3rd-year MFA to Attend WordBRIDGE Playwright's Lab:

Merri Biechler's play, Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver, has been invited as one of only four MFA plays nationally to be workshopped at WordBRIDGE play lab this summer, June 9th-24th. Originally conceived by founders Rich Rice of Eckerd College, and David Kranes, founder of the Sundance Playwriting Lab, WordBRIDGE is now hosted by Clemson University in conjunction with Generous Theater Company. (Erik Ramsey, Asst Professor in the OU MFA Playwriting Program, is a three-time alum of WordBRIDGE and returns this year to work as a "dramatic engineer" on two invited plays.) For more about WordBRIDGE visit their web site: wordbridge.org

3rd-year MFA Produced in the Mainstage Season at OU School of Theater:

Laura Jacqmin's thesis play Happyslap opened on the Baker Mainstage on friday night. It runs through Saturday, May 5th. For tickets or information call 740.593.4800. For an article discussing the timely issues the play addresses, visit the Athens News web site: Click Here.

Recent Alum at Victory Gardens and Collaboraction:

Recent alum Christopher De Paola is currently understudying the role of Manny in the Victory Gardens' world premiere production of "Cynical Weathers" by Douglas Post. He will be performing the role on May 8th. Chris has also been recently cast in the play "Autobiography" as part of Sketchbook, the 7th annual festival of short plays produced by Collaboraction and performed at the Steppenwolf Garage. Sketchbook 7 will run May 31 to July 1st. (To see Chris's recent writing accolades, scroll down a little to his latest commission and his TV show.)

3rd-year MFA Published:

Two monologues from 3rd-year Laura Jacqmin's short story West of the Moon are being published in the forthcoming Smith & Kraus anthology titled 221 ONE-MINUTE MONOLOGUES FROM LITERATURE (pub. date Autumn 2007). The titles of
the monologues are "Down There" and "Pack Job."

Recent Alum Commissioned:

Pearson Scott Foresman, the world's leading elementary educational publisher, has commissioned 2006 MFA Christopher De Paola to write a play for 6th graders to be published in their new reading anthology. (See his recent work with children's television programming below.)