Rattlestick Playwrights Theater

Rattlestick Theater Programs

Rattlestick was founded to provide a platform for the diverse views of today’s most exciting playwrights, where their creative spirit can thrive and endure. Rattlestick’s first full production, 2 Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter’s Night by James Edwin Parker, was debuted in the spring of 1995, extended for 70 performances, and enabled us to move into the theater that is now our home. Since this first production, we have staged more than 37 world premieres, several New York premieres, attracted over 100,000 audience members, and provided developmental help to hundreds of playwrights through readings, labs, and workshops. Our current programs include:

MAINSTAGE SEASON
Rattlestick is first and foremost a seasonal producer of new plays. We produce three to four new plays each season, and our primary goal is to offer our playwrights a warm and collaborative environment where they will feel safe to take risks, try new things, and push the boundaries of what modern theater can offer. We provide our playwrights with a home where they can return time and again, certain that their work will be nurtured and rewarded with the highest production values.

Plays for the mainstage season are drawn from:

(1) Rattlestick Playwrights Project — Our primary goal as a company. Our playwrights take a play through all aspects of development, from early readings through full production. The group of writers we work with rotates on a yearly basis and participation is based on submission. We receive almost 600 scripts per year and we generally read them all. We continue to accept open submissions, even in an environment where most other theaters have begun to limit their review to agent submissions. Our readers group, which generally meets bi-weekly, is the first line of review for most scripts. As we consider scripts for further development, our primary dramaturg is our Artistic Director, David Van Asselt, along with Lou Moreno, our Associate Artistic Director.

(2) Playwright Mentoring Program — A playwright is paired with an experienced playwright or director who guides them through the process from early reading to mounted production. The mentor is intricately involved from early readings and note sessions, is invited to attend rehearsals, review rewrites and watch previews to further help the author develop his/her voice. Current and past mentors include Adam Rapp, Edward Albee, Jon Robin Baitz, Zoe Caldwell, Arthur Kopit, Craig Lucas, Terrence McNally, Joe Mantello, Marsha Norman, and the late Robert Whitehead. Our goal is to have at least one of our productions each season mentored by a more established playwright.

DIRTY WORKS (formerly known as the “EXPOSURE Festival”)
Under the direction of our new Associate Artistic Director, Lou Moreno, our Dirty Works Series has a new energy and expanded focus. The festival will continue to feature new plays and readings of works in progress with a goal of introducing newcomers to the Rattlestick production track as well as creating a safe environment where previously produced artists can try out departures from topics, styles or realms by which they may be defined. Dirty Works’ mission is not about supporting individual artists, but instead about exposing theater artists (playwrights, directors, actors, and designers) to a truly collaborative production process, where everyone has a voice and can all roll up their sleeves, participate, and get their hands dirty.

READING SERIES
Each year we organize numerous staged readings, followed by talkback sessions for the playwright with our literary manager and artistic director, the director and the actors. This enables writers to further develop their plays and provides opportunities to network with directors and actors.