40 Days of Essential Playwrights: 15 – CELEBRITY CHEF MATTHEW MYERS!

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CELEBRITY CHEF MATTHEW MYERS!

Here’s a bit of trivia for you: Did you know that more characters were killed off in STRAY DOGS than in any show Essential has ever done — except BAT-HAMLET, of course!

JOIN ACTOR, PLAYWRIGHT AND CELEBRITY CHEF MATTHEW MYERS TOMORROW NIGHT AT UNCLE MADDIO’S TOCO HILLS for fun, fellowship — and prizes! 15% of proceeds will be donated to Essential.

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Production History

Essential Theatre Company complete production history:

For more information on any of our past productions or the playwrights whose work we’ve produced, or if you are interested in producing one of these plays yourself, contact Artistic Director Peter Hardy. Essential Theatre retains no rights to playwrights’ works after production, but we believe in the strength of the plays we produce and are happy to facilitate their future success in any and every way possible.

2024 Festival
THE ROCK & THE HARD PLACE by Emily McClain**
THE OTHER PART OF THE PICTURE by Peter Hardy*
FAT JULIET by Bridget McCarthy* (presented)

2023 Festival
THE MANUSCRIPT by Matthew Hoffman**
THE WISHING PLACE by Beverly Austin**
WALK WITH ME by Carolyn Cook* (presented)

2022 Festival
THE OUTRAGE MACHINE by Daniel Carter Brown**
A COMPLICATED HOPE by John Mabey**

2021 Festival
RAISING THE DEAD by Erin Considine**
CALMING THE MAN by Anthony Lamarr White**
HIGH RISK,

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Videos

VIDEO INTERVIEW: BAT-HAMLET by Jordan Pulliam, Director, Peter Hardy

VIDEO INTERVIEW: Topher “Bat-Hamlet” Payne Speaks Out

 

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What Our Playwrights Say

Matt Hoffman: My experience with submitting work nationally since THE MANUSCRIPT has shown me just how fortunate we all are to have Essential Theatre in Atlanta dedicated to featuring the work of Georgia playwrights. Almost no other contests stage a full production of their winning plays. To get to see THE MANUSCRIPT and now A VERY SPECIAL HOSPITAL come to life on stage under Peter Hardy’s direction is a dream come true, twice.

John Mabey: “Tonight is the Atlanta premiere of my full-length play that runs throughout August! I just watched a final dress and came home extremely emotional in all the best ways.”

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We Have a Winner!

Essential Theatre is proud to announce our first Walk-On Role winner for Bat-Hamlet, Cedric Floyd!
 
Cedric will be appearing in the 8pm performance this Friday, July 27. Congratulations Cedric! We look forward to sharing the stage with you!

Raffle tickets, as well as tickets to our remaining performances, are available online. Raffle winners are drawn one week prior to the date of the performance in which they will appear. Time is running out, so get your tickets today!”


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Essential Shines at LMDA Confab

We’re proud and happy to announce that Theroun Patterson’s powerful family drama A THOUSAND CIRCLETS, winner of the 2011 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award (and successfully produced in our 2011 Festival) has been picked up for a second production — an 8-week run at the Detroit Repertory Theatre, next spring.  That makes two Essential Award winners in a row that have gone on to a second production (the first being our 2010 prize-winner, Gabriel Dean’s QUALITIES OF STARLIGHT, which was recently produced in Washington, D.C. in the Source Theater Festival).
 
On June 29, Theroun Patterson and Irepresented the Essential Theatre at the LMDA’s Writers Night,

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AUDITION ANNOUNCEMENT

2012 Essential Theatre Festival 
more info at http://bit.ly/2012_Auditions 

Evelyn in Purgatory
byTopher Payne, director Betty Hart
Five public school teachers are caught in the limbo of the disciplinary “Rubber Room”, waiting for their cases to be heard and their fates decided. Poignant and funny, it’s like The Breakfast Club for teachers, as they share secrets with each other and begin to look into their own hearts. Winner of the 2012 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award. 

Bat-Hamlet
by Jordan Pulliam, director Peter Hardy 

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You can be an Essential GRAPHICS DESIGNER!

Essential Theatre seeks a talented graphics designer who enjoys theatre and is able to work for a small stipend and tickets.

The Essential Theatre has long been the leading champion of Georgia playwrights, producing and developing many new plays by local writers.  Coming up in 2012, we’ll be celebrating the 25th year of our existence by presenting our first-ever ALL GEORGIA PLAY FESTIVAL!
 
EVELYN IN PURGATORY by Topher Payne
World Premiere!
Five public school teachers are caught in the limbo of the disciplinary “Rubber Room”, waiting for their cases to be heard and their fates decided. 

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