Abingdon Theatre Company (Chad Austin, Artistic Director) has added to their second annual “Virtual Festival of Short Plays” by including a live talkback session with the playwrights, directors and cast members which will be moderated by Tony Award winning producer, Rashad V. Chambers. They will use this time to discuss the work presented at this year’s festival, the importance of supporting emerging artists and the importance of BIPOC representation in theatre. This event will take place on Tuesday, November 16th at 7pm EST via Abingdon’s YouTube channel which can be found HERE.
Rashad V. Chambers said, “I am honored to facilitate a conversation between a dynamic group of artists through this extraordinary company who fosters new work and new voices.”
The festival will premiere tonight, Monday, November 15th at 7pm EST, again via Abingdon’s YouTube channel. The selected pieces for this year’s festival are SCRAPS, written by Quinn D. Eli and directed by Alberto Bonilla and WILD HORSES, written by Brandy Victoria Durham and directed by Nakeisha Daniel. The cast for the festival will feature Charles Everett, Deborah Lew, Ronald Kuang, Katie Sexton, Kimberly Michelle Thomas and Jason Williams.
Artistic Director, Chad Austin shared, “I am elated to bring back the Fall Festival of Short Plays centering on and told by BIPOC artists. I hope to open doors to more artists as we as a community are still healing. We want to ensure that artists continue to find a safe, supportive home at Abingdon.”
Rashad V. Chambers is an award-winning producer, talent manager and lawyer. A licensed attorney in New York and Connecticut, Rashad is the Founder and President of Esquire Entertainment. His Broadway producing credits include American Son, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Betrayal, The Inheritance, Caroline, or Change and The Music Man. Rashad attended Morehouse College where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. He also earned his JD and MBA degrees from The Ohio State University. Rashad is a co-founding member of The Industry Standard Group as well as a board member of On Broadway Performing Arts Training Program and Houses on the Moon Theater Company. www.esquireentertainment.com
Abingdon Theatre Company was formed in 1993 by a group of theatre artists, eager for ongoing collaboration and greater control over their creative lives. Now, over 25 years later Abingdon has collaborated with over 200 playwrights including Tony Award Winner, V (Formerly Eve Ensler), Philip Dawkins, David Greenspan, Anne Bogart, James Lecesne, Michael Weller, Dominique Fishback, Charles Mee and many more. In recent years their annual galas have honored artists such as Bebe Neuwirth, Donna Murphy and Andrew Lippa. Recent productions include the New York Premieres of both Fruit Trilogy and The Gentleman Caller and the critically acclaimed Drama Desk Nominee, Get On Your Knees. The company provides a safe home where playwrights, directors and actors can collaborate within a supportive and nurturing environment. They search for stories about the human experience that reflect our social, political, historical and cultural diversity. They are acutely aware of the theatre’s power to unite disparate population groups through stories about common human interests and strive to shed light on a variety of perspectives.