What's Happening!
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THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR GALA SUCH A SUCCESS!
Monday night’s Gala, celebrating our dear friends and collaborators dots, was beautiful, moving and very fun. Thank you to everyone who attended, performed, volunteered, donated and otherwise supported this very special night.
See photos from the event on our Instagram (and tag @clubbedthumb if you’re posting your own)!
At the event, we raised funds in honor of dots to help us better support the designers in our community – and we happily exceeded our goal. But there’s no such thing as a late donation! If you’d like to contribute to the fund, click HERE
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OUR 2024 SEASON HAS COME TO AN END
The last six months were the busiest in our history. We started with Winterworks at Houghton Hall in January, followed by six weeks of Grief Hotel at the Public in the spring, and we rounded it all out with Summerworks at the Wild Project, where we managed to cram in 47 performances over seven weeks.
Some of you saw it all, some just a piece, and some met our work for the first time. We were thrilled to share it with all of you.
Here are some photos and essays from the season, to tide you over until we have work to share again in the fall (or when we see you at our gala honoring dots!)
Lastly: We had our most successful season at the box office ever. If you were there, you know it was full to overflowing. And you might remember that your ticket was pretty affordable—maybe even free. That’s important to us.
But what that means is, even when we sell out all the time, tickets only cover a fraction (about 1/7th) of what it all costs, especially considering we pay people better every year (That’s important to us too!)
Throughout the year, we support hundreds of artists, mostly early in their careers, whether in our writers or directors groups, readings, workshops, commissions, retreats, or in production. So, if you can, make a donation today and be a part of our effort to pay artists, to make beautiful, affordable work, and to do it even better next year!
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SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR ANNUAL GALA
As we prepare to tech our 10th collaboration with the design collective dots – and as they prepare for the Tony Awards this week – we are thrilled to announce we’ll be celebrating them at our gala on October 7th! The annual gala is a fundraising cornerstone, as well as a stylish, fun and deeply-felt event, which will be held once again at the industrial chic Etsy headquarters. Tickets at info HERE
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ANNOUNCING SUMMERWORKS 2024
We’ll be back at the Wild Project May 16th through June 29th with the 27th iteration of SUMMERWORKS, featuring: Usus by T. Adamson, directed by Emma Miller; Coach Coach by Bailey Williams, directed by Sarah Blush; and Find Me Here by Crystal Finn, directed by Caitlin Sullivan. Tickets on sale now! Learn more & get yours here
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MEET THESE WRITERS DURING SUMMERWORKS
Join us during Summerworks for free afternoon readings of plays by 10 exceptional playwrights. First, we’re teaming back up with Brown University’s MFA Playwriting Program in the Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies to present readings of plays by two graduating playwrights. CLICK FOR MORE
Then we’ll present eight readings of work-in-progress by the 23/24 Early-Career Writers’ Group. CLICK HERE TO RSVP
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GRIEF HOTEL'S MAGNIFICENT ENCORE RUN AT THE PUBLIC THEATER
We were thrilled to bring Summerworks 2023’s Obie-winning hit production Grief Hotel back for a six-week run at The Public Theater, in partnership with our friends New Georges. It was very special to dig back into the play and production with the exceptional group of artists who made it, and such a joy to share it with so many more people. We had a tremendous run – sold out, extended and beloved by critics and audiences – thank you to all who attended and to all who made it possible. CLICK HERE TO READ ESSAYS AND MORE ABOUT THE SHOW
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CONGRATULATIONS - AND A SAVE THE DATE
This weekend, we were delighted by the news that Maryann Plunkett, dots, Liza Birkenmeier and Tara Ahmadinejad had all received Obie Awards for their work on Summerworks. Richly Deserved!
Maybe you are one of the many many people who heard how amazing Liza, Tara and dots’ work on Grief Hotel was, and were sorry to have missed it??
WELL GUESS WHAT! It’s coming baaaack…. this spring! Location to be announced when ticket sales open — but SAVE THE DATE!
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WINTERWORKS 2024 HAS COME TO A CLOSE
Thank you to the hundreds of people who joined as at Houghton Hall for the 9th annual Winterworks. We were so proud of the work these amazing artists made — and we managed to cram everyone in to share it.
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MEET THE INCOMING COHORTS OF OUR EARLY-CAREER WRITERS' GROUP AND NEW PLAY DIRECTING FELLOWSHIP
We’re back in action with two new groups to introduce you to! Meet the Early-Career Writers – with whom we’ll convene for play reading and dinner eating, often joined by one of their estimable mentor writers – by CLICKING HERE. During Summerworks we’ll present readings of their plays-in-progress, so join us then to get to know their work.
And get to know the directors and writers in this season’s New Play Directing Fellowship by CLICKING HERE. Program mentors Anne Kauffman and Daniel Aukin, along with Clubbed Thumb staff, will support these new play processes in two phases: first with Playwrights Horizons Theater School students this fall, then in quick and scrappy workshop productions at Winterworks in January. Stay tuned for more info on that and more!
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OUR NEW ANTHOLOGY - ON SALE NOW
We’ve been eager to put out a second anthology since Funny, Strange, Provocative was published in 2007, and the last year finally provided us with the time to take on this long-awaited project. We are thrilled to announce that Unusual Stories, Unusually Told, published by Bloomsbury/Methuen, is now available!
In it you’ll find seven Clubbed Thumb plays that span 18 years of our history, as well as essays and interviews about the work, and the often atypical processes that led to their productions.
Read more about the book and get your discounted copy (and our first anthology) HERE
Summerworks Internships
Clubbed Thumb is seeking production interns for our 27th Summerworks. The festival features three fully-produced new plays, as well as a number of ancillary activities and events. Rehearsals begin as early as April 22nd and performances run approximately May 17th – June 29th at the Wild Project in New York City’s East Village.
Duties & Qualifications:
We are seeking two interns per production, to assist stage management throughout rehearsals and serve as run crew throughout tech and performances. Each production rehearses for about four weeks, then spends roughly two weeks in the theater. Interns will also support load-in and strike for all three shows, as well as occasional front of house shifts. No technical experience is required, but a basic understanding of theater and the type of work that Clubbed Thumb produces is preferred. If you are not familiar with our work, please take a moment to look through our website and track down a play or one of our anthologies.
Occasionally we will have more specific internship tracks such as lighting, sound or prop design, production management, etc., when interested candidates apply for these roles and have some experience and training in these areas. If interested in a specific area, make note of that in your application.
Hourly Requirements:
Interns are expected to work roughly 30 hours per week during the 6-week process of the show to which they are assigned, and 10-15 hours per week during the festival otherwise.
Interns receive a weekly travel and meal stipend, but we understand that some will need more remunerative work in addition to the internship, which the schedule can typically accommodate. Clubbed Thumb makes every effort to provide a structured, respectful, and rich learning experience for every intern, and will support any requirements for students to receive school credit and/or school-funded internship compensation whenever possible. Interns are responsible for their own housing arrangements.
Internship Benefits:
The Summerworks internship is an extremely hands-on, holistic experience; the ideal candidate is eager and enthusiastic to make the most of the two months, and to learn about every aspect of making theater. Interns will come out of this program having gained practical theater-making skills and professional rehearsal room experience. Summerworks employs upwards of 70 theater artists, technicians and staff each year, and interns work directly with these professionals – so it can be a fruitful networking experience as well. Finally, in addition to complimentary tickets to all of the plays and other ancillary events, we create opportunities over the course of the festival for the full cohort of interns to gather, in order to build peer relationships, and we host various intern lunches with guest artists who speak about their careers.