of new plays, currently producing six plays each summer in rotating repertory.

History

Shepherd University Frank Center for the Performing Arts

A 2010

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

segment stated: "For 20 years, in the oldest town in West Virginia, new plays have had a home and a loyal audience. The Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University is a dream for the writers of those plays." The festival was started in 1991 "on a wing and a prayer and a $90,000 budget" by producing director Ed Herendeen. It was modeled after the

Williamstown Theatre Festival The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. I ...

, located in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

. It has the goal of producing and developing new American theater, specifically plays that deal with contemporary issues and strive to challenge and entertain audiences. In addition to finding new scripts which could be either premieres or on a second/third production, the festival has also commissioned works since 1998. Through the summer of 2013, the festival has produced 100 plays, by 73 American playwrights, including 37 world premieres, 9 of which were commissioned. It had an operating budget for 2013 of $1 million. In 2017 the New York Times picked it as "one of the top festivals in theater ... that we think you should see this spring and summer around the country". The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

in 2020 caused officials to scrap the festival & defer to 2021.

Facilities

Housed on the university's campus, the CATF uses three performance spaces. The first is the 416 seat Frank Center for the Arts Stage, a conventional

proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

performance space without a curtain. The second is The Stanley C. and Shirley A. Marinoff Theater, a 180-seat flexible seating space, located in the recently completed Center For Contemporary Arts II(CCA II). This space replaced the Studio Theater, an adapted space in Sara H Cree Hall. The third space is a smaller adapted

black box In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...

space in Room 112 of Center For Contemporary Arts I. The CATF scene shop and costume shop are also located in the new CCA II.

Notable productions

*''Uncanny Valley'', 2014 Festival ::As part of the

National New Play Network The National New Play Network (NNPN) is the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 stat ...

Rolling World Premieres, CATF transferred their production to

59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is owned and operated by ...

in New York City from October 2 – 26. The production received favorable reviews. *''H2O'', 2013 Festival ::This production was one of six finalists for the 2014 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, recognizing playwrights for the best scripts that premiered professionally outside New York City during 2013 *''Gidion's Knot'', 2012 Festival ::This world premiere production received a Harold and Mimi Steinberg/

American Theatre Critics Association The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) is the only nationwide professional association of theatre critics in the United States. The ATCA membership consists of theatre critics who write reviews and critiques of live theatre for print, broad ...

New Play citation as one of the top three new plays of 2012. The play has been published by Dramatists Play Service and had 14 productions scheduled for 2014 around the USA. According to ''American Theatre'' magazine, it is the 11th most-produced play in the 2013-2014 theater season. *''

Farragut North Farragut North station is an underground Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., on the Red Line. Farragut North serves downtown Washington and is located just north of Farragut Square. It lies at the heart of the business district on ...

'', 2009 Festival ::This play was adapted for the screen as ''

The Ides of March The Ides of March (; la, Idus Martiae, Late Latin: ) is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several religious observances and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling debts. In 44 BC, it became ...

'' starring

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

and

Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received ...

. *''

My Name is Rachel Corrie My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Market ...

'', 2007 Festival. ::This production was notable because of the controversy surrounding the play (see the play's article in Wikipedia for details of the controversy). The festival playbill contained a two-page ad, "My Name is Rachel Corrie Does Not Tell the Whole Story: Don't Be Misled", which included photos of six other women named Rachel who were killed by Palestinian

suicide bombers A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

. A member of the festival's board of trustees resigned in protest and several regular patrons decided not to attend the festival in response to the selection of this work. The Artistic Director "was flooded with letters urging the board members to remove the play". The actual production was without incident and no drop in attendance. *''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', 1999 Festival ::This production was notable as it was one of the early works commissioned by the festival which then went on to be regularly produced and was adapted by the playwright (

Jeffrey Hatcher Jeffrey Hatcher is an American playwright and screenwriter. He wrote the stage play ''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', which he later adapted into a screenplay, shortened to just ''Stage Beauty'' (2004). He also co-wrote the stage adaptation o ...

) into a film version

Stage Beauty ''Stage Beauty'' is a 2004 romantic period drama directed by Richard Eyre. The screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher is based on his play ''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', which was inspired by references to 17th-century actor Edward Kynaston made in th ...

starring

Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influentia ...

Billy Crudup William Gaither Crudup (; born July 8, 1968) is an American actor. He is a four-time Tony Award nominee, winning once for his performance in Tom Stoppard's play ''The Coast of Utopia'' in 2007. He has starred in numerous high-profile films, inc ...

, and

Tom Wilkinson Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (born 5 February 1948)Born January–March 1948, according to the ''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com is an English actor of film, television, and stage. He has rece ...

. *''Carry the Tiger to the Mountain'', 1998 Festival ::This play by Cherylene Lee – and the festival's first commissioned work – focused on the beating death of Vincent Chin in 1982 Detroit. The play's production became the impetus for a state-wide discussion on race and served as the backdrop to the governor's year-long efforts on this issue, which began with a town-hall discussion, in the theater, following a production of the play. The festival was recognized for its role as catalyst for this important dialogue with the 1999 "Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts."

Complete production history

The following is a complete list of the festival's productions. :2019 Festival :''My Lord, What a Night'' by Deborah Brevoort*^; ''Support Group for Men'' by Ellen Fairey; ''Wrecked'' by Greg Kalleres*; ''A Welcome Guest: A Psychotic Fairy Tale'' by Michael Weller**; ''Chester Bailey'' by Joseph Dougherty; ''Antonio' s Song / I was dreaming of a son'' by Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez* :2018 Festival :''The Cake'' by Bekah Brunstetter; ''Berta, Berta'' by Angelica Cheri*; ''Memoirs of a Forgotten Man'' by D.W. Gregory*^; ''Thirst'' by C.A. Johnson*; ''A Late Morning (in America) with Ronald Reagan'' by Michael Weller*; ''The House on the Hill'' by Amy E. Witting*. :2017 Festival :''The Niceties'' by Eleanor Burgess, ''Welcome To Fear City'' by Kara Lee Corthron,^*, ''Wild Horses'' by Allison Gregory^*, ''Byhalia, Mississippi'' by Evan Linder, ''Everything Is Wonderful'' by Chelsea Marcantel^*, ''We Will Not Be Silent'' by David Meyers^*. :2016 Festival :''pen/man/ship'' by Christina Anderson, ''Not Medea'' by Allison Gregory*^, ''The Wedding Gift'' by Chisa Hutchinson^*, ''20th Century Blues'' by Susan Miller^*, ''The Second Girl'' by Ronan Noone. :2015 Festival :''World Builders'' by Johnna Adams^*, ''Everything You Touch'' by

Sheila Callaghan Sheila Callaghan (born 1973) is a playwright and screenwriter who emerged from the RAT ( Regional Alternative Theatre) movement of the 1990s. She has been profiled by ''American Theater Magazine'', "The Brooklyn Rail", ''Theatermania'', and ''Th ...

, ''On Clover Road'' by

Steven Dietz Steven Dietz (born June 23, 1958) is an American playwright, theatre director, and teacher. Called "the most ubiquitous American playwright whose name you may never have heard", Dietz has long been one of America's most prolific and widely prod ...

^*, ''We Are Pussy Riot'' by Barbara Hammond**, ''The Full Catastrophe'' by

Michael Weller Michael Weller (born September 26, 1942) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and screen writer. His plays include ''Moonchildren'', ''Loose Ends'', ''Spoils of War'' and ''Fifty Words''. His screenplays include ''Ragtime'', for which he was nominate ...

^*, based on the novel by

David Carkeet David Carkeet (born November 15, 1946, Sonora, California) is an American novelist and essayist. Three of his novels have been named ''The New York Times Book Review'' Notable Books of the Year. Biography Carkeet grew up in the small northern Cali ...

:2014 Festival :''The Ashes Under Gait City'' by Christina Anderson^*, ''One Night'' by

Charles Fuller Charles H. Fuller Jr. (March 5, 1939 – October 3, 2022) was an American playwright, best known for his play ''A Soldier's Play'', for which he received the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2020 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Ea ...

, ''Uncanny Valley'' by Thomas Gibbons*^, ''North of the Boulevard'' by Bruce Graham, ''Dead and Breathing'' by Chisa Hutchinson^*. :2013 Festival :''A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World '' by

Liz Duffy Adams Liz Duffy Adams is an American playwright who has written many plays including ''Born With Teeth''; ''Or,''; ''Dog Act''; ''The Salonnieres''; ''A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World''; ''The Broken Machine'', and others. Her play '' ...

^*, ''Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them'' by Jon Kern, ''H2O'' by

Jane Martin Jane Martin is the pen name of a playwright who has been active from 1981 to the present, whose real identity remains unknown. Martin's plays include ''Anton in Show Business'', ''Back Story'', ''Beauty'', ''Coup/Clucks'', '' Cementville'', ''Cr ...

^**, ''Heartless'' by

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

, ''Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah'' by

Mark St. Germain Mark St. Germain is an American playwright, author, and film and television writer. Career Plays St. Germain has written ''Camping With Henry And Tom'' (Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards), ''Out of Gas On Lover's Leap'', ''Forgiving ...

^**. :2012 Festival :''Gidion’s Knot'' by Johnna Adams^*, ''The Exceptionals'' by Bob Clyman, '' In a Forest, Dark and Deep'' by

Neil LaBute Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, ''In the Company of Men'' (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Fi ...

, ''Captors'' by Evan M. Wiener, ''Barcelona'' by Bess Wohl^* :2011 Festival :''From Prague'' by Kyle Bradstreet^*, ''

Race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

'' by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

, ''Ages of the Moon'' by

, ''We Are Here'' by Tracy Thorne, ''The Insurgents'' by

Lucy Thurber Lucy Thurber is an American playwright based in New York City. She is the recipient of the first Gary Bonasorte Memorial Prize for Playwriting, a Lilly Award and a 2014 OBIE Award for ''The Hill Town Plays''. Biography She was born in ...

^** :2010 Festival :''Breadcrumbs'' by

Jennifer Haley Jennifer Haley is an American playwright. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas and studied acting at the University of Texas at Austin for her undergraduate degree. Haley also received a MFA in playwriting at Brown University in 2005, where she ...

^*, ''The Eelwax Jesus 3-D Pop Music Show'' Book & Lyrics by Max Baker, Music by Lee Sellars^*, ''Inana'' by Michele Lowe, ''Lidless'' by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, ''White People'' by

J.T. Rogers J. T. Rogers is a multiple-award-winning, internationally recognized American playwright who lives in New York. Rogers has written several plays including ''Oslo'', ''Blood and Gifts'', ''The Overwhelming'', ''White People'', and ''Madagascar''. ...

:2009 Festival :''Dear Sara Jane'' by Victor Lodato^*, ''

'' by

Beau Willimon Pack Beauregard Willimon (born October 26, 1977) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He helped develop the American version of the series ''House of Cards'' and served as showrunner for the first four seasons. In 2018, Willimon created th ...

, ''Fifty Words'' by

, ''The History of Light'' by Eisa Davis^*, ''Yankee Tavern'' by

:2008 Festival :''The Overwhelming'' by

J. T. Rogers J. T. Rogers is a multiple-award-winning, internationally recognized American playwright who lives in New York. Rogers has written several plays including ''Oslo'', '' Blood and Gifts'', ''The Overwhelming'', ''White People'', and ''Madagascar''. ...

, ''Pig Farm'' by

Greg Kotis Greg Kotis (born 1965/1966) is an American playwright, best known for writing the book and co-writing the lyrics for the musical ''Urinetown''. Biography Career Kotis studied political science at the University of Chicago, where he was a membe ...

, ''Stick Fly'' by Lydia R. Diamond, ''A View of the Harbor'' by

Richard Dresser Richard Dresser (born 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist and teacher whose work has been performed in New York, leading regional theaters, and all over Europe. His first dystopian fiction novel, ''It Happened Here,'' an oral hi ...

^*, ''WRECKS'' by

:2007 Festival :''1001'' by Jason Grote, ''Lonesome Hollow'' by

Lee Blessing Lee Knowlton Blessing (born October 4, 1949) is an American playwright best known for his 1988 work, '' A Walk in the Woods''. A lifelong Midwesterner, Blessing continued to work in regional theaters in and around his hometown of Minneapolis thro ...

^*, ''The Pursuit of Happiness'' by

, ''

'' from the writings of

Rachel Corrie Rachel Aliene Corrie (April 10, 1979 – March 16, 2003) was an American activist and diarist. A member of the pro-Palestinian group International Solidarity Movement (ISM), she was crushed to death by an armored bulldozer of the Israel ...

, edited by

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

and

Katharine Viner Katharine Sophie Viner (born January 1971)Katharine Vine"Dear diary ..." ''The Guardian'', 27 November 2004 is a British journalist and playwright. She became the first female editor-in-chief at ''The Guardian'' on 1 June 2015 succeeding Alan ...

:2006 Festival :''Augusta'' by

^*, ''Jazzland'' by Keith Glover^**, ''Mr. Marmalade'' by Noah Haidle, ''Sex, Death, and the Beach Baby'' by Kim Merrill^* :2005 Festival :''The God of Hell'' by

, ''American Tet'' by Lydia Stryk^*, ''Sonia Flew'' by Melinda Lopez, ''Father Joy'' by

Sheri Wilner Sheri Wilner (born January 22, 1969) is an American playwright. Her works have been produced at the Humana Festival of New American Plays, the Guthrie Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA ...

^*, ''Augusta'' by Richard Dresser⁺, ''Jazzland'' by Keith Glover⁺⁺, ''On the Verge'' or ''The Geography of Yearning'' by Eric Overmyer^~ :2004 Festival :''Homeland Security'' by Stuart Flack, ''Flag Day'' by

^*, ''Rounding Third'' by Richard Dresser, ''The Rose of Corazon: A Texas Songplay'' by Keith Glover**, ''Amazing'' by Brooke Berman^~, ''Father Joy'' by

⁺ :2003 Festival :''Whores'' by

^*, ''The Last Schwartz'' by Deborah Zoe Laufer, ''Bright Ideas'' by

Eric Coble Eric Coble is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is a member of the Playwrights' Unit of the Cleveland Play House. Eric Coble was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and raised on the Navajo and Ute reservations in New Mexico and Colorado. Bef ...

, ''Wilder'' by

Erin Cressida Wilson Erin Cressida Wilson (born February 12, 1964) is an American playwright, screenwriter, professor, and author. Wilson is known for the 2002 film ''Secretary'', which she adapted from a Mary Gaitskill short story. It won her the Independent Spirit ...

, ''Flag Day'' by

⁺, ''The Clandestine Crossing'' by Keith Glover⁺ :2002 Festival :''Thief River'' by

, ''Silence of God'' by Catherine Filloux^**, ''The Late Henry Moss'' by

, ''Orange Flower Water'' by Craig Wright*, ''Rounding Third'' by Richard Dresser⁺, ''Melissa Arctic'' by Craig Wright⁺ :2001 Festival :''Tape'' by

Stephen Belber Stephen Belber (born March 3, 1967) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. His plays have been produced on Broadway and in over 50 countries. He directed the film adaptation of his Broadway play, ''Match'', starring Patric ...

, ''The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa'' by John Olive^*, ''The Occupation" by Harry Newman^*, ''The Pavilion'' by Craig Wright, ''Carol Mulroney'' by

⁺, ''Orange Flower Water'' by Craig Wright⁺, ''Silence of God'' by Catherine Filloux⁺⁺'' :2000 Festival :''Hunger'' by

*, ''Mary and Myra'' by Catherine Filloux^*, ''Miss Golden Dreams'', A Play Cycle by

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. Her novels '' Bla ...

*, ''Something in the Air'' by Richard Dresser :1999 Festival :''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'' by

^**, ''Coyote on a Fence'' by

Bruce Graham Bruce John Graham (December 1, 1925 – March 6, 2010) was a Peruvian-American architect. Graham built buildings all over the world and was deeply involved with evolving the Burnham Plan of Chicago. Among his most notable buildings are the ...

, ''Tatjana in Color'' by

Julia Jordan Julia Jordan is an American playwright, television writer, and screenwriter. She is a graduate of Barnard College, class of 1989, and received a master's degree from Trinity College Dublin. Biography Jordan was born in Chicago and spent much of h ...

*, ''The Water Children'' by

Wendy MacLeod Wendy A. MacLeod (born August 6, 1959) is an American playwright. Life and career MacLeod received a BA from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where she now teaches and is a playwright-in-residence. She also earned a MFA from the Yale School of ...

, ''Flo's Ho's'' by Julia Jordan⁺⁺ :1998 Festival :''BAFO'' by Tom Strelich, ''Carry the Tiger to the Mountain'' by Cherylene Lee^**, ''Gun-Shy'' by Richard Dresser, ''Interesting Times'' by Preston Foerder^** :1997 Festival :''Below the Belt'' by

, ''Demonology'' by Kelley Stuart, ''Lighting Up the Two Year Old'' by Benjie Aerenson, CATF Dance Ensemble :1996 Festival :''Bad Girls'' by

^*, ''Octopus'' by Jon Klein^*, ''The Nina Variations'' by

, ''The Nose'' by Elizabeth Egloff, ''Tough Choices for the New Century'' by

Jane Anderson Jane Anderson (born 1954 in California) is an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and director. She wrote and directed the feature film ''The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio'' (2005), and wrote the Nicolas Cage film '' It Could Happen to ...

:1995 Festival :''Beti the Yeti'' by Jon Klein, ''Maggie's Riff'' by Jon Lipsky, ''Psyche Was Here'' by Lynne Martin^*, ''Voir Dire'' by

Joe Sutton Joe Sutton is an American playwright. He teaches playwrighting at Dartmouth College. He is the son of actor Frank Sutton. His play ''Voir Dire'' opened in 1995 at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. The play received attention after the O. J. Simpson ...

:1994 Festival :''Forgiving Typhoid Mary'' by

, ''Shooting Simone'' by Lynne Kaufman, ''Spike Heels'' by

Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's E ...

, ''What are Tuesdays Like?'' by

Victor Bumbalo Victor Bumbalo (born November 30, 1948) is an American actor and playwright. Early life and education Bumbalo graduated from the Masters Program in Theater at Bennington College. In New York City, Bumbalo became immersed in the Off- and Off-Off ...

^*, :1993 Festival :''A Contemporary Masque'' by Stephen Bennet, ''Alabama Rain'' by Heather McCutchen, ''Black'' by

, ''Dream House'' by Darrah Cloud :1992 Festival :''Static'' by Ben Siegler, ''Still Waters'' by Lynn Martin*, ''The Baby Dance'' by

, ''The Swan'' by Elizabeth Egloff :1991 Festival :''Accelerando'' by

Lisa Loomer Lisa Loomer (born 1950) is an American playwright and screenwriter who has also worked as an actress and stand-up comic. She is best known for her play ''The Waiting Room'' (1994), in which three women from different time periods meet in a moder ...

, ''Welcome to the Moon'' by

John Patrick Shanley John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film ''Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer P ...

Production Notes ^* world premiere ^** world premiere; commissioned by CATF ^{^} National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere ⁺ staged reading ⁺⁺ staged reading; commissioned by CATF ^~ CATF Actors' Lab Workshop

Notes

The plays are professionally produced using the LORT D contract of the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

(AEA). The festival operates under agreements from AEA,

United Scenic Artists United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, formerly known as United Scenic Artists of America (USAA), is an American labor union. It is a nationwide autonomous Local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. It organizes designer ...

, and the

Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), formerly known as Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC), is an independent national labor union established in 1959, representing theatrical directors and choreographer ...

. The festival is a member of the

Theatre Communications Group Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is a non-profit service organization headquartered in New York City that promotes professional non-profit theatre in the United States. The organization also publishes ''American Theatre'' magazine and ''ARTSEA ...

. The festival is a member of the National New Play Network. Annually, CATF holds Hostel YOUTH! - a theater immersion program for young adults (ages 14–18) In 2013, the festival hosted the American Theatre Critics Association Annual Conference. In 2008, the first phase of the new Center for Contemporary Arts was dedicated. Phase One houses the CATF administration offices and one of large studios has been adapted for a third performance space. In 2013, Center for Contemporary Arts Phase Two opened, adding a 180-seat studio (black-box) theater as well as dressing room, scene shop and prop shop facilities. A future Phase Three will contain two 250-seat theaters, one

thrust stage In theatre, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performe ...

and one end-stage. In 2008, the festival had an economic impact of $2.1 million to the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia. In 2013, the festival brought $3 million of revenue to Shepherdstown, and attracted nearly 14,000 people — primarily from the D.C. region, but also from 30-plus states and various foreign countries. The Festival is a Blue Star Theatre - part of a collaboration between the Theatre Communications Group and Blue Star Families offering discounted admission to all military personnel and their families.

References

External links

* * http://www.potomacstages.com/OutofTown/Contemporary.htm
The Washington Post
{{authority control Theatre companies in West Virginia Festivals in West Virginia Festivals established in 1991 Theatre festivals in the United States Tourist attractions in Jefferson County, West Virginia 1991 establishments in West Virginia Annual events in West Virginia Contemporary theatre Shepherd University