IN DEVELOPMENT
LAS AVENTURAS DE JUAN PLANCHARD
Written and Directed by Moisés Kaufman
Based on the best-selling novel by Jonathan Jakubowicz
Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard is an adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name by Venezuelan writer Jonathan Jakubowicz. Within months of its publishing in November 2016 it became the #1 Amazon Best-Seller for Foreign Language Fiction and is on its way to becoming the best selling novel of all time by a Venezuelan author. The book’s success in Venezuela was even more profound; there were public gatherings to read it aloud, and it has become a rallying point for the anti-Maduro resistance movement. The story chronicles Venezuela’s Bolivarian revolution in the 1990s-2000s through the eyes of one man, Juan Planchard. Juan is a member of the elite class benefiting from the revolution, and we are initially introduced to the world of lavishes afforded to him by new-found wealth and power. However, corruption soon catches up with him and costs him his parents, his wife, and his freedom. In the end, it is a harsh morality tale, a satisfying comeuppance, and a blazing indictment of Venezuela’s ruling political class.
Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard made its world premiere at Miami New Drama in 2023. Stay tuned for details on where you can see this explosive new play next.
ZEPHYR
Written by Jeffrey LaHoste
Directed by Timothy Koch
Zephyr is a new play by Jeffrey LaHoste in which our notions of sanity and sainthood are questioned. We follow free-spirited Lolie as she battles with self-doubt, unplanned pregnancy, a fascination with gambling, and a fraught relationship with her no-nonsense sister, Toni. In a story that sweeps from the ‘70s to the months before Hurricane Katrina, this New Orleans story employs magical realism to transport the audience to a world in which prayers are answered and wisdom may come from the mouth of a small, green parrot.
CASA CUSHMAN
Written by Leigh Fondakowski
CASA CUSHMAN is a new play by award-winning playwright Leigh Fondakowski (Head Writer of “The Laramie Project”) based on the life and loves of the 19th century actor, Charlotte Cushman, who was once famous for her portrayals of the leading male roles in Shakespeare, most especially ROMEO. With her considerable fame and influence, Cushman created an artist colony in Rome, a place for female artists to pursue their dreams outside the traditional bonds of marriages to men. Cushman had numerous love affairs (cue the lesbian drama) and one of these women, Emma Stebbins, became Cushman’s wife and long-time partner. Stebbins would sculpt “The Angel of the Waters” for the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. Today, the angel is one of the most visited places on earth. A love letter to artists, this play grapples with the question of the meaning of a life devoted to art, whether or not one is “successful” in one’s own lifetime, or is remembered (or not) after one’s death.
CASA CUSHMAN is inspired by the book, “When Romeo was a Woman,” by Lisa Merrill.
What Do We Do with The Dead
Written by Stephen Belber
Directed by Liesl Tommy
How do we deal with grief, loss, and the friendships that bring you so much and cost you so dearly? And how does a writer who fabricates for a living actually say something true? And funny. In ideally under 75 minutes? These are the questions that Stephen Belber (Laramie Project, The Madness, Tape, Match) tackles in this solo reading of a play that lasts approximately 74 minutes, tracking the friends he’s loved, lost, and, quite possibly, found again.
TREATMENT & DATA
Conceived and Directed by Moisés Kaufman
Written by Moisés Kaufman and Members of Tectonic Theater Project
Associate writers: Njideka Agwuna, Scott Barrow, Jeremy Griffin, James Wells Maize, Barbara Pitts McAdams, Dimitri Moise, Amy Marie Seidel, Christopher Tucci, Grant James Varjas
An interview-based play that amplifies the story of the ACT UP movement in the words of the activists. Twenty-eight years after the introduction of life saving protease inhibitors, the true full story of this activism movement, fueled by self-educated citizen-scientists, has still not been told. More than anything, it is a stunning example of a successful protest movement and provides a playbook for generations of activists to come.
