ABOUT THE ESSENTIAL

Essential Theatre's mission is to challenge Georgia audiences and to support Georgia artists by encouraging the creation of new dramatic literature and giving local actors, directors and designers the chance to work on exciting new plays that have not yet been produced in this area – all World Premieres and Regional Premieres. We invite the participation of audiences in developing the work of these playwrights through workshops, staged readings and full productions.

Each year, we present the POWER PLAY FESTIVAL, a repertory of new plays running in rotation. From the first year of the Festival we have been committed to producing at least one new play a year by a Georgia playwright, and in 2001 we began the annual Essential Theatre Playwriting Award, the only such competition exclusively dedicated to Georgia playwrights.

The Essential Theatre Board of Directors

Stacy Hyken Edelstein
Evan Glover
Mark Perloe

Elizabeth Schulte Roth

Leslee Sinclair

Essential Theatre Advisory Panel

Rosemary Newcott (Artistic Director of Theatre for Youth at the Alliance Theatre, Actress).

Phillip DePoy (Playwright, Novelist, Musician, Actor, Director, Head of Drama Department at Clayton State College).

Valetta Anderson (Resident Teaching Artist with the Alliance Theatre Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists , Playwright). .

Morgan Timmis (Historic and Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Roswell; Actress).

Ann Wilson (Director of Development, Horizon Theatre; Actress).

Jill Patrick (Managing Director of Working Title Playwrights Group).

Ellen McQueen (Director, Actress, Playwright).

Suehyla El-Attar (Actress, Playwright).

Bill Gibson (Playwright, Essential Playwriting Award Winner).

Karla Jennings (Playwright).

Lee Nowell (Director, Actress, Playwright).