The Baltimore Playwrights Festival is proud to announce that The Chick Files by local playwright Sharon Goldner, will receive an independent reading at 7:00 pm, Saturday, March 10th, at The Strand Theater, as part of their Second Saturday Reading Series. The event is free of charge, and open to the public. There will be a discussion with the playwright following the reading, at which audience members are encouraged to give their feedback.

Then a series of monologues exploring women’s lives, The Chick Files originally received its first public reading as a part of the BPF’s season last year. "The reading I had last year was extremely helpful," Ms. Goldner says. "I rewrote the script from top to bottom based on what a few of the audience members suggested." The play now features characters that interact more with each other in a group therapy setting, allowing the audience a glimpse into their every-day lives.

Born and bred in Baltimore, Sharon Goldner began writing while in high school, and has had over 30 short stories published in literary journals across the country and in England. Switching her focus from short stories to plays within the past few years, Ms. Goldner appreciates the opportunities to hear her plays read afforded to her by the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, and The Strand’s Second Saturday series. "Writing is a very solitary process, and having the opportunity for a reading gives me a sense of accomplishment, like the readers got it, they understood what I was trying to do, the story I was trying to tell. That is worth its weight in gold."

The production will be directed by Miriam Bazensky, award-winning director and Vice Chair of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, who, since directing the original BPF reading of The Chick Files, has become a great supporter of Ms. Goldner’s work.

Several playwrights whose work was read or produced in the Baltimore Playwrights Festival were given Individual Artists Award grants this year by the Maryland State Arts Council, in recognition of their exceptional quality work. Congratulations to them, and to all the award recipients.

List of all 2012 MSAC Individual Artist Award Recipients

Ken Davenport is a Broadway producer whose credits include Godspell, Chinglish, Oleanna starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles, Speed-the-Plow, Will Ferrell’s You’re Welcome America, Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury, and 13. His production company, Davenport Theatrical, offers a Script Coverage Service, which aims to provide writers working on new plays or musicals with dramaturgical feedback from a Broadway producing professional, as well as advise on the piece’s commercial potential and possible next steps.

For more information, see http://www.davenporttheatrical.com/submissions.html.

Morgan Jenness, currently a Creative Consultant representing playwrights at Abrams Artists Agency, has also worked in various capacities from literary manager to associate producer at the Public Theater, New York Theater Workshop and as a dramaturg, workshop director, artistic consultant and teacher at theaters, play development programs and universities across the country. She will bring her wealth of expertise to PlayPenn with this workshop to provide perspective on what thrills, frustrates, and inspires the people you send your work off to. Beginning with participants’ short writing samples, this one-day workshop is designed to help playwrights break through their particular writing challenges and move forward towards their best work. The class will take place on February 25th.

For more information, see http://playpenn.org/class_jenness.html.

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival congratulates Adam Meyer, Mark Scharf and Rosemary Frisino Toohey, all alumni of the BPF whose works will receive independent productions in New York, Maryland and Virginia this month.

Adam Meyer’s play Protest, which originally received a reading at a BPF Marathon last season, will be performed as part of the Manhattan Repertory Theatre’s Winter One-Act Competition January 11th, 13th and 14th.

Also in New York, two one-acts by Rosemary Frisino Toohey, Cosmic Fruit Bowl and Cucarachas, will be produced by Turtle Shell Productions on January 19-29th at The Shell Theater in the Times Square Arts Center.

In Maryland, Mark Scharf’s play, Get Stuffed, which was originally produced as part of the BPF in 2005 at the Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theater, opens on January 14th at the New Directions Theatre in Lusby, MD.

In the Tank, one of four short plays by Rosemary Frisino Toohey titled Seafood Buffet, will be performed on January 14th by the Thurmont Thespians at Three Notch Theater, Lexington Park, MD. Seafood Buffet was awarded the prize for second place Best Play, and second place Best Production when it premiered at the Fells Point Corner Theater in 2001 as part of the BPF’s Season.

Rosemary rounds out her highlight month with a full production of her full-length comedy Gladys in Wonderland by The New Kent Stagehands January 20-28 at New Kent High School, New Kent, VA. Gladys in Wonderland was first produced as part of the BPF at Vagabond Players in 1999, and received an Honorable Mention.