What's Happening!
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GRIEF HOTEL RETURNS FOR FOUR WEEKS AT THE PUBLIC THEATER
We are thrilled to announce that Grief Hotel – which ran to sold-out houses at Summerworks, and was recently recognized with three Obie Awards – will return for four weeks this spring, in residency at The Public Theater. And we’re excited to add that we’ll be bringing it back in partnership with our friends at New Georges. We hope you’ll join us (or join us again!) for this special production – CLICK FOR TICKETS
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APPLY FOR THE CLUBBED THUMB NEW PLAY DIRECTING FELLOWSHIP
In this five-month new play directing intensive, three fellows work on 30-minute commissioned pieces with writers from the Clubbed Thumb community. These plays are developed over the course of a semester with Playwrights Horizons Theater School student and alumni actors, in rehearsal rooms at Playwrights Downtown. In January, the same plays are rehearsed in the same rooms in quick processes with professional actors, and performed as part of Winterworks: a five-day industry showcase.
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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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WINTERWORKS 2024
Happy new year! We’re back with our 9th Annual Winterworks – a progressive performance of three short-ish plays, which culminates our New Play Directing Fellowship – featuring:
Lauren Zeftel directing MY SIX THERAPISTS by Julia Izumi
Carsen Joenk directing WATCH ME by Justice Hehir
Miranda Cornell directing CHAIRS by Hayley Stahl
with an incredible ensemble of actors. There are only 7 showings, and capacity is extremely limited! Tickets are free, but an RSVP is required.
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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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THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR GALA A BIG SUCCESS!
This fall’s Gala, celebrating our dear friend and collaborator Anne Kauffman, was beautiful, moving and very fun. Thank you to everyone who attended, contributed a song or a bit of writing, volunteered, donated and otherwise supported this very special night.
See more photos from the event on our Instagram (and tag @clubbedthumb if you’re posting your own) — we’ll have more in the coming days!
At the event, we raised funds in honor of Anne to help us better support the directors 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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SUMMERWORKS #26 HAS COME TO AN END
Thank you to the artists, craftspeople, technicians, production staff, interns and everyone else who made this year’s Summerworks possible. We are immensely proud of the work we put out into the world, and delighted by how it was received.
And thank you to thousands of audience members who came out to see a show – our largest attendance ever! It is moving to see so many old friends and so many new faces gathered together in the Wild Project. With each iteration, our community expands. Thanks for being a part of it.
We’ll be spending the next two months wrapping things up and making plans for the future. You’ll hear from us in a few weeks, as we announce the cohorts of next year’s programs, and a few other projects we have cooking.
Until then: have a great summer!
Maria, Michael & Rachel
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LUNCH BUNCH RETURNS!
“DRAGON FRUIT! BLACK BELUGA LENTILS! PERFECTLY SOFT-BOILED EGGS!” Seven public defenders seek meaning, belonging, and some semblance of order via their frenzied quest for the perfect lunch – while battling ACS, inequality, burnout, and a big ole serving of existential dread.
It is with great delight that we share the news that, at long last, a big hit of both Winterworks AND Summerworks 2019, NYT’s Critic’s Pick Lunch Bunch is returning for a limited run, with The Play Company. CLICK FOR TICKETS
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Meet the soon-to-be graduates of Brown University's MFA Playwriting Program
We’re excited to join forces once again with Brown University’s MFA Playwriting Program in the Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies
to present readings of plays by two new graduates: Alexa Derman and Jesús I. Valles, on Mon April 2nd and Tue April 3rd at Playwrights Horizons. -
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
MISSION
Clubbed Thumb commissions, develops and produces funny, strange and provocative new plays by living American writers. Clubbed Thumb is a groundbreaker, with a precise curatorial vision and a remarkable track record for launching artists’ careers; and an incubator, nurturing plays, collaborations, and above all artists, through thoughtfully deployed resources, opportunities, mentorship and hospitality.
Clubbed Thumb’s plays vary in style and content, but are always 90 minutes or under. They feature substantial and challenging roles for all genders, are questioning, formally inventive, theatrical, and exhibit a sense of humor. Since its founding in 1996, the company has presented over 100 productions, and has been awarded 5 Obies, including the Ross Wetzsteon award for sustained excellence.
In 2019, Clubbed Thumb made their Broadway debut with the Tony-nominated and multi award-winning What the Constitution Means to Me, which originated in Summerworks 2017.
PRODUCING
In SUMMERWORKS we produce an aesthetically diverse season of three new plays, each of which has two weeks of performances. It often provides a writers’ first professional opportunity — Will Arbery, Jaclyn Backhaus, Clare Barron and Gina Gionfriddo had their first shows in Summerworks; Sarah Ruhl, Jordan Harrison, Tanya Saracho and Lisa D’Amour made their NYC debuts.
Outside of Summerworks we have also produced plays by Deborah Eisenberg, Mac Wellman, Jeffrey Jones, Erin Courtney, Rinne Groff, Adam Bock, Jordan Harrison, Sheila Callaghan, Jaclyn Backhaus, Will Arbery and Ethan Lipton.
COMMISSIONS
Through The Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission, the New York State Council on the Arts, The Toulmin Foundation, the Gilman Foundation and more, Clubbed Thumb commissions 5+ plays a year, both directly and through open applications, awarding $20,000 – $30,000 annually.
DEVELOPMENT
Clubbed Thumb offers several development programs:
Superlab: a development series co-curated with Playwrights Horizons.
The Clubbed Thumb Writers’ Group: eight mid-career alumni playwrights develop their work over 12 three-hour sessions. Culminates in an annual retreat at Two River Theatre in July.
Other activity includes: Script-revision workshops of plays by new, alumni, and commissioned playwrights; staging & design workshops; occasional co-productions with Playwrights Horizons Theater School and an open play submission policy.
EARLY-CAREER INCUBATION
Early-Career Writers’ Group: Eight playwrights and mentors are nominated by our mid-career alumni playwrights. In addition to regular meetings, the writers create a collaborative piece to open Summerworks, and each writer has a reading during Summerworks.
The Clubbed Thumb Directing Fellowship: Anne Kauffman and various other established directors from the CT community mentor three early-career directors in a five-month new play directing intensive. Each director is paired with an early/mid-career playwright to develop a new piece with students at Playwrights Horizons Theater School over the course of three months. This is followed by a three-week process with professional actors, stage managers and designers, culminating in Winterworks – a five-day industry showcase of their work.
Producing Fellowship: One to two early-career creative producers assist on all programming, as well as casting, script evaluation, management and marketing under the guidance/mentorship of Clubbed Thumb staff, culminating in hands-on role(s) in Summerworks.
Every Angel is Brutal
Motel Cherry