The Essential Theatre produced the first play that Lauren Gunderson ever wrote, while she was still a student at Emory University.

Here is what she had to say about that experience, 15 years ago:

The entire process – from winning the Essential Theater’s Playwriting Award to the wonderful production my play received – was a complete thrill. As a writer it is so important to find theatre artists that want to see the best of your work and your work be its best. The professionalism with which the Essential Theatre handled my work and delivered a beautiful performance allowed me entrance into the world of playwriting.

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In a festival preview article for Edge Media Network a couple of years back, journalist T. K. Hadman made the statement:

The Essential Theatre Play Festival produces theatre unlike anywhere else in Atlanta. Almost 30 years running, it creates a vital opportunity for us to experience stories that demand to be heard.

Become a part of the Essential tradition – support our power2give campaign today!

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Joshua Mikel is a prolific writer, actor, musician and visual artist. Essential produced his play, Lillian Likes It, in 2015 after it won that year’s Essential Theatre Playwriting Award.

When asked what led him to submit Lillian Likes It to our playwriting competition, he had this to say:

Getting a piece through Essential has become sort of a rite of passage for the GA playwright I think. It’s an amazing and necessary thing to have a company that pulls from the local talent here, and I’m so stoked to be a part of it.

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Today’s quote comes from BIRTHDAY BOY Gabriel Jason Dean. Dean’s play, Qualities of Starlight, premiered in our 2010 Festival as that year’s Playwriting Award Winner and was published just this fall by Dramatic Publishing.

The play has been through several different iterations since its premiere to arrive at the script that was published, but it all started at Essential. Here’s what Dean had to say about his experience with Essential at the time his play premiered in 2010:

In the wasteland of unending readings and development conferences that make up the life of a young writer like me,

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Celise Kalke is the Director of New Projects at the Alliance Theater and has always been an avid supporter of Essential’s work and mission. Here is how she describes the value she sees in Essential:

Essential Theatre plays a vital role in the Atlanta theatre ecosystem. Writers lead this city, and Atlanta is increasingly exporting talent to the national theatre scene. Their work is indeed essential!

Become a part of the Essential tradition – support our power2give campaign today!

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Jordan Pulliam won the Essential Theatre Playwriting Award for 2012 with the wildly popular Bat-Hamlet, which has gone on to have an impressive five more productions around the country following its premiere with Essential.  (We still occasionally get asked when we’re going to remount it, in fact – by cast and audience alike!)

Here is what Jordan had to say about his experience with us in 2012:

Seeing my play, Bat-Hamlet, produced by the Essential Theatre was one of the greatest thrills of my life. I’d hardly imagined any theatre anywhere could take the spectacle that was parading through my head and put it onto a stage for others to see,

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Today’s inspiration comes from Karla Jennings,  2014 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award co-winner and author of Images in Smoke, produced by Essential in 2000, the year before the Playwriting Award was created.

Most theater groups won’t risk producing new plays by unknowns; such productions usually require personal contacts or payments. Essential Theatre’s an exception. It’s dedicated to choosing new plays solely on merit and giving them professional treatment. It takes a risk so that Southern voices can be heard. Essential’s faith in playwrights strengthens their faith in themselves, which keeps them writing. Essential Theatre helps Georgia speak for itself.

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Here’s the first of our daily inspirations, from the very first Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Winner, and the most-produced living playwright in America in 2016: Lauren Gunderson.

So proud to be an alumna of Essential Theatre, run by the inestimable Peter Hardy. They produced my first plays and basically started my professional career. Support them if you value new plays, Georgia artists, and intimate/vibrant theatre!

Become a part of the Essential tradition – support our power2give campaign today!

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-contributed by Jennifer Kimball
Managing Director (2012-present)

Ordinarily, we at Essential spend a lot of time this time of year celebrating the accomplishments of playwrights whose work we’ve premiered over the years. This tradition began as a means of building excitement around the crowdfunding campaign we’re usually also running this time of year, but it’s also something I’ve come to really enjoy curating as part of my job with Essential.

We hope you enjoy this year’s series! And of course, we sincerely hope you’re moved to support our power2give campaign,

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