Hudson Valley New Voices Festival
Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT) Presents Hudson Valley New Voices Festival
A Three-part Series from May 20 through June 20
Gen Z Outloud, virtual readings of plays by young writers, launches WCT’s inaugural
Hudson Valley New Voices Festival which continues with Vintage Voices and Voices of Color
Ossining, NY –From May 20 through June 20 Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT) is presenting its inaugural Hudson Valley New Voices (HVNV) Festival, a trio of programs showcasing new works by new voices – young people, seniors, and persons of color.
On Thursday, May 20 through Sunday, May 23, WCT will present Gen Z Outloud, virtual readings of plays written by young playwrights (ages 13 – 20), the first in the three-part HVNV series.
HVNV continues June 4-6 with Vintage Voices, featuring dramatic works by seniors. The festival concludes June 18 – 20 with Voices of Color, featuring original plays by writers who identify as People of Color. WCT Executive Director Alan Lutwin and Nathan Flower are co-producers. Flower is directing Gen Z Outloud; WCT actor/instructor Christine Fonsale Rogerson is producing Vintage Voices; WCT writer Misha Templar Sinclair and WCT Co-Administrator Melissa Nocera are co-producing Voices of Color. Voices of Color is dedicated to the memory of WCT writer/director/actor Joe Albert Lima who died last year. Each series of readings will feature actors of all ages from WCT’s company of actors as well as actors across the Hudson Valley Region.
The 14 plays for Gen Z Outloud were selected from a wealth of plays submitted by local youths. WCT reached out to high schools, colleges and youth groups in the Hudson Valley region for submissions.
“We are so excited to have these emerging writers share their work with WCT,” says Lutwin.
“The plays are bold, provocative, raw and bursting with emotion. They tackle topics affecting young people as well as issues impacting the aged including dementia. These are among the voices we will be seeing on stage in the years to come,” says Flower.
Gen Z Outloud will be broadcast Thursday, May 20, Friday, May 21, Saturday, May 22 and Sunday May 23 at 8 pm and on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 at 3 pm. All tickets are $15. Tickets for all three shows are on sale now: https://wctgenz.eventbrite.com; https://wctvintagevoices.eventbrite.com; and https://wctvoicesofcolor.eventbrite.com to purchase tickets or call (914) 263-4953.
Vintage Voices will feature stories from the lives of senior participants, which they have developed into dramatic works. Fonsale Rogerson’s organization, Living Stories, offers programming based on the nationally recognized therapeutic arts program, Life Stories TM. “I am thrilled to take part in the Hudson Valley New Voices Festival with Vintage Voices”, says Fonsale Rogerson. “The opportunity to work with seniors in telling stories from their lives is one I have looked forward to for years. The older generation has such a wealth of experience to draw from and much to share with all of us. The individuals participating in Vintage Voices are truly remarkable.”
Vintage Voices will be broadcast Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5 at 8 pm and on Sunday, June 6 at 3 pm.
Voices of Color will feature works from several established Hudson Valley Playwrights of Color in addition to plays by emerging writers. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to present the work of writers with a range of backgrounds and experiences” says co-producer Nocera. “WCT is committed to welcoming theater artists from the BIPOC community to be part of our play development process. Diversity is key to the future of theater, and it is essential that we offer a home for writers of color to make work that is important to them. These plays are funny and touching, some realistic, some absurd. We are hopeful that this inaugural festival will become a must-submit and must-see event for theater makers and audiences throughout the Hudson Valley.”
Co-producer Sinclair says, “I am beyond thrilled to be a participant in presenting some of the new works from diverse voices at the Westchester Collaborative Theater.”
Voices of Color will be broadcast Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19 at 8 pm and on Sunday, June 20 at 3 pm.
Photo caption: HVNV Festival, Vintage Voices participant Becky Rogers (center) shares a story about her hometown. Pictured (from left): Meredith Young, Sally Powers, Becky Rogers, Judith Guzman, Bill Lafferty and Ellen Mancini. Photo by Christine Fonsale Rogerson.
About Westchester Collaborative Theater
The Westchester Collaborative Theater is a multicultural, cooperative theater company located in Ossining, NY, dedicated to developing new work for the stage and bringing live theater to our community. We are local playwrights, actors, and directors who employ a Lab approach in which new stage works are nurtured through an iterative process of readings, critiques, and rewrites. When work is deemed ready for production, we perform it for the public at various local venues.