Humana Festival of New American Plays is an internationally renowned festival that celebrates the contemporary American playwright. Produced annually in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

by Actors Theatre of Louisville, this festival showcases new theatrical works and draws producers, critics, playwrights, and theatre lovers from around the world. The festival was founded in 1976 by Jon Jory, who was Producing Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville from 1969 to 2000. Since 1979 The Humana Festival has been sponsored by the Humana Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of Humana.

History

The Actor's Theater of Louisville hosted the first Festival of New American Plays in March 1977. It was founded by the former artistic director of the Actor's Theater, Jon Jory. The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn, one of the plays presented that year, went on to open on Broadway later that year and would win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1978. The 1978 festival line up included Marsha Norman's Getting Out, and in 1979, Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley. It was also the first year that the festival was sponsored by the Humana Festival. Over the 400 plays (short pieces, ten-minute plays, one-acts, and full-lengths) the festival has produced, many have gone on to win several awards. '' Dinner With Friends'' by Donald Margulies, '' The Gin Game'' by D.L. Coburn, and, '' Crimes of the Heart'' by Beth Henley have all won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. ''Keely and Du'' by Jane Martin, '' Becky Shaw'' by Gina Gionfriddo, and ''Omnium-Gatherum b''y Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros and Theresa Rebeck have all been finalists for the prize. Lucas Hnath's ''The Christians,'' ''Appropriate'' by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, '' Big Love'' by Charles Mee, '' Slavs!'' by

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work '' Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the tu ...

, ''My Left Breast'' by Susan Miller, '' Marisol'' by José Rivera and '' One Flea Spare'' by Naomi Wallace have all won Obie Awards. ''How to Say Goodbye'' by Mary Gallagher, ''My Sister in this House'' by Wendy Kesselman, ''A Narrow Bed'' by Ellen McLaughlin, ''My Left Breast'' by Susan Miller and '' One Flea Spare'' by Naomi Wallace have won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and nine other plays produced at the festival have been finalists. ''2'' by Romulus Linney, '' Dinner with Friends'' by Donald Margulies, '' Getting Out'' by Marsha Norman, and Jane Martin's '' Talking With…,'' ''Keely and Du,'' ''Jack and Jill,'' and ''Anton in Show Business'' have won the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, and '' Dinner with Friends'' by Donald Margulies, '' Big Love'' by Charles Mee, ''

After Ashley ''After Ashley'' is a 2004 play written by Gina Gionfriddo. Productions The play was a hit at the 2004 Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky where it received its world premiere in March 2004. The play was commissioned by ...

'' by Gina Gionfriddo, ''Great Falls'' by Lee Blessing, ''Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them'' by A.Rey Pamatmat, and Lucas Hnath's ''Death Tax'' and ''The Christians'' have won Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award Citations. Jeff Augustin's and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’ s plays, ''Cry Old Kingdom'' and ''BOB: A Life in Five Acts'' respectively, have won the Barrie and Bernice Stavis Award, given by the National Theatre Conference to outstanding emerging playwrights.

List of plays produced

;2016 * ''Residence'' by

Laura Jacqmin Laura Jacqmin is a Los Angeles–based television writer, playwright, and video game writer from Shaker Heights, Ohio. She was the winner of the 2008 Wasserstein Prize, a $25,000 award given to recognize an emerging female playwright. Biograp ...

* ''For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday'' by Sarah Ruhl * ''This Random World'' by Steven Dietz * ''Wellesley Girl'' by Brendan Pelsue * ''

Cardboard Piano ''Cardboard Piano'' is a play by Hansol Jung. It premiered in 2016 at the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Summary ''Cardboard Piano'' begins on New Year's Eve 1999 in Northern Uganda. Chris, the daughter of American Christian missionar ...

'' by Hansol Jung * ''Wondrous Strange'' by Martyna Majok, Meg Miroshnik, Jiehae Park, and Jen Silverman The Ten-Minute Plays: * ''Coffee Break'' by Tasha Gordon-Solmon * ''This Quintessence of Dust'' by Cory Hinkle * ''Trudy, Carolyn, Martha, and Regina Travel to Outer Space and Have a Pretty Terrible Time There'' by James Kennedy ;2015 * ''The Roommate'' by Jen Silverman * ''Dot'' by Colman Domingo * ''I Will Be Gone'' by Erin Courtney * ''The Glory of the World'' by

Charles L. Mee Charles L. Mee (born September 15, 1938) is an American playwright, historian and author known for his collage-like style of playwriting, which makes use of radical reconstructions of found texts. He is also a Special Lecturer of theater at Colu ...

* ''I Promised Myself to Live Faster'', conceived and created by Pig Iron Theatre Company, text by Gregory S. Moss and Pig Iron Theatre Company * '' That High Lonesome Sound'', by Jeff Augustin, Diana Grisanti, Cory Hinkle, and Charise Castro The Ten-Minute Plays: * ''Rules of Comedy'' by Patricia Cotter * ''So Unnatural a Level'' by Gary Winter * ''Joshua Consumed an Unfortunate Pear'' by Steve Yockey ;2014 * ''Partners'' by Dorothy Fortenberry * ''The Christians'' by Lucas Hnath * ''The Grown-Up'' by Jordan Harrison * ''brownsville song (b-side for tray)'' by Kimber Lee * ''Steel Hammer'' created by SITI Company, music and lyrics by Julia Wolfe, original text by Kia Corthron, Will Power, Carl Hancock Rux and Regina Taylor * ''Remix 38'' by

Jackie Sibblies Drury Jackie Sibblies Drury is an American playwright. ''The New York Times'' called Drury's 2012 play ''We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the ...

, Idris Goodwin, Basil Kreimendahl,

Justin Kuritzkes Justin Kuritzkes is an American playwright and novelist. In 2016 his play ''The Sensuality Party'' toured the university circuit of New York state. He has been the subject of media coverage because of his activities on YouTube, such as the 2011 ...

and Amelia Roper The Ten-Minute Plays: * ''Winter Games'' by Rachel Bonds * ''Some Prepared Remarks (A History in Speech)'' by Jason Gray Platt * ''Poor Shem'' by Gregory Hischak ;2013 * ''The Delling Shore'' by

Sam Marks Sam Marks is an American North American champion bridge player and an American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Grand Life Master. Bridge accomplishments Wins * North American Bridge Championships (1) ** Grand National Teams (1) 2022 Runners-up ...

* ''Appropriate'' by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins * ''Cry Old Kingdom'' by

Jeff Augustin Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes * ...

* ''Gnit'' by

Will Eno Will Eno (born 1965) is an American playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. His play, ''Thom Pain (based on nothing)'' was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 2005. His play '' The Realistic Joneses'' appeared on Broadway in 2014, whe ...

* ''O Guru Guru Guru, or why I don't want to go to yoga class with you'' by Mallery Avidon * '' Sleep Rock Thy Brain'' by Rinne Groff, Lucas Hnath, and Anne Washburn The Ten-Minute Plays: * ''Halfway'' by Emily Schwend * ''27 Ways I Didn't Say "Hi" to Laurence Fishburne'' by Jonathan Josephson * '' Two Conversations Overheard on Airplanes'' by Sarah Ruhl ;2012 * '' Eat Your Heart Out'' by Courtney Baron * '' How We Got On'' by Idris Goodwin * ''

Death Tax The estate tax in the United States is a federal tax on the transfer of the estate of a person who dies. The tax applies to property that is transferred by will or, if the person has no will, according to state laws of intestacy. Other transfers ...

'' by Lucas Hnath * '' Michael von Siebenburg Melts Through the Floorboards'' by Greg Kotis * '' The Veri**on Play'' by Lisa Kron * '' The Hour of Feeling'' by Mona Mansour * '' Oh, Gastronomy! by''

Michael Golamco Michael Golamco is an American playwright and screenwriter for film and television. He is of Filipino and Chinese American descent. Plays ''Achievers'' ''Achievers'' (2001) was Golamco's first full-length play, and was read publicly in New Yor ...

, Carson Kreitzer, Steve Moulds, Tanya Saracho, and Matt Schatz The Ten-Minute Plays: * ''The Dungeons and the Dragons'' by Kyle John Schmidt * ''Hero Dad'' by Laura Jacqmin * ''The Ballad of 423 and 424'' by Nicholas C. Pappas ;2011 * ''Mr. Smitten'' by Laura Eason * ''Maple and Vine'' by Jordan Harrison * ''Hygiene'' by Gregory Hischak * ''Chicago, Sudan'' by Marc Bamuthi Joseph * '' Elemeno Pea'' by Molly Smith Metzler * ''BOB'' by

Peter Sinn Nachtrieb Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

* ''Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them'' by A. Rey Pamatmat * ''The Edge of Our Bodies'' by Adam Rapp * ''A Devil at Noon'' by Anne Washburn * ''The End'' by Dan Dietz,

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 ...

, Allison Moore, A. Rey Pamatmat, and Marco Ramirez. ;2010 * ''Let Bygones Be'' by Gamal Abdel Chasten * ''HEIST!'' conceived and created by Sean Daniels and Deborah Stein, written by Deborah Stein * ''Lobster Boy'' by Dan Dietz * ''Ground'' by Lisa Dillman * ''Fissures (lost and found)'' by Steve Epp, Cory Hinkle, Dominic Orlando, Dominique Serrand, Deborah Stein and Victoria Stewart * ''Post Wave Spectacular'' by Diana Grisanti * ''An Examination of the Whole Playwright/Actor Relationship Presented As Some Kind of Cop Show Parody'' by Greg Kotis * ''Sirens'' by Deborah Zoe Laufer * ''The Method Gun'' created by Rude Mechs, written by

Kirk Lynn Kirk Lynn (born May 8, 1972) is a playwright and novelist who lives in Austin, Texas. He graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas in 1990. He is one of the founders of Rude Mechanicals theater company and he has been w ...

* ''The Cherry Sisters Revisited'' by

Dan O'Brien Daniel Dion O'Brien (born July 18, 1966) is an American former decathlete and Olympic gold medalist. He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships (1991, 1993, 1995), and set the world record in 1992. Early life O' ...

with original music by Michael Friedman * ''Phoenix'' by Scott Organ. ;2009 * ''Ameriville'' by

UNIVERSES The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Accor ...

( Steven Sapp; Mildred Ruiz-Sapp; Gamal Abdel Chasten;

William Ruiz William Ruiz is a playwright, poet, and actor from the Bronx. Born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, William (a.k.a. Ninja) is a core member of Universes (poetic theatre ensemble). Theater Credits Include *''Ti-Jean Blues'' *''Wai ...

a.k.a.- NINJA) * ''Slasher'' by Allison Moore * ''Absalom'' by Zoe Kazan * ''The Hard Weather Boating Party'' by Naomi Wallace * ''Under Construction'' by

, produced in association with the SITI Company * ''Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry'' adapted for the stage by Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel, original music by Malcolm Dalglish * ''Brink!'' by Lydia R. Diamond, Kristoffer Diaz, Greg Kotis, Deborah Zoe Laufer,

and Deborah Stein * ''On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning'' by Alex Dremann * ''3:59am: a drag race for two actors'' by Marco Ramirez * ''Roanoke'' by Michael Lew, music and lyrics by Matt Schatz

References

External links

*
Humana Festival of New American Plays CD ROM
{dead link, date=November 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Festivals established in 1976 Theatre festivals in the United States Festivals in Louisville, Kentucky 1976 establishments in Kentucky

History

List of plays produced

See also

References

External links