DCPA NEWS CENTER
Enjoy the best stories and perspectives from the theatre world today.
Enjoy the best stories and perspectives from the theatre world today.
The evolution of a play has various stages (no pun intended).
In an extreme oversimplification, first, you need a script, which for some playwrights can take days and for others can span decades. Then, new scripts often benefit from readings whether in a classroom, playwrights’ group, or a new play festival. Audience feedback helps inform script revisions before a play is published. Did the audience react in the way a playwright intended? Was it clear, compelling, and entertaining? Were people engaged or did they…gulp…nod off?
Jake Brasch and Shelley Butler. The Reservoir at the Colorado New Play Summit. Photo by Jamie Kraus Photography
A reading can help a play get attention. Once a script catches the eye of a producer, it often leads to a fully staged production. Such is the case with two upcoming Denver Center Theatre Company plays: The Reservoir by Jake Brasch (Jan 17 – Mar 9, 2015) and The Suffragette’s Murder by Sandy Rustin (Feb 7 – Mar 9, 2025) both of which received readings as part of the Colorado New Play Summit.
During the span of time between the reading and opening night, the playwright may further hone the script for publication after which time it available to theatres for future productions and even possible adaptations to other genre such as TV or film. For instance, Samuel D. Hunter’s play, The Whale, was read as part of the 2011 Colorado New Play Summit, received its 2012 world premiere at the Denver Center Theatre Company, was produced by many regional theatres, and, ultimately, became a major motion picture nabbing two 2023 Academy Awards for Best Actor (Brendan Fraser) and Best Makeup and Hairstyling!
But with the proliferation of stories from new and established writers, where do you go to get published? Look no further than your backyard.
“Next Stage Press was founded back in 2009 with the authentic belief that storytelling and theatre connect us, heal us, and uplift us and that more people should have the chance to tell and share their stories and experiences,” explains founder Gene Kato. “Next Stage Press was born out of simply looking at ‘opportunity.’ At the time, Samuel French [now Concord Theatricals] and Dramatist Play Service were publishing about 60-ish plays per calendar year…. [T]hose numbers of shows per year made it virtually impossible to get published by them. So, I made the decision to start a publishing house that focused on writers who had little to no access to those markets.”
As the only Colorado publisher that produces works meant for wide audiences, Kato has amassed an impressive lineup of both local and national writers. “Local writers like Scott Gibson and Rebecca Gorman O’Neill were some of the first to sign on,” Kato continued. “Then, much like a stone dropped in a lake, the ripple effect began and the professional connections that each new writer brought with them to the company, began to give us layer after layer of professional associations.”
Today, Next Stage Press represents nationally known writers such as Arlene Hutton, Don Nigro, Mark Medoff, and Caridad Svich whose play The House of the Spirits was originally read as part of the 2010 Colorado New Play Summit before receiving its world premiere the following season at the Denver Center Theatre Company.
“All of these playwrights are powerhouse writers and have huge followings,” Kato said. “Mark Medoff (known for Children of a Lesser God) has since passed away, but we were fortunate enough to publish his last play The Same Life Over.… Caridad has a huge following and has garnered some very prestigious awards including a 2012 OBIE for Lifetime Achievement, the 2018 ATHE Ellen Stewart Career Achievement in Professional Theatre, the 2023 Dramatists Guild Flora Roberts Award, among others.
Jamie Ann Romero in Cebollas, Colorado New Play Summit Reading. Photo by Michael Martin Photography
“[Most audiences know Arlene Hutton] from The Nibroc Trilogy.… Arlene is such an amazing storyteller, and her writing is so brilliant. No doubt, that’s why her work has had such staying power and is so relatable to audiences. And Don Nigro has such a massive catalogue of plays that aren’t published yet…we were able to enter into a unique publishing situation with him. There are some of his shorter works that we handle the Amateur rights and Concord handles the First Class Rights. Being able to bring his quirky writing style into our catalogue was really wonderful.”
Additionally, longtime Denver Center Theatre Company patrons may remember the 1982/83 debut of Runestone Hill by Laura Shamas who has had her more recent play, Circular, published by Next Stage Press. Additionally, Leonard Madrid, playwright of the Denver Center Theatre Company 2023/24 world premiere of Cebollas, used the Colorado-based publisher to release Volver Volver Volver.
In recognition of underrepresented voices in the American theatre, Next Stage Press is committed to elevating women, BIPOC, transgender, LGBTQIA, and non-binary artists. “During the pandemic we became one of the main publishers of the works of writers of Honor Roll, which is an organization of over 800 women writers over the age of 45. Since then, we’ve turned our focus to inclusivity and are proud of the work we’ve done in working to give writers of all communities a platform.”
With an open submission policy, Next Stage Press will review any script, fueling rapid growth of the company and increased interest in its lineup of playwrights. “Our playwright Arthur M. Jolly (a Nicholl Fellowship winner with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences) has written a play called The Lady Demands Satisfaction and that has been picked up by several theatres ranging from a high school here in Denver to as far away as New Zealand.… Texas playwright H. Russ Brown has his sword-fighting comedy called A Divine Kerfuffle, which was our most produced play last year. He has a talent for farce that I’ve rarely encountered. One of our big stories for 2024 is New York playwright Doug DeVita whose play Fable got an out-of-town tryout in St. Petersburg, FL before opening freeFall Theatre’s 2024/25 season and now has a possible eye on New York. And we’ve just signed Dan Lauria of Television’s “Wonder Years” and Broadway’s Lombardi; his play, Just Another Day is releasing in March. It’s been a wild few months.”
“Next Stage Press is all about family,” continued Kato. “Our theatrical family is our community and we want to be a home for any play that’s ‘ready.’”
To learn more about Next Stage Press or submit a script for consideration, visit www.nextstagepress.com.