The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) is an American annual professional

theatre festival Theatre festivals are amongst the earliest types of festival. Classical Greek theatre was associated with religious festivals dedicated to Dionysus, called the City Dionysia. The medieval mystery plays were presented at the major Christian feast ...

held at

Shepherd University Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In the fall of 2023, the university enrolled 3,274 ...

, located in

Shepherdstown, West Virginia Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,531 at the time of the 2020 census. The town wa ...

. According to the New York Times (in 2015), it is one of "50 ''essential'' summer festivals". In 2016, Germany's World Guide identified the festival as one of the "Top 10 theatre festivals not to miss this summer". A representative of the Theatre Communications Group in its publication ''American Theatre'' stated that "(CATF's) forward focus has helped ... change the American theatre conversation, bringing ''new voices'' and ''pressing topics'' to the stage ..." The Festival specializes in premieres and second or third productions of new plays, currently producing six plays each summer in rotating repertory.

History

Shepherd University Frank Center for the Performing Arts

A 2010

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

segment stated: "For 20 years, in the oldest town in West Virginia, new plays have had a home and a loyal audience. The Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University is a dream for the writers of those plays." The festival was started in 1991 "on a wing and a prayer and a $90,000 budget" by producing director Ed Herendeen. It was modeled after the

Williamstown Theatre Festival The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. ...

, located in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. Located in Berkshire County, the town is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statis ...

. It has the goal of producing and developing new American theater, specifically plays that deal with contemporary issues and strive to challenge and entertain audiences. In addition to finding new scripts which could be either premieres or on a second/third production, the festival has also commissioned works since 1998. Through the summer of 2013, the festival has produced 100 plays, by 73 American playwrights, including 37 world premieres, 9 of which were commissioned. It had an operating budget for 2013 of $1 million. In 2017 the New York Times picked it as "one of the top festivals in theater ... that we think you should see this spring and summer around the country". The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

in 2020 caused officials to scrap the festival and defer to 2021.

Facilities

Housed on the university's campus, the CATF uses three performance spaces. The first is the 416 seat Frank Center for the Arts Stage, a conventional

proscenium A proscenium (, ) is the virtual vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor itself, which serves as the frame ...

performance space without a curtain. The second is The Stanley C. and Shirley A. Marinoff Theater, a 180-seat flexible seating space, located in the recently completed Center For Contemporary Arts II(CCA II). This space replaced the Studio Theater, an adapted space in Sara H Cree Hall. The third space is a smaller adapted

black box In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...

space in Room 112 of Center For Contemporary Arts I. The CATF scene shop and costume shop are also located in the new CCA II.

Notable productions

*''Uncanny Valley'', 2014 Festival ::As part of the

National New Play Network The National New Play Network (NNPN) is the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, stat ...

Rolling World Premieres, CATF transferred their production to

59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a venue presenting a year-round curated program of live theater. The three theater building is located in New York City. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is ...

in New York City from October 2 – 26. The production received favorable reviews. *''H2O'', 2013 Festival ::This production was one of six finalists for the 2014 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, recognizing playwrights for the best scripts that premiered professionally outside New York City during 2013 *''Gidion's Knot'', 2012 Festival ::This world premiere production received a Harold and Mimi Steinberg/

American Theatre Critics Association The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) is the only nationwide professional association of theatre critics in the United States. The ATCA membership consists of theatre critics who write reviews and critiques of live theatre for print, broa ...

New Play citation as one of the top three new plays of 2012. The play has been published by Dramatists Play Service and had 14 productions scheduled for 2014 around the USA. According to ''American Theatre'' magazine, it is the 11th most-produced play in the 2013-2014 theater season. *''

Farragut North Farragut North station is an underground Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., located on the Red Line. The station serves Downtown Washington and is immediately northwest of Farragut Square. With an average of 7,615 daily riders in 2 ...

'', 2009 Festival ::This play was adapted for the screen as '' The Ides of March'' starring

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...

and

Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling ( ; born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. His work includes both independent films and major studio features, and his accolades include a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, a ...

. *''

My Name is Rachel Corrie ''My Name Is Rachel Corrie'' is a play based on the diaries and emails of activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli soldier when she was aged 23. It was jointly edited by journalist Katharine Viner and actor Alan Rickman, who also d ...

'', 2007 Festival. ::This production was notable because of the controversy surrounding the play (see the play's article in Wikipedia for details of the controversy). The festival playbill contained a two-page ad, "My Name is Rachel Corrie Does Not Tell the Whole Story: Don't Be Misled", which included photos of six other women named Rachel who were killed by Palestinian

suicide bombers A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

. A member of the festival's board of trustees resigned in protest and several regular patrons decided not to attend the festival in response to the selection of this work. The Artistic Director "was flooded with letters urging the board members to remove the play". The actual production was without incident and no drop in attendance. *''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', 1999 Festival ::This production was notable as it was one of the early works commissioned by the festival which then went on to be regularly produced and was adapted by the playwright (

Jeffrey Hatcher Jeffrey Hatcher is a much-produced American playwright and screenwriter. He wrote the stage play ''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', which he later adapted into a screenplay, shortened to just '' Stage Beauty'' (2004). He also co-wrote the stage a ...

) into a film version

Stage Beauty ''Stage Beauty'' is a 2004 romantic period drama directed by Richard Eyre. The screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher is based on his play ''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', which was inspired by references to 17th-century actor Edward Kynaston made in t ...

starring

Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. Prolific in film and television since her teens, she is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2012, ''Time (magazine), Time'' named he ...

Billy Crudup William Gaither Crudup (; born July 8, 1968) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for his performance in '' Jesus' Son'' (1999). He went on to star in numerous high-profile films, including ...

, and

Tom Wilkinson Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (5 February 1948 – 30 December 2023) was an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well ...

. *''Carry the Tiger to the Mountain'', 1998 Festival ::This play by Cherylene Lee – and the festival's first commissioned work – focused on the beating death of Vincent Chin in 1982 Detroit. The play's production became the impetus for a state-wide discussion on race and served as the backdrop to the governor's year-long efforts on this issue, which began with a town-hall discussion, in the theater, following a production of the play. The festival was recognized for its role as catalyst for this important dialogue with the 1999 "Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts."

Complete production history

The following is a complete list of the festival's productions. :2019 Festival :''My Lord, What a Night'' by Deborah Brevoort*^; ''Support Group for Men'' by Ellen Fairey; ''Wrecked'' by Greg Kalleres*; ''A Welcome Guest: A Psychotic Fairy Tale'' by Michael Weller**; ''Chester Bailey'' by Joseph Dougherty; ''Antonio' s Song / I was dreaming of a son'' by Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez* :2018 Festival :''The Cake'' by Bekah Brunstetter; ''Berta, Berta'' by Angelica Cheri*; ''Memoirs of a Forgotten Man'' by D.W. Gregory*^; ''Thirst'' by C.A. Johnson*; ''A Late Morning (in America) with Ronald Reagan'' by Michael Weller*; ''The House on the Hill'' by Amy E. Witting*. :2017 Festival :''The Niceties'' by Eleanor Burgess, ''Welcome To Fear City'' by Kara Lee Corthron,^*, ''Wild Horses'' by Allison Gregory^*, ''Byhalia, Mississippi'' by Evan Linder, ''Everything Is Wonderful'' by Chelsea Marcantel^*, ''We Will Not Be Silent'' by David Meyers^*. :2016 Festival :''pen/man/ship'' by Christina Anderson, ''Not Medea'' by Allison Gregory*^, ''The Wedding Gift'' by Chisa Hutchinson^*, ''20th Century Blues'' by Susan Miller^*, ''The Second Girl'' by Ronan Noone. :2015 Festival :''World Builders'' by Johnna Adams^*, ''Everything You Touch'' by

Sheila Callaghan Sheila Callaghan (born 1973) is a playwright and screenwriter who emerged from the RAT ( Regional Alternative Theatre) movement of the 1990s. She has been profiled by ''American Theater Magazine'', "The Brooklyn Rail", ''Theatermania'', and ''Th ...

, ''On Clover Road'' by

Steven Dietz Steven Dietz (born June 23, 1958) is an American playwright, theatre director, and teacher. Called "the most ubiquitous American playwright whose name you may never have heard", Dietz has long been one of America's most prolific and widely prod ...

^*, ''We Are Pussy Riot'' by Barbara Hammond**, ''The Full Catastrophe'' by

Michael Weller Michael Weller (born September 26, 1942) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and screen writer. His plays include '' Moonchildren'', ''Loose Ends'', ''Spoils of War'' and ''Fifty Words''. His screenplays include ''Ragtime'', for which he was nomina ...

^*, based on the novel by

David Carkeet David Carkeet (born November 15, 1946, Sonora, California) is an American novelist and essayist. Three of his novels have been named ''The New York Times Book Review'' Notable Books of the Year. Biography Carkeet grew up in the small northern Cal ...

:2014 Festival :''The Ashes Under Gait City'' by Christina Anderson^*, ''One Night'' by

Charles Fuller Charles H. Fuller Jr. (March 5, 1939 – October 3, 2022) was an American playwright, best known for his play '' A Soldier's Play'', for which he received the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2020 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. E ...

, ''Uncanny Valley'' by Thomas Gibbons*^, ''North of the Boulevard'' by Bruce Graham, ''Dead and Breathing'' by Chisa Hutchinson^*. :2013 Festival :''A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World '' by

Liz Duffy Adams Liz Duffy Adams is an American playwright who has written many plays including ''Born With Teeth''; ''Or,''; ''Dog Act''; ''The Salonnieres''; ''A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World''; ''The Broken Machine'', and others. Her play ...

^*, ''Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them'' by Jon Kern, ''H2O'' by

Jane Martin Jane Martin is the pen name of a playwright who has been active from 1981 to the present, whose real identity remains unknown. Martin's plays include ''Anton in Show Business'', ''Back Story'', ''Beauty'', ''Coup/Clucks'', '' Cementville'', ''Cri ...

^**, ''Heartless'' by

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

, ''Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah'' by Mark St. Germain^**. :2012 Festival :''Gidion’s Knot'' by Johnna Adams^*, ''The Exceptionals'' by Bob Clyman, '' In a Forest, Dark and Deep'' by

Neil LaBute Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, ''In the Company of Men'' (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Film Fest ...

, ''Captors'' by Evan M. Wiener, ''Barcelona'' by Bess Wohl^* :2011 Festival :''From Prague'' by Kyle Bradstreet^*, '' Race'' by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

, ''Ages of the Moon'' by

, ''We Are Here'' by Tracy Thorne, ''The Insurgents'' by

Lucy Thurber Lucy Thurber is an American playwright based in New York City. She is the recipient of the first Gary Bonasorte Memorial Prize for Playwriting, a Lilly Award and a 2014 Obie Award for ''The Hill Town Plays''. Biography She was born ...

^** :2010 Festival :''Breadcrumbs'' by

Jennifer Haley Jennifer Haley is an American playwright.she was born in Oct. 3,1974.She grew up in San Antonio, Texas and studied acting at the University of Texas at Austin for her undergraduate degree. Haley also received a MFA in playwriting at Brown Univer ...

^*, ''The Eelwax Jesus 3-D Pop Music Show'' Book & Lyrics by Max Baker, Music by Lee Sellars^*, ''Inana'' by Michele Lowe, ''Lidless'' by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, ''White People'' by J.T. Rogers :2009 Festival :''Dear Sara Jane'' by Victor Lodato^*, ''

'' by

Beau Willimon Pack Beauregard Willimon (born October 26, 1977) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He developed the American version of the series '' House of Cards'', serving as showrunner for the first four seasons. In 2018, Willimon created the dram ...

, ''Fifty Words'' by

, ''The History of Light'' by Eisa Davis^*, ''Yankee Tavern'' by

:2008 Festival :''The Overwhelming'' by

J. T. Rogers J. T. Rogers (born May 20, 1968) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his play ''Oslo'' (2016) about the 1990s Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and Palestine. The play received widespread acclaim as well as the Tony A ...

, ''Pig Farm'' by

Greg Kotis Greg Kotis (born 1965/1966) is an American playwright, best known for writing the book and co-writing the lyrics for the musical ''Urinetown''. Biography Career Kotis studied political science at the University of Chicago, where he was a memb ...

, ''Stick Fly'' by

Lydia R. Diamond Lydia R. Diamond (born April 14, 1969, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American playwright and professor. Among her most popular plays are ''The Bluest Eye'' (2007), an adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel; ''Stick Fly'' (2008); ''Harriet Jacobs'' (201 ...

, ''A View of the Harbor'' by

Richard Dresser Richard Dresser (born 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and teacher whose work has been performed in New York, leading regional theaters, and all over Europe. His first dystopian fiction novel, ''It Happened Here,'' was relea ...

^*, ''WRECKS'' by

:2007 Festival :''1001'' by

Jason Grote Jason Grote (born 1971) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He wrote a series of plays in the 2000s that were known for addressing contemporary themes in the context of classic literature with multilayered stories jumping back and forth ...

, ''Lonesome Hollow'' by

Lee Blessing Lee Knowlton Blessing (born October 4, 1949) is an American playwright best known for his 1988 work, '' A Walk in the Woods''. A lifelong Midwesterner, Blessing continued to work in regional theaters in and around his hometown of Minneapolis thro ...

^*, ''The Pursuit of Happiness'' by

, ''

'' from the writings of

Rachel Corrie Rachel Aliene Corrie (April 10, 1979 – March 16, 2003) was an American nonviolence activist and diarist. She was a member of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and was active throughout the Israeli-occupied terr ...

, edited by

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, wikt:languid#Etymology 1, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and b ...

and

Katharine Viner Katharine Sophie Viner (born January 1971) is a British journalist and playwright. She became the second state-educated and first female editor-in-chief at ''The Guardian'' on 1 June 2015, succeeding Alan Rusbridger.Richard Dresser Richard Dresser (born 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and teacher whose work has been performed in New York, leading regional theaters, and all over Europe. His first dystopian fiction novel, ''It Happened Here,'' was relea ...

^*, ''Jazzland'' by Keith Glover^**, ''Mr. Marmalade'' by Noah Haidle, ''Sex, Death, and the Beach Baby'' by Kim Merrill^* :2005 Festival :''The God of Hell'' by

, ''American Tet'' by Lydia Stryk^*, ''Sonia Flew'' by Melinda Lopez, ''Father Joy'' by

Sheri Wilner Sheri Wilner (born January 22, 1969) is an American playwright. Her works have been produced at the Humana Festival of New American Plays, the Guthrie Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA), ...

^*, ''Augusta'' by Richard Dresser⁺, ''Jazzland'' by Keith Glover⁺⁺, ''On the Verge'' or ''The Geography of Yearning'' by Eric Overmyer^~ :2004 Festival :''Homeland Security'' by Stuart Flack, ''Flag Day'' by

^*, ''Rounding Third'' by Richard Dresser, ''The Rose of Corazon: A Texas Songplay'' by Keith Glover**, ''Amazing'' by Brooke Berman^~, ''Father Joy'' by

⁺ :2003 Festival :''Whores'' by

^*, ''The Last Schwartz'' by Deborah Zoe Laufer, ''Bright Ideas'' by

Eric Coble Eric Coble is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is a member of the Playwrights' Unit of the Cleveland Play House. Eric Coble was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and raised on the Navajo and Ute reservations in New Mexico and Colorado. Bef ...

, ''Wilder'' by

Erin Cressida Wilson Erin Cressida Wilson (born February 12, 1964) is an American playwright, screenwriter, professor, and author. Wilson is known for the 2002 film ''Secretary'', which she adapted from a Mary Gaitskill short story. It won her the Independent Spirit ...

, ''Flag Day'' by

⁺, ''The Clandestine Crossing'' by Keith Glover⁺ :2002 Festival :''Thief River'' by

, ''Silence of God'' by Catherine Filloux^**, ''The Late Henry Moss'' by

, ''Orange Flower Water'' by Craig Wright*, ''Rounding Third'' by Richard Dresser⁺, ''Melissa Arctic'' by Craig Wright⁺ :2001 Festival :''Tape'' by

Stephen Belber Stephen Belber (born March 3, 1967) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. His plays have been produced on Broadway and in over 50 countries. He directed the film adaptation of his Broadway play ''Match'', starring Patrick St ...

, ''The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa'' by John Olive^*, ''The Occupation" by Harry Newman^*, ''The Pavilion'' by Craig Wright, ''Carol Mulroney'' by

⁺, ''Orange Flower Water'' by Craig Wright⁺, ''Silence of God'' by Catherine Filloux⁺⁺'' :2000 Festival :''Hunger'' by

*, ''Mary and Myra'' by Catherine Filloux^*, ''Miss Golden Dreams'', A Play Cycle by

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels ''Black ...

*, ''Something in the Air'' by Richard Dresser :1999 Festival :''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'' by

^**, ''Coyote on a Fence'' by

Bruce Graham Bruce John Graham (December 1, 1925 – March 6, 2010) was a Colombian-born Peruvian-American architect. Graham built buildings all over the world and was deeply involved with evolving the Burnham Plan of Chicago. Among his most notable buil ...

, ''Tatjana in Color'' by

Julia Jordan Julia Jordan is an American playwright, television writer, and screenwriter. She is a graduate of Barnard College, class of 1989, and received a master's degree from Trinity College Dublin. Biography Jordan was born in Chicago and spent much of he ...

*, ''The Water Children'' by

Wendy MacLeod Wendy MacLeod (born August 6, 1959) is an American playwright. Life and career MacLeod received a BA from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where she now teaches and is a playwright-in-residence. She earned a MFA from the Yale School of Drama. ...

, ''Flo's Ho's'' by Julia Jordan⁺⁺ :1998 Festival :''BAFO'' by Tom Strelich, ''Carry the Tiger to the Mountain'' by Cherylene Lee^**, ''Gun-Shy'' by Richard Dresser, ''Interesting Times'' by Preston Foerder^** :1997 Festival :''Below the Belt'' by

, ''Demonology'' by Kelley Stuart, ''Lighting Up the Two Year Old'' by Benjie Aerenson, CATF Dance Ensemble :1996 Festival :''Bad Girls'' by

^*, ''Octopus'' by Jon Klein^*, ''The Nina Variations'' by

, ''The Nose'' by Elizabeth Egloff, ''Tough Choices for the New Century'' by

Jane Anderson Jane Anderson is an American playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, and actress. She wrote and directed the feature film '' The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio'' (2005), and wrote the film '' It Could Happen to You'' (1994), starring Nicolas Cage. ...

:1995 Festival :''Beti the Yeti'' by Jon Klein, ''Maggie's Riff'' by Jon Lipsky, ''Psyche Was Here'' by Lynne Martin^*, ''Voir Dire'' by Joe Sutton :1994 Festival :''Forgiving Typhoid Mary'' by Mark St. Germain, ''Shooting Simone'' by Lynne Kaufman, ''Spike Heels'' by

Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's ...

, ''What are Tuesdays Like?'' by

Victor Bumbalo Victor Bumbalo (born November 30, 1948) is an American actor and playwright. Early life and education Bumbalo graduated from the Masters Program in Theater at Bennington College. In New York City, Bumbalo became immersed in the Off- and Off-Off ...

^*, :1993 Festival :''A Contemporary Masque'' by Stephen Bennet, ''Alabama Rain'' by Heather McCutchen, ''Black'' by

, ''Dream House'' by Darrah Cloud :1992 Festival :''Static'' by Ben Siegler, ''Still Waters'' by Lynn Martin*, ''The Baby Dance'' by

, ''The Swan'' by Elizabeth Egloff :1991 Festival :''Accelerando'' by

Lisa Loomer Lisa Loomer (born 1950) is an American playwright and screenwriter who has also worked as an actress and stand-up comic. She is best known for her play ''The Waiting Room'' (1994), in which three women from different time periods meet in a modern ...

, ''Welcome to the Moon'' by

John Patrick Shanley John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film ''Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer Pri ...

Production Notes ^* world premiere ^** world premiere; commissioned by CATF ^{^} National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere ⁺ staged reading ⁺⁺ staged reading; commissioned by CATF ^~ CATF Actors' Lab Workshop

Notes

The plays are professionally produced using the LORT D contract of the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

(AEA). The festival operates under agreements from AEA,

United Scenic Artists United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, formerly known as United Scenic Artists of America (USAA), is an American labor union. It is a nationwide autonomous Local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. It organizes designers ...

, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. The festival is a member of the

Theatre Communications Group Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is a non-profit service organization headquartered in New York City that promotes professional non-profit theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, us ...

. The festival is a member of the National New Play Network. Annually, CATF holds Hostel YOUTH! - a theater immersion program for young adults (ages 14–18) In 2013, the festival hosted the American Theatre Critics Association Annual Conference. In 2008, the first phase of the new Center for Contemporary Arts was dedicated. Phase One houses the CATF administration offices and one of large studios has been adapted for a third performance space. In 2013, Center for Contemporary Arts Phase Two opened, adding a 180-seat studio (black-box) theater as well as dressing room, scene shop and prop shop facilities. A future Phase Three will contain two 250-seat theaters, one

thrust stage In theatre, a thrust stage (a platform stage or open stage) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performers and the ...

and one end-stage. In 2008, the festival had an economic impact of $2.1 million to the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia. In 2013, the festival brought $3 million of revenue to Shepherdstown, and attracted nearly 14,000 people — primarily from the D.C. region, but also from 30-plus states and various foreign countries. The Festival is a Blue Star Theatre - part of a collaboration between the Theatre Communications Group and Blue Star Families offering discounted admission to all military personnel and their families.

References

External links

* * http://www.potomacstages.com/OutofTown/Contemporary.htm
The Washington Post
{{authority control Theatre companies in West Virginia Festivals in West Virginia Festivals established in 1991 Theatre festivals in the United States Tourist attractions in Jefferson County, West Virginia 1991 establishments in West Virginia Annual events in West Virginia Contemporary theatre Shepherd University