New this year, the Essential Marketplace is a vendor space at the theatre where patrons can view, enjoy and even purchase art created by Essential company members and friends past and present. Proceeds will go directly to the artists themselves, and wares can be anything from greeting cards to paintings to wood and metal works to jewelry, clothing and more.

We got the idea for the Marketplace over a period of time, starting when Be the Change People, Inc approached us before our 2014 Festival and asked if they could sell their wares before performances of That Uganda Play.

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-by Peter Hardy

Vynnie Meli is a local playwright and member of Working Title Playwrights.  In 2008, she won the Essential Theatre Playwriting Award for JIM CROW AND THE RHYTHM DARLINGS, about an all-female jazz band of (mostly) African-Americans touring the American south during World War Two.  One of our patrons called it “the most powerful play I’ve ever seen.”

Since then, Vynnie has worked on a number of projects including the book and lyrics for a musical called PLAGUED: A LOVE STORY that, after workshops with Working Title, was chosen for development at the New York Musical Theater Festival. 

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OLD SHIP OF ZION play opening press release

Atlanta, July 2015 – Join us for the professional world premiere of The Old Ship of Zion, by Columbus, GA playwright Natalia Naman, opening July 24.

A warm, touching play about the members of a small African-American church, struggling to keep its doors open and adapt to changing times. Mama Gwen is a beloved elder who feels the burden of others who depend on the strength of her faith, and Quincy is a young man who loves his church but is beginning to realize that he’s gay.

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Musicals abound this summer, both here in town and across the country. Check out these Georgia playwrights who are making music in New York in the next few months:

Vynnie Meli’s second New York Musical Theatre Festival contribution, A Capella, will take the stage this summer as part of the 12th NYMF. Her first NYMF musical was Plagued – A Love Story, which was part of the 2009 Festival. NYMF selects upwards of 50 new projects each year to present over its three-week summer season.

Daryl Fazio’s lift is part of the lineup for the 27th Annual Festival of New Musicals, 

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2015 Essential Theatre Play Festival Press Release JULY

Atlanta, July 2015 – The 17th Annual Essential Theatre Festival kicks off July 24 at the West End Performing Arts Center, located at 945 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in Atlanta. This summer, Essential will be presenting the World Premiere of the 2015 playwriting award winner, Lillian Likes It by Joshua Mikel, and the Professional World Premiere of The Old Ship of Zion, by Columbus, GA native Natalia Naman.

New this year, in addition to the two fully staged plays and the Bare Essentials Reading Series,

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How does the Festival Pass work?
When you purchase a two, four, or eight ticket Festival Pass, you can use those tickets however you wish. You can bring a big party on one night or divide your tickets across multiple performances. You can use them all for one play, or you can use your pass to see different plays at different times.

How do I redeem my Festival Pass for tickets to see a show?
To redeem your Festival Pass, simply email [email protected] with your preferred dates. We strongly recommend doing this a minimum of 24 hours before the start of the show you’d like to attend.

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Joshua Mikel is an actor, playwright, and music video director from Conyers, GA and a graduate of Florida State University’s Theatre and Creative Writing programs. A six time published playwright, Josh is known primarily for his theatre for young audience works Good Good Trouble on Bad Bad Island and The Monster Hunters. As a director, Josh has created videos for the bands Against Me!, Neon Trees, American Authors, and Waxahatchee. As an actor he has made (albeit small) appearances in the films We’re the Millers, The Good Lie, Million Dollar Arm, and can be seen as Stanton Beachhead in VH1’s new scripted series Hindsight.

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Natalia Naman is a playwright writing and teaching in her hometown of Columbus, GA. Her plays include The Old Ship of Zion, Lawnpeople, and Crossing Over. Her work has been produced at Princeton University, The Cherry Lane Theatre, HERE Arts Center, and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. She is a Cherry Lane Mentor Project Finalist, a three time nominee for the Wendy Wasserstein Prize, and a Lark Play Development Center alumna. She graduated from Princeton University with a BA in English and NYU Tisch with an MFA in Dramatic Writing.

Earlier this year we spoke with Natalia and got to learn a little bit more about her and The Old Ship of Zion, 

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We’re proud to announce our 2015 Festival crowdfunding campaign through IndieGoGo, running now through the end of the Festival. Consider making a contribution today!

Funds will be used to cover production expenses, artist fees and festival promotion.

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