News and Updates

I'm so happy to hear my new play THE SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY this week as part of the 10th annual Ingram New Works Festival at Nashville Repertory Theatre. Being an Ingram New Works Fellow this past year has been an amazing experience, and I'm thrilled to get to share this play. Responses from patrons: "I wish I could have said this stuff to my Dad." "I understand where they were coming from now." "I remember those years - I loved seeing them all over again." The best work comes from the heart, and this play is mine.

I'm thrilled to announce that I have been selected as a Playwright in Residence with the 2018 - 2019 Ingram New Works Lab at Nashville Repertory Theatre . During the course of the Lab Year, I'll have the chance to work on a brand new play in the safety of a pre-commercial environment.

Watch out, Saxpahaw. We're back! The Solar Theatre Project returns to Culture Mill for a milestone check-in as part of our extended residency. Over the course of two years, we will develop a new play entirely powered by renewable energy. I'm excited to continue working with the unstoppable Mikhael Tara Garver and Carl Faber in the creation of this piece, and I look forward to reconnecting with the amazing and multi-talented team of Tommy Noonan and Murielle Elizéon .

I have a chance to hear a new play being read this month by one of my favorite NYC teams - The Drawing Board . They're a committed troupe of theatre and film artists who present readings and discussion of new work. Come check out this brand new two-hander: CHRISTINA HARING AND JASON LANGE - Two college freshmen at an Evangelical Christian school navigate the passions and pressures of first love, surrounded by a watchful community, and under the eyes of a jealous God. WHEN: Monday, October 24, 2016 at 7:00 PM WHERE: MEC - 2nd Floor 825 Seventh Ave. @ 53rd St., NYC 10019 (Bring photo ID)

I have a developmental reading of my brand new full-length play FALL DOWN SEVEN coming up next week here in NYC. I'm lucky to be working with The Drawing Board on this one - they are a vibrant organization that brings together professional actors and directors to explore new work. SYNOPSIS: Jim always imagined that he would be a Samurai when he grew up. But he's a dad. Living in Brooklyn. When trouble comes looking, in the form of a bullying incident at his son's school, Jim seizes the chance to teach some life lessons. But what is the place of honor in a fallen world? FALL DOWN SEVEN is a new comedy about parenting, martial arts, and following your dreams even if they're a few hundred years out of date. WHEN: Monday, October 26, 2015 at 7:00 PM WHERE: MEC - 2nd Floor 825 Seventh Ave. @ 53rd St., NYC 10019 (Bring photo ID)

My new play TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE will be read as part of the 2014 Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha, NE. GPTC is a highlight of the year because they create a collaborative, supportive community around new plays. I'm honored to be invited back for the second year in a row. Plus the food is great. WHERE: GPTC / MCC Room 201-F                  ( 32nd Avenue and Sorensen Parkway ) WHEN: Monday, May 26 at 3:30 PM

My new play TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE will be read as part of the 2014 Ingram New Works Festival with Tennessee Repertory Theatre in Nashville. UPDATED: Check out the LiveStream of the evening online (and now archived.) Special thanks to Shane Burkeen and HowlRound.TV for this service.

I'm very glad to share the dates for upcoming readings of my new play TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A POEM IN HONOR OF LIFE as part of the 2014 Ingram New Works Festival with Tennessee Repertory Theatre in Nashville. WHERE: Tennessee Repertory Theatre / NPT Studio A                  ( 161 Rains Avenue, Nashville, TN ) WHEN: Saturday, May 10, and Tuesday, May 13, at 7:00 PM Also, check out this short interview on Tennessee Rep's Blog .

I'm honored to be spending the week working with Doug Wright as part of the Ingram New Works Lab with Tennessee Rep . Doug is a warm and generous mentor who is guiding our new play development process in a week-long symposium. At this early stage, with a play still finding its form, the help and experience of someone so seasoned is invaluable, and I am looking forward to the next steps. Come check out his talk at Vanderbilt this Wednesday. Register here .

I'm very excited to be diving into a workshop with The Drawing Board (NYC) to explore my new play THE MORE BEYOND . We had a great reading earlier this year and I am grateful to have the chance to take this next step, and hear the script in detail. I've partnered with director Joshua Gelb to bring scenes to life, and I'm looking forward to a great time. A story of wreckage and recovery, this play follows an underwater treasure hunter from Key West, FL trying to find a sunken ship, and his own lost glory. Cast: 33 characters played by 17m, 4f (plus chorus and a guitarist) Locations: Multiple

I am thrilled to be selected as a Playwright-in-Residence with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre for their 2013-2014 Ingram New Works Lab. Over the next nine months, I'll be flying down to Nashville to develop a brand new play, culminating in their New Works Festival next May. From their website: "The Ingram New Works Lab is intended to be an artistic home for emerging playwrights to share work, hone craft, receive direction, and springboard themselves into the next phase of their writing career, providing a fertile environment for the emergence of great new plays." With a mission statement like that, you can bet it will be a good time! I am very excited to work with these amazingly generous and supportive people. More to come.

This month I'm making a journey to Rwanda for a few weeks of theatrical research. I'm studying a wedding dress rental business in the town of Kibungo, sponsored by the Anglican Church in Rwanda, in hopes of writing a new play about it. The shop rents used wedding dresses - most donated by American church-goers - and has become a hub in a new micro-economy that includes cleaners, tailors, and delivery people. All focused on the growing popularity of weddings in Rwanda these days. I want to find out more. Follow me online, here, or on Twitter: @Deanomiter .

I have a workshop of my new play THE MORE BEYOND coming up with one of New York's hottest young companies: Exit Pursued by a Bear . If you haven't heard of EPBB yet, don't worry - it's the ultimate secret house party theatre - but definitely sign-up for their email list. (And check out their Times article.) Artistic Director Ed Sylvanus Iskandar (MFA CMU, NYTW fellow, etc.) has created a unique atmosphere for doing theatre by literally opening up his home as a creative gymnasium for rehearsal, exploration, and production. Ed's hospitality is infectious, the atmosphere is electric, and his cooking is fantastic. I'm looking forward to work with Greg Van Horn and the EPBB team on my new play. Bonus: Look for Ed's direction in These Seven Sicknesses by Sean Graney at The Flea this winter.

Over the next two weeks, I am thrilled to be developing my new treasure hunting play, THE MORE BEYOND at The Puzzle New Works Festival with Marble Collegiate Church here in NYC. Marble Church has a long history of supporting the arts, and this festival is a chance to dig into the script in rich detail. I'm excited about this play, fresh from my intensive workshop at The Playwrights' Center , and I'm glad to see it coming into focus. It's a large work, and thanks to the heavy lifting of the crew of the actors, director Aaron Vega, and dramaturg Brian Hansom, we are finally getting a glimpse of the whole scale. More to come!