New plays.  New writers.  New voices from the South.  Now in its eleventh year, the New South Play Festival is Horizon’s unique celebration of plays from, for, and about the contemporary South.  The Festival has become a much-anticipated event at Horizon – the most fertile, busy, and exciting artistic experience we undertake all year.   Horizon’s strives to be a dynamic leader in contemporary theatre in the Southeast, and with the New South Festival, Horizon is at the forefront of developing and showcasing new work by Southern writers about who we are today in the New South.  The Festival has received significant local and national recognition from the media and funders.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has hailed the Festival as a “crucible [that] feeds writers’ creative fires,” and Creative Loafing has touted that it “finds and defines Southern plays.”

The South we explore in the Festival is not the one of the past, but the one of today – in all its diversity and contradiction. We seek out writers and plays that speak to our urban Southern audiences and that expand the world’s view of our cosmopolitan South. “Horizon’s New South Festival is about expanding the diversity of voices coming out of the contemporary South,”says Co-Artistic Director Lisa Adler.  “The world thinks of the South in terms of civil war and civil rights.  We who live here experience a complex place with many perspectives, cultures and people.  We hope the New South Festival and its writers reflect this true new South.”

The 2012 New South Play Festival includes the events below:

"Ever wonder how a play gets off the page and onto the stage? Come be part of the process at our PlayWorks readings!

At PlayWorks, you will hear and see a new play come to life and play an important role in helping develop that play. In these new play workshops, the playwright collaborates with professional actors, directors and dramaturgs. For 1-2 weeks the playwright listens, discusses, writes, and re-writes with the workshop ultimately culminating in a public staged reading.

You as the audience are a part of the creative process too. We will ask for your feedback in a discussion after the reading. How did the play move you? Where did it lose you? These are vital questions for any new play. Some of the plays being read this year will return to Horizon for a full production, thus completing the process that began here. These plays in progress embody the Festival's mission to develop new plays from, for, and about the diverse contemporary South. Come join us for a fun new play adventure!

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THIS YEAR'S READINGS:

THE WAFFLE PALACE
by Larry Larson & Eddie Levi Lee
Monday, March 26, 7:30 PM
From births to marriages to Big Foot sightings, police chases and lottery wins, anything can happen at 3 AM in the Waffle Palace. Inspired by amazing real life events at Waffle House restaurants, Larson and Lee (award winning playwrights of Horizon's Charm School) let loose with this roller coaster of humor, music, and imagination in which John Picket and his multi-racial staff battle to keep their Midtown diner open against heavy odds. The Waffle Palace: a place where everyone is welcome, and the only unforgivable sins are throwing waffles and under-tipping.

Directed by Jeff & Lisa Adler
Featuring Lala Cochran, Allan Edwards, Marguerite Hannah, Enoch King, Larry Larson, Eric Mendenhall, & Maria Sager

Free for subscribers and donors. Call 404.584.7450 to reserve your tickets. $5 general public. Purchase online or call 404.584.7450.

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BLUE ANGELS WEEKEND
by Lee Nowell
Tuesday, March 27 at 7:30 PM
You gotta be crazy to turn 40, but Steph and Kathleen are about to do just that. In an effort to stave off the inevitable, they head to Pensacola determined to wind up in bed with a Blue Angels pilot. Sex, hilarity, and heart--what more could you ask for on your least favorite birthday?

Directed by Lisa Adler
Featuring Lala Cochran, Veronica Duerr, Jason McDonald, & Eric Mendenhall

Free for subscribers and donor • $5 general public • Tickets available soon.

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UPRISING
by Gabrielle Fulton
(Horizon's National New Play Network Playwright-in-Residence)

Monday, April 9 at 7:30 PM
When Sal discovers a hypnotic revolutionary hiding in the brush, her life is turned upside down by his strong affection and the trouble on his tracks. Set during the aftermath of John Brown's Raid, Uprising is a historical drama that challenges our notion of freedom.

Directed by Jade Lambert Smith
Featuring Cynthia Barker, Donna Biscoe, Enoch King, Brian Kurlander, Victor Love, Jodari Mason, & E. Roger Mitchell

Free for subscribers and donor • $5 general public • Tickets available soon.

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Click banner for more information about entering
the New South Young Playwrights’ Contest.

Join us for the culminating showcase of a week-long playwrights training program for college and high school writers:

New South Young Playwrights’ Short Play Festival
Saturday, June 2nd, 2012 @ 2 PM - $5
(Free for Horizon Theatre Subscribers!)