short plays marathons
SHORT PLAYS MARATHON
Culture*Park has been presenting the Short Plays Marathon since 2002, with our 15th annual on
November 11th 2017
The Marathon presents 25-30 staged reading of new works in a day long event. We have currently performed over 300 plays written by regional and national playwrights. Many of the plays presented have gone onto award-winning festivals
The Culture*Park Short Plays Marathon began in 2001 when a group of local writers met with Culture*Park theatre artists to discuss finding a way to present new short plays. The first Marathon took place at the Unitarian Church on Eighth Street in New Bedford. It has been a signature theatre event in New Bedford since then, presented at Gallery X and New Bedford Whaling Museum Theater. The Culture*Park Short Plays Marathon serves an important function for playwrights, allowing them the opportunity to hear their plays before an audience, and to make revisions in rehearsals. It has been a first venue for new
numerous works.
Over 300 plays have been presented over the past 14 Marathons. Plays are by award-winning writers,
playwrights and poets, alongside works by new writers and students. Plays presented at past Marathons have found further development and full productions. Playwright Thom Atkinson’s plays, Battling the Ghost of Max Schmeling, and Dancing Turtle,
in two anthologies of short plays, published by Samuel French. Other published and produced plays include Leave Taking by Barbara Schweitzer, Caldo Santo by Quiarra Alegria Hudes, who is co-author of the Broadway musical, In the Heights,
Europeans Kiss on Three Cheeks by Tom Grady, and the Hockey Moms series by Con Chapman, among other playwrights
and authors.