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Dateline: 31st August, 2003 America Now Nine Readings of New US PlaysThe United States has undergone historic changes in the last few years. Since a pregnant chad gave birth to the presidency of Dubya there have been 9/11, Enron and military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. In response to these dramatically changing times Charm Offensive, in collaboration with RADA, is presenting rehearsed readings of everyday life. It is hoped that these will give London audiences a taste of how Americans feel about living in America now. The programme, starting on Monday 8th September and running on selected dates until Wednesday 17th September, features readings from some of America's most exciting writers, including Pulitzer Prize winners and nominees. As the second-year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, America Now will demonstrate how the events of the last few years have affected American artists by exploring the writers' works. Gavin McAlinden and Steve King, who came up with the concept of America Now, will direct 3 plays each, along with colleague Michael Gieleta. The last-named worked with Franco Zeffirelli on the highly acclaimed production of Absolutely! Perhaps at Wyndhams, which will be opening in New York later this year. The series opens on Monday 8th September (7:30pm) with Women of Lockerbie by Deborah Brevoorst - a multiple award-winning play about the aftermath of the 1988 Pan Am crash of Flight 103. Tuesday 9th September (7:00pm) features two readings: Roger & Vanessa will be performed by Stephen Adly Guirgis and Elizabeth Rodrigues who are flying in from New York especially for the reading. Writer Brett C. Leonard who will also be attending the performance said he was "excited to see Roger & Vanessa performed in front of a London audience". Director Steve King, a Fringe First winner as associate producer on Imaginary Body's 100, remarked, "We are excited that Stephen and Elizabeth volunteered their time to come over to perform Brett's London debut". Following this production is Beauty of the Father by Nilo Cruz, where the 2003 Pulitzer Prize winner examines the loving and chaotic world of an eccentric Spanish family. On Wednesday 10th (7:30pm) Fatboy by John Clancy (the founder of the NY International Fringe Festival) re-invents Ubu Roi as a contemporary American grotesque. On Monday 15th September (7:30pm) America Now presents 2 plays written by CJ Hopkins: The Revolution - 2002 Best of the Fringe Firsts author's short play in which a white collar worker begins a one-man uprising, and A Message From Marjorie, where one woman invites the audience to join the founding of a new US Empire. This will be the world premiere of Hopkins latest offering. On Tuesday 16th (7:30pm) inThe Water's Edge by Theresa Rebeck, a father returns to the family he abandoned years before. This year's America Now series closes on Wednesday 17th September (7:00pm) with two readings: Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith in which last year's Pulitzer Prize finalist explores the harsh realities of racism and The Guys by Anne Nelson, which was written as a direct response to 9/11 and is based on the author's personal experiences. Charm Offensive is a London based production company that specializes in bringing new works examining contemporary urban experience to the stage and screen. Founded by film and theatre director Gavin McAlinden it is currently producing Judy Upton's new play Repairing the Damage and a short film Once Upon Ever After, by screenwriter Wendy Obu-Obuli, that was developed with Jerwood First Film Foundation and the BBC. Gavin McAlinden and Steve King came up with the idea of presenting a series of plays that reflect the author's response to the world they live in while sitting in the Young Vic. Discussing recent historic changes in America they wondered how the climate might be affecting artists writing in the US today. They decided that the best solution was to let the artists speak for themselves. The idea was for the playwrights to tell their own stories whilst raising British awareness of their work. Charm Offensive found the scripts through various NY contacts and Steve King credits NY Director Linda Key and actress Barbara Pitts for giving him a grasp of the NY theatre scene. King said, "we didn't want to step on people's sensitivities about the last few years but we found a genuine hunger to tell these stories". They weren't specifically looking for scripts that tackled the events of 9/11 so the America Now readings will tackle such diverse topics as office racism, family feuds and love. As King remarked, "great writing always captures the spirit of its time". The project was conceived and under production within a matter of weeks. They approached a number of venues and many were interested, but when they met with Lloyd Trott at RADA his enthusiasm and support for the project made it the perfect fit. They had their stage. So will America Now become an annual event? Steve King expressed enthusiasm for taking the project one step further. Having formed strong relationships with US playwrights and an interested US producer, King has found genuine interest in a collaboration with New York. There are already talks about mirroring this event next year in NY where Charm Offensive would present both British and US plays together. America Now will run on selected nights from September 8th - 17th at RADA, 62-64 Gower Street and admission is free. Julie-Ann Marshall Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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